The recent MRL Venue Tour of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ stadiums provided broadcasters with the opportunity to witness the hard work and progress made in the finalisation of ten top class and unique competition venues.

The venue tour took place between 15-20 March with a group of 92 people, including 79 Media Rights Licensees from 16 countries, covering nearly 5,000 kilometres and taking eleven flights in the course of visiting all ten of the tournament’s impressive venues.

MRLs were able to see first-hand the diversity of the various host cities and venues, taking in, amongst others, the spectacular calabash design of Soccer City, home of the FIFA World Cup™ Opening Match and Final, the impressive grand arch in Durban and the distinct zebra-patterned seats of the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit. The evenings provided the chance for attendees to soak up the beauty and atmosphere of South Africa with a night at a game reserve and the South African Umoja music show part of the agenda.

Broadcasters prepare to board one of the eleven charter flights organised for the MRL Venue Tour

During the venue tour, broadcasters were able to inspect commentary positions, TV studios, the mixed zone and other unilateral areas and therefore acquire precise information which will enable them to fine-tune their unilateral operations. Key HBS personnel, including members of the HBS Venue Management team, specifically assigned to manage the broadcast aspects of the stadium design, construction and implementation, were on hand to provide detailed tours of the relevant exterior and interior zones of the venues and answer questions from broadcasters. These HBS venue teams have worked for a number of years in close cooperation with the LOC and FIFA in integrating all of the intricate needs of broadcasters for the event. Additionally, members of the HBS Information & Liaison, Communication and Logistics departments were present to deliver more general event information.

The tour enabled MRLs to gain confidence in the important steps taken by FIFA and HBS in preparing and delivering the broadcast aspects of the event and to understand the complexities involved not only logistically, given the scale of South Africa, but in ensuring everything is delivered on time for a top class event.

HBS Broadcast Venue Manager John Downie provides broadcasters with a description of the Broadcast Compound and HBS House at Soccer City, Johannesburg

This is a view echoed by Geoff Mason, Head of Production Planning for ESPN: “The Venue Tour was an incredibly productive and valuable week-long experience. The way the tour was implemented was extremely well done. Buses and airplanes always seemed to be at our disposal, and - perhaps most importantly - we managed to have a lot of fun. In addition to seeing first-hand the progress in preparations at each and every World Cup stadium, we were able to discuss - in depth and at length, with all HBS departments - what their coverage will consist of, and how we MRLs can best tailor our specific needs to the multilateral feeds.”

Giancarlo Tomassetti, TV Director for RAI, and like Mason, a veteran of FIFA World Cup™ and Olympic Games venue tours, was equally enthused. “It was a very pleasant week,” said Tomassetti, “not only was the transport excellent, but great efforts were made to make sure even the tiniest details were met and dealt with professionally - everyone was very helpful. The HBS Venue Managers, who provided the stadium tours, were very knowledgeable about the stadiums and provided specific details about the way they were delivered and set-up for broadcast. Additionally, the evenings provided the opportunity for broadcasters to learn more about the diversity of South African culture which, on a personal level, is very important to understand for the coming months.”

MRLs at the Pilanesberg International Airport after visiting the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg

The tour also provided the perfect opportunity for FIFA and HBS to digest feedback from MRLs and develop a more finite understanding of the individual needs of the various broadcasters as the final preparations are made in advance of this historic occasion.