Greg Nugent served as Director of Brand, Marketing and Culture for the London Olympics 2012 and Paralympics. He was responsible for everything from customer relationships to the look of the Games. He built a database of 5.5 million, turned volunteers into Gamesmakers and coined the phrase 'Inspiring a Generation'.
With a background in polling, Greg likens the Olympics to a political campaign. By engaging 23,000 community leaders and weaving a thread from the athletes through to the public, the aim was to create 'A Games for Everybody.' As one example of his Obama-style methods, emails were sent to local residents exactly two hours before the torch relay passed through their neighbourhood.
In another aspect of this mammoth project, Greg oversaw the branding of 87,000 items. He and his team also helped identify and resolve 702 problems, all under the watchful eye of the media. As a testament to the success of the London Olympic Games, 89% of those surveyed afterwards said it was "the best thing that's ever happened in the UK."
In presentations Greg draws lessons from his experience that apply to any event, brand or business, of any size or type. They range from the importance of planning, training and defining a vision to developing a customer experience and involving everyone in the challenges faced by the organisation. He relates his message to the specific conference themes, and includes memorably relevant footage from London 2012.
Before joining LOCOG Greg was Head of Marketing at Eurostar, where he helped steer HS1 and the move to St Pancras. He has since acted as strategic advisor to HS2 and as Deputy Chair of The Join In Trust, building on the volunteering legacy of the Gamesmakers.