COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic Committee carried out a number of fan-facing programs and activations leading up to, during and after the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 both in South Korea and in the United States. These activations began with the mobile interactive tour, Team USA WinterFest presented by HERSHEY’S, at the 100 Day Countdown to the PyeongChang Games in New York and continued with numerous celebrations and Games experiences in PyeongChang and at home.
Team USA WinterFest presented by HERSHEY’S
Team USA WinterFest presented by HERSHEY’S was a 13-stop interactive tour that circled the country – and made a stop in Seoul, South Korea – bringing the excitement of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to Team USA fans around the world. Free and open to the public, the stops featured Team USA athlete meet and greets along with several interactive elements, including HERSHEY’S S’moresmobile, Bobsled Boomerang and stage, along with OREO’s Team USA Curling Challenge and Social Media Truck.
By the numbers: Team USA WinterFest presented by HERSHEY’S
- The tour made 13 stops (12 U.S. cities and one international) including New York, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; Dallas, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; San Jose, California; Squaw Valley, California; Bentonville, Arkansas; St. Paul, Minnesota; Park City, Utah; Seoul, South Korea; Hershey, Pennsylvania; Lake Placid, New York.
- More than 105 Team USA athletes took part in the tour, signing autographs, meeting fans, interacting through social media and more.
- Nearly 60,000 fans actively participated in the tour interactives and experiences.
- Extensive media coverage resulted in 498 total placements and 1.47 billion media impressions.
- The HERSHEY’S Stage featured live performances from award-winning artists, including Darius Rucker, Good Charlotte, Rachel Platten, Third Eye Blind, Lewis Brice, Canaan Smith and Sleeping with Sirens.
- Nearly 115,000 total sponsor samples and/or premiums were distributed.
- The tour logged over 16,000 miles, which resulted in more than 2.25 million branded vehicle impressions throughout its 120-day, cross-country road trip.
USA House
USA House serves as the USOC’s business and hospitality center during the Olympic Games. Its primary purpose is to provide an integrated hospitality and business opportunity for key constituents, including Team USA athletes, National Governing Bodies, sponsors, donors and international guests. In PyeongChang, South Korea, USA House was located in the Nations Village at the YongPyong Ski Resort.
By the numbers: USA House
- USA House was open Feb. 9-25, logging 190 total hours of operation.
- Nearly 10,000 meals were served to more than 5,000 guests who visited USA House over 17 days.
- USA House welcomed an average of 300 guests per day.
- Among the guests were nearly 175 competing Olympic athletes and 67 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic alumni athletes
- USA House hosted 11 private events.
- All USOC sponsors had a presence in USA House either through natural product placement or branding.
- USA House in PyeongChang, a temporary, environmentally friendly structure featured a space totaling 4,500-square feet in size
PyeongChang goodwill campaign
The U.S. Olympic Committee continued its commitment to honoring the Olympic and Paralympic Games organizers, host country, volunteers and local community with the goodwill campaign, “Thank You, PyeongChang” at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Through numerous athlete engagements, highlighted by a Team USA and South Korean student mentorship program, the campaign demonstrated Team USA’s appreciation to all who support the Olympic and Paralympic Games – and make Team USA and the world’s athletes feel at home. The cornerstone of “Thank you, PyeongChang” was a youth sports mentorship program between Team USA figure skaters Maia and Alex Shibutani and students from Jinbu Middle School in PyeongChang.
Following the mentorship program launch in August, the Shib Sibs hosted five video chats with the students to teach them about the Olympics and their experiences as elite athletes. The students, in turn, taught Maia and Alex about South Korean history and culture. The program culminated at the PyeongChang Games with the students attending the ice dance competition to watch the Shibutanis compete (and win an Olympic bronze medal) – before meeting in-person for a final lesson, gift exchange and celebration. The “Thank you, PyeongChang” campaign was supplemented by other activities in the lead-up to, and during, the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Beginning in February 2017, 29 Team USA athletes participated in seven community outreach events in Korea and the U.S. Olympic Committee released videos sharing Team USA’s enthusiasm for the 2018 Games with South Korean fans and media. In Korea, multiple Team USA athletes, through photos and video messages, thanked the people of South Korea for hosting the Games.
Colorado Springs celebration
The Colorado Springs Olympic Downtown Celebration took place Feb. 9 in conjunction with the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. Colorado Springs, known as Olympic City USA, is home of the Olympic Training Center where roughly 13,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes train a year and has hosted a similar event for four consecutive Games. More than 10,000 Team USA fans enjoyed the ceremony broadcast on a 27-foot screen, a ceremonial torch lighting by five-time Olympic gold medalist Eric Heiden (speedskating), performances by traditional Korean dancers, various Olympic and Paralympic sport demonstrations, live music, and a special Olympic Ideals Award ceremony honoring local youth for their display of core Olympic values.
Team USA Games-time hospitality program
The USOC hosted 100 donors and their guests in PyeongChang through its Games-time hospitality programs. As the philanthropic arm of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation provides hospitality offerings that allow supporters to see first-hand how their donations impact U.S. athletes and the high-performance programs that serve them. These programs provide unrivaled, behind-the-scenes access to athletes, competitions and Team USA venues, which included interactions with more than 30 Olympians during the PyeongChang Games. Divided into three waves, the USOPF’s donors and their families cheered on Team USA at more than 50 different events at the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, including some of Team USA’s most historic gold medal-winning performances. For more information about supporting Team USA and the USOC’s Games-time hospitality programs, visit give.teamusa.org.
Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games
The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 were filled with record-setting performances and inspiring achievements, and fans have been able to vote for their favorite athletes and teams online at TeamUSA.org/awards. The Team USA Awards presented by Dow will honor the outstanding achievements of U.S. athletes and teams at the PyeongChang Games. The Olympic categories saw a record-setting number of votes by fans. Voting for the Paralympic categories is open through Friday, April 6.
The action of the Games will come to life once again with the announcement of the award winners at the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games on April 26 at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. All members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams are invited to attend the ceremony and walk the red carpet in Washington, D.C. In total, 10 awards will be presented:
- Female Athlete of the Olympic Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods
- Male Athlete of the Olympic Games
- Team of the Olympic Games, presented by Dow
- Female Athlete of the Paralympic Games
- Male Athlete of the Paralympic Games
- Team of the Paralympic Games, presented by Dow
- Coach of the Games (Olympic and Paralympic)
- The Building Dreams Award, presented by USG, which honors an individual, group or community that has gone above and beyond in its support of Team USA
- The Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award, which honors an individual(s) who has served as a powerful force for good in society, inspiring others by contributing to a better world, uniting people or leading a cause.
The awards show will be televised as a 90-minute feature for the first time ever, and will run on NBCSN on May 12 from 6-7:30 p.m. ET. In addition to Dow, the presenting sponsor, the Team USA Awards are supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods and USG.
NOTE: This is the second of two PyeongChang 2018 recap releases issued by the USOC. Part 1 focused on fan consumption of the Games on social, digital and broadcast platforms and can be found here.
About the USOC
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U.S. Olympic Committee serves as both the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States. As such, the USOC is responsible for the training, entering and funding of U.S. teams for the Olympic, Paralympic, Youth Olympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games, while serving as a steward of the Olympic and Paralympic movements throughout the country. For more information, visit TeamUSA.org.
