The experience acquired in hosting the 2007 Pan American Games and the challenges and conquests of the Rio de Janeiro bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games were a main topic of discussion on Wednesday as a part of the Sports Event Management Conference 2008 in London. The Rio 2016 Bid Commission’s international relations director, Mário Cilenti, was one of the speakers at a panel on “The Changing Role of Sponsors” at the largest gathering of Organizing Committees and event planners.

 About 200 people participated in the conference, which facilitated the exchange of experiences and specialized knowledge. Rio 2016’s Cilenti spoke about the 2007 Rio Pan American Games, in which sponsors performed a very important role. Cilenti was sub-secretary general for operations of the 2007 Rio Pan American Games.

“One of the fundamental guarantees for the success of the Pan American Games was the support we had from renowned companies, like Atos Origin and Swiss Timing,” Cilenti said. “These companies, which are also Olympic Games sponsors, supplied us with technology and a specialized workforce, and this legacy is important for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil to be able to host other large sports events, like the 2016 Olympic Games.”

For Cilenti, the Pan American Games sparked the interest of international companies by demonstrating Brazil’s economic situation, its extensive market for publicity and the many perspectives of a developing nation. “The Rio de Janeiro bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games could be the opening of a door to a vast market, not just in Brazil, but in all of South America,” he said.

Representatives of the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2010 Vancouver and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games were also present at the London event.