OREANDA-NEWS. August 08, 2012. PwC Russia, a Partner and the Official Professional Services Provider to the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, participated in the Global Sports Industry Congress at Russia Park in Kensington Gardens, during the London 2012 Olympics, reported the press-centre of PwC.

As Knowledge Partner, PwC Russia contributed to setting the agenda for the Keynote Panel Session “Russia: Preparing for a decade at the centre of global sport”, which was hosted by Russian Olympic Committee Head  Alexander Zhukov and featuring  PwC Russia’s Advisory Leader and Global Sports Mega-Events Centre of Excellence Leader Robert Gruman, General Director of the Universiade 2013’s Executive Committee Vladimir Leonov, and President of Sochi 2014 Dmitry Chernyshenko in addition to representatives of the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup and the Russian Rugby Federation. Alexander Zhukov opened with a speech outlining the upcoming sports mega-events era in Russia and the anticipated impact that it will have on Russian development.

During the Keynote Session, Robert Gruman presented "Winning in the sports mega-events era in Russia", outlining the broad spectrum of opportunities there are for building a positive legacy in Russia arising from the well-planned, coordinated series of sports mega-events that the country is to host over the coming years. In particular, the presentation focused on opportunities for developing intellectual capital in the form of socioeconomic and labour market studies, training programmes, project planning technologies and innovations, a trained and experienced workforce, new sports related educational institutions and a 'Partner Club' mindset among all those who were involved in these sporting mega-events.

In addition, Robert Gruman spoke about the contributions that PwC Russia has made to date as Partner and Official Professional Services Provider to Russia's upcoming high profile mega-events: the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the World University Games of 2013 in Kazan.

As a Partner and Official Professional Services Provider to the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee, PwC:

Acts as a consultant on the overall planning, preparation and staging

Supplies over 170 professional services projects in key areas such as: HR consulting, taxation, supply chain management, financial planning, management consultancy, risk management

Leads the Sochi 2014 Partners HR Club, and promotes Sochi 2014 at Russia’s  main economic forums

Plays an active role in promoting the Sochi 2014 legacy – Olympic education by PwC Russia staff, the first Partner of the Russian International Olympic University

As a Partner and Official Professional Services Provider to the Executive Committee of the 2013 Universiade in Kazan PwC:

Has implemented nine large-scale management projects: two in tax consulting, three in budgeting and financial planning, and four in Games planning.

In addition to creating budget and financial business processes, PwC Russia has helped create an overall plan for the Games, as well as detailed operating plans for the Executive Committee and several key venues that will be used during the event.

Founded the ‘Universiade 2013 Partners League’ at PwC Russia’s Kazan office

Plays an active role in promoting the Kazan 2013 legacy – running open houses for students in the PwC Kazan office in collaboration with the Universiade Executive Committee

Following the Keynote Panel Session, PwC hosted a session called “Beyond the Bid”, when case studies were presented by PwC global sports mega-events professionals Ron Bidulka, Managing Director at PwC Canada and David Dellea, Director at PwC Switzerland. Additionally, PwC clients Kazan 2013 and Sochi 2014 presented case studies on action taken in connection with the bidding processes for sports mega-events in Russia and beyond. The session drew on the lessons of PwC's latest thought leadership piece “Beyond the Bid: The role of mega-events in intellectual capital” to show that even a losing bid can act as a catalyst for positive long-term development for cities and countries.

“Beyond the Bid: The role of mega-events in intellectual capital” key findings:

Today’s mega-events are highly competitive; cities and regions oftentimes submit multiple consecutive bids until they win, building on the lessons from each iteration.

Behind the scenes, every winning — and losing — bid represents years of planning, preparation, and collaboration.

Over the past several decades, the role of mega-events in generating a lasting legacy has gained increasing importance — not only for those bidding but also as an inherent component of the bidding process itself.

Intellectual capital abounds at mega-events; capturing that legacy allows all stakeholders to benefit from each others’ skills, knowledge, and innovation.

All the various factors that define a successful modern urban economy — including economic clout, technology readiness, and ease of doing business — intellectual capital, innovation, and social well being (health, safety, and security) are the most essential.

Robert Gruman, PwC Russia’s Advisory Leader and Global Relationship Partner for the Olympic Movement noted:

“The expertise required to stage a mega-event is highly sophisticated. These events require substantial infusions of capital, the dedication of vast resources, and the commitment of all participants over the long term. Cities and regions do not undertake these events lightly.

Once the selection process ends, there’s no backing down. As a result, cities and regions seek experts who can demonstrate previous experience. That previous experience serves as the foundation of an intellectual capital legacy for each city or region to build on, thus making every successive bid easier and cementing a city’s  and region’s arrival on the world stage.”

PwC also provided hard copies of a newly updated PwC Krasnodar Region Investment Guide for reference by business visitors to the Krasnodar Regional Administration’s stand at Russia Park.