The United States Olympic Committee executed a number of fan-facing programs and services in Russia throughout the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games that elevated the Team USA brand and created a home-away-from-home for thousands of guests. Properties included USA House, Team USA Shop and the Team USA Games-time hospitality program.
USA House
USA House is the USOC’s main hospitality center during the Olympic Games. Its primary purpose is to provide an integrated hospitality and business opportunity for key constituents, including U.S. Olympians, National Governing Bodies, sponsors, suppliers, licensees, donors, IOC members and other international guests. Additionally, USA House is the home of U.S. medal celebrations. Following each podium performance, U.S. medalists receive an allotment of invitations for family and friends to privately join them in celebrating their Olympic success and in inducting the coach of their choice into the USOC’s Order of Ikkos.
While Sochi was the seventh iteration of USA House, which debuted at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, 2014 marked the first time USA House has been located within the Olympic Park and in walking distance to all venues within the coastal cluster.
USA House by the numbers
- It took 96 days to build the entire facility, which was a sustainable, temporary building that will be reused as a hospitality venue for other sporting events.
- The 18,739 square foot building featured 142 floor-to-ceiling windows and had a capacity of 350 people at one time.
- From Feb. 7-23, USA House logged 238 total hours of operation.
- 16,296 total meals were served to 10,050 guests over the course of 17 days.
- Among the guests were approximately 100 U.S. Olympians and Paralympians and 96 International Olympic Committee members, a significant increase from Vancouver 2010.
- 27 Order of Ikkos ceremonies took place at USA House.
- USA House hosted 42 private events and 14 media events, 36 of which were held in the Hospitality Lounge presented by Deloitte.
- 23 USOC sponsors and/or licensees had a presence in USA House either through natural product placement like Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Folgers and Smucker’s, or by building an actual activation space like AT&T’s charging station, BMW’s two-man bobsled display, Citi’s “Signature Steps” courtyard wall and Deloitte’s hospitality lounge. Additionally, all Team USA sponsor logos were featured on the USG-backlit wall above the welcome desk.
Team USA Shop
Located within USA House, Team USA Shop is the only place for fans to purchase official Team USA-branded gear at an Olympic Games. Open to all American citizens, Team USA Shop in Sochi offered products from official Team USA sponsors and licensees, including Nike, Ralph Lauren, Alex & Ani, Honav, Museum Editions, Oakley, Outerstuff, Topps and WinCraft.
Team USA Shop by the numbers
- Team USA Shop was open for 208 hours over 18 days (Feb. 6-23).
- More than 44,000 products were sold.
- Product was available from nine official Team USA sponsors and licensees.
- Nike and Ralph Lauren accounted for 82 percent of total Team USA Shop sales.
- The top-selling Nike products were the medal stand jacket and tech fleece; while Ralph Lauren’s top sellers were the Opening Ceremony cardigan and ceremonial hats.
- Corresponding with the Closing Ceremony, the shop’s best sales day was Feb. 23.
- Team USA’s total Sochi sales numbers more than doubled Vancouver 2010.
Team USA Games-time hospitality program
The USOC hosted 95 donors and their guests in Sochi through its Games-time hospitality programs – exclusive Games experiences available only to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation donors, the philanthropic arm of the USOC. Several giving levels allow fans to tailor their experiences while providing support for America’s athletes. These programs provide unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to athletes, competitions and Team USA venues, with special guest appearances by legendary U.S. Olympians. For the Sochi Games, the USOPF’s 95 donors and guests traveled more than 364,000 combined miles to cheer on Team USA at 45 different Olympic events in Sochi, including 15 of Team USA’s 28 medal-winning performances. For more information on the USOC’s Games-time hospitality, visit TeamUSA.org/donate.
The USOC also hosted more than 50 Olympic and Paralympic sponsors, donors, U.S. government officials, USOC board members and Paralympic Advisory Committee members at the Sochi Paralympic Games. Experiences included lunch with the U.S. Sled Hockey Team, Team USA Apres Ski presented by P&G featuring the P&G Tough Love campaign with more than 150 guests including VIPs, National Paralympic Committee members, and alpine and nordic skiing friends and families from the mountain villages. Team USA also hosted a pre-sled hockey gold medal game gathering for the coastal cluster with donors, sponsors, and NPC leaders.
Sochi Olympic ticket sales
According to official USOC sponsor and authorized ticket reseller CoSport, more than 19,500 individual event tickets were purchased for use by more than 9,200 U.S. guests. The most popular sports for U.S. guests to attend during the Sochi Olympic Winter Games were ice hockey, speedskating, alpine skiing, figure skating, curling, snowboarding and freestyle skiing.
This release was provided to SwimSwam courtesy of the USOC.
