Olympic Business Legacy Needs to Remain a Vital Part of the UK's Growth Agenda

However great the achievements of British businesses last summer there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that the chance of building a business legacy from the Games is not lost.
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The events of last summer seem a far-off memory now despite the fact we have not even reached the first anniversary of the closing ceremony.

We experienced a £9 billion marketing campaign, the likes of which we may never see again, which demonstrated the creativity, resilience and tenacity of British business to put on an event like the world has never seen before.

However great the achievements of British businesses last summer there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that the chance of building a business legacy from the Games is not lost.

Across the world there are cities gearing up to host, or considering bidding to host, major sporting events, that we have the knowledge and expertise to help them deliver. From engineering to design to planning our businesses can help and we should be out there shouting about it to the world.

This is why we at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry have worked to bring together a number of the companies who helped stage the Games, both large and small, to share what they learned from being involved in the Games in what we hope will be the first of a series of international events.

We've got representatives from some of the biggest companies that took part in the Games, like British Airways, talking about the benefits of being involved at the very highest levels of sponsorship, while a group of small businesses will outline how it's not only huge companies with enormous marketing budgets that can benefit.

We've decided to host the first event in Qatar, which is investing billions of pounds in infrastructure to enable them to host the 2022 World Cup. It is important that UK companies who think they have something to offer start to explore how to get involved.

British companies are highly regarded in Qatar and those with international ambitions can use this mission as their first step in obtaining global recognition. Businesses will learn how they can leverage the Games to their sustainable strategies and boost their long-term competitiveness beyond 2012.

It is not just Qatar that offers potential but it's a great starting point to ensure that there is a true and lasting business legacy from the Games.