Rio ’16 Search for Opening/Closing Ceremony Organisers Begins

March 30, 2011

An international selection process has been launched by Rio de Janeiro to hire a mega-events company, stomach charged with the Ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, order along with their segment during the Closing Ceremony at London 2012.

However, the creative aspects are excluded from this process and will be the object of a future selection phase, restricted to Brazilian talent, which gives an early idea of what to expect from the Ceremonies in Rio. 

Proposed bidders have been asked to register on the Rio 2016 official site and will be required to prove prior experience in the production of Olympic or Paralympic Ceremonies. 

An Evaluation Commission formed by members of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other experts yet to be announced will select the winner.

The first presentation to be produced by the Organising Committee is a show of approximately eight-minutes during the Closing Ceremony of London 2012, when the Olympic Flag will be handed over to the Mayor of Rio.

The executive production company will be involved in other large projects besides the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Games, including the delivery of the Paralympic Flag at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the Tour of the Olympic and Paralympic Flags, the Live Sites in Brazil and at 15 international locations, the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay, the medal ceremonies during the Games, the reception of the Delegations at the Olympic and Paralympic Villages and the sports presentations during the Rio 2016 Games.

The winning firm, or consortium, will plan and manage all the technical and administrative aspects of the Rio 2016 Ceremonies and Large Events, including the development of the production schedule, the organisation chart, the budget, personnel contracting and management and the ceremonies and events production, Rio 2016 said.

Among the tasks related to the ceremonies are the design and management of a logistics plan, operational plans, identification of the production and rehearsals sites, development and management of an accreditation database and the assembly and removal of all stage items, scenarios, props and costumes.

The winning firm or consortium will also involve and supervise other production companies, in a process that will multiply Olympic mega–event expertise throughout the Brazilian market, as well as taking part in audience involvement programmes with the purpose of creating high spectator engagement. 

The selection process will be open to Brazilian and international bidders and the establishment of consortia will be allowed to enable two or more companies to combine their qualifications in order to meet the participation criteria.

If selected, international bidders will be required to establish a branch office in Brazil and to assure professional qualification and development of Brazilian talent as a legacy of the Rio 2016 Games.

Leonardo Gryner, the chief executive of Rio 2016, stated: “The events and ceremonies will be critical components of the spectator experience, and an essential tool to awaken the interest of the largest number of people possible for the Rio 2016 Games.

“Projects such as the Olympic and Paralympic Flag Tour and the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay will result in greater public engagement and participation throughout Brazil. 

“The ceremonies will convey images of Brazil that will be remembered forever all around the world, and it is critical to partner with a top level organisation in their production.

“This is why we will select highly qualified suppliers, and work with the best Brazilian and international professionals.”

The firms and consortia shortlisted will be announced on May 5 and invited to a briefing in Rio.

The finalists will be chosen by the end of June with the winner chosen on August 31.