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Road to PyeongChang 2018 (Issue #3)

Highlights on the Road to PyeongChang 2018 from the past week:

PyeongChang may be the most affordable and accessible Olympics for fans to attend in a generation…
Why Going To 2018 Winter Olympics In South Korea Is Easier Than You Think: September 19th. Read my insights published at ThePostGame on why if you have always dreamed about attending the Olympics but didn’t think you could…think again because this time it just might be possible! Here is the link to my 4 reasons why.

Tensions and confusion dominate the headlines…

Comments by France and rumors on Austria suggest they are considering skipping the Winter Games (with some walk-backs of course!)….Here are links to this week’s greatest hits on that!
South Korea’s Moon says pushing to guarantee safety at Pyeongchang Olympics: September 19th. Tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula despite South Korea’s push to guarantee safety and a North Korean IOC member does not see “any big problem” for the Winter Games. French sports minister Laura Flessel stated on Thursday that France may skip the Olympics due to security concerns and the Austrian Olympic team may be considering the same. The French Olympic & Sports Committee issued a statement this morning walking back Flessel’s comments and restating France’s commitment to PyeongChang 2018. This news could have a major impact for fans and companies planning to entertain clients during the Winter Games as the initial comments were picked up by major outlets including Yahoo!, CNN, and Bleacher Report and the statement walking back the comments has not gotten the same amount of coverage.

Corporate sponsorship announcements begin…

Olympic & Team USA sponsors announce their Olympic athlete rosters and marketing programs for PyeongChang with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Visa, & Deloitte leading the way…

Ashley Wagner And Alex Rigsby Headline Team USA Contenders Roster For Dick’s Sporting Goods: September 19th. Dick’s Sporting Goods was the first out this week announcing their roster for their Contender Program and the 41 U.S. Winter Olympic and Paralympic athlete-hopefuls including top female figure skater, Ashley Wagner. Visa announced their TeamVisa roster of 40 Olympians and Paraolympians from 17 countries around the globe. Deloitte announcedtheir “Team Deloitte” roster of 10 Olympic and Paralympic Athletes for PyeongChang 2018 in addition to their sponsorship of the US National Sled Hockey Team. Look for these athletes and promotions in the run up to the Winter Games.

It’s getting more certain that the NHL will likely not compete…
Bach appeals to owners of NHL teams to allow players to compete at Pyeongchang 2018: September 15th. The IOC, PyeongChang 2018, and the NHL players are coming to terms with the fact that the NHL players will not participate in the Winter Games. While IOC President Thomas Bach has appealed to the owners, the fact of the matter is that NHL teams have at least 9 games scheduled during the Olympic period of February 9th-25th not including travel time. Changing the NHL schedule with the venues alone is impossible at this late date, and taking players away for more than 10% of the 82 game season in the midst of playoff runs and potential for lost revenue is unlikely. This means that NBC’s Olympic coverage will compete with the NHL season for TV viewers during this period which could impact advertisers and revenues.

The Who’s, What’s & Where’s for PyeongChang 2018 and the Olympic Winter Games…
Everything You Need to Know About the 2018 Winter Olympics
: September 15th. If you need a quick introduction to PyeongChang 2018, TIME Magazine put together a short article and video that will give you the where, when, who, and how we got here for the Winter Games. Check it out here.

Only 4 of the top 10 spenders in US sponsorships invest dollars in the Olympics Games & Team USA…
With A Combined $1B, PepsiCo, Coke, Anheuser-Busch Are Top Sponsor Spenders: September 19th. Top corporate spenders on sponsorship is out, and the details might surprise you. Only 4 of the top 10 spenders on US sponsorships invest their dollars in the Olympics or with Team USA. Wonder which four those are? Coca-Cola, Toyota, GE, and Nike. Read more here.

Bronze, Silver or Gold? Here’s what winners will hang around their necks…

Korean Culture Celebrated in PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games Medals: September 21st. Photos of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games medals were released and have a focus on Korean culture. With a modern feel to these medal, unique features include etching along the edges. The unveiling of these medals was done simultaneously in two locations: New York City where Moon Jae-In addressed the UN and in South Korea where the Olympics will be held in February. Read more here.

Latest Road to PyeongChang bits and bytes for fans who are planning or hoping to attend:

  • Wow, that was quick! You can stay in PyeongChang for as little as $50/night, but space is getting limited. Last week this was a first find on the Road to PyeongChang and had 10 available rooms, as of today the availability down to 5 rooms. Easily the best deal for your trip to PyeongChang at the Kumkwangjang Motel in PyeongChang for $50/night.
  • Flights prices increase, a little: But are still relatively cheap to get you to South Korea: Flights remain surprisingly inexpensive to reach South Korea for the Olympic Games. Round trip fare is now $724 from Los Angeles to Seoul, South Korea on Air China departing February 6th and returning February 16th, enough time to see the Opening Ceremonies and several marquee events. This is up from $661 last week.
  • Fan-to-Fan Ticket Exchange launch date released! This week on the PyeongChang 2018 ticketing site, an additional announcement included the launch date of the Fan-to-Fan ticket exchange website. According to the site the Fan-To-Fan Official Ticket Resale Service will open on October 31st. Stay tuned for more details, this could be a great way to get discounted tickets as the games approach.
  • PyeongChang 2018 Ticket Site Watch: PyeongChang 2018’s ticketing website still has availability for all 208 sessions, although some of the higher demand events like Figure Skating are showing lower inventory vs. last week. PyeongChang 2018 ticketing opened up to those countries without an ATR (Authorized Ticket Reseller) on October 1st and Ticket Box Offices opening up in South Korea on November 6th.
  • Authorized Ticket Resellers Watch: Cosport, the online reseller for the United States dropped additional inventory for high demand sports such as figure skating, snowboarding, and curling. Dertour, the authorized reseller for Germany shows a slight decrease in availability this week to 181 ticket groups across all sessions from 183 last week. Opening & Closing ceremonies still available.

Ken is the Chief Operating Officer at InviteManager. He has been featured in the International Business Times, MSN, Yahoo Sports, ThePostGame, USA Today and ESPN. For more information, you can follow Ken’s blog, connect via Twitter or email him at kenh@invitemanager.com.