Spreading Hospitality and Culture
The Games are much bigger than sport. There are 10,000+ athletes from over 200 countries in (mostly) 1 city for over 2 weeks. If it was just about sport, the interactions between fans and competitors would be marginal. But it isn’t. The interactions speak louder than words. In addition to the connections made on the metro, in cafes, at venues, my favorite places to meet folks was at the hospitality houses of different nations.
While there are always these hospitality houses at the games, Paris 2024 brought many of them to one location – Parc de la Villette. This space was transformed into Nations Park and became home to 14 nations with others scattered around the city. In Bois De Boulogne, there were 3 houses and 13 more spaces spread throughout the Paris. Picture each of these spaces as a small embassy, a micro version of their country. Here’s my summary of the houses I was able to visit and learn about.
But first, a quick overview of Nations Park! It was like a festival. You were able to arrive and wander through the park looking at houses. The main attraction was Club France, the hosts. There was carnival food, boat rides in the canal, and loads of people. Each house had its own reusable cup that you could use for your drinks then return for 2 EUR, or keep as a souvenir. I thought it was a clever way to cut back on single use plastics – a big mission for the French. With 14 houses in the Park, there were maps, volunteers, and police all around to help. For the most part, there were never many crowds or issues. Except when Club France closed their outdoor spaces and security closed passage over the canal to prevent crowding the metros. That caused a lot of confusion, 30+ minutes of walking out and around the park, and many questions unanswered. But nonetheless, my friends and I made it from Czech House to Team NL Huis, despite the unpredicted journey.
Canada Olympic House
- Housed within Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Nations Park
- Museum was open to the public upstairs while Canada House was ticketed at 30 EUR downstairs
- Hosted a 3-day sports business conference with SponsorshipX
- Sponsors: Mondelēz International (snack give away), Lululemon (team store), Air Canada (photo booth), Toyota (postcards to home)
- Pros: Good location, fun activations, exciting branding and lighting, live filming with their news network
- Cons: No maple syrup products
Casa Colombia
- Free to enter, Colombian food and drink to purchase
- Hosted by the Ambassador of Colombia to France, the first hospitality house Colombia has hosted
- No obvious sponsors
- Continuous live entertainment and sports on TVs with an outdoor patio, coffee demonstrations
- Shops to purchase Colombian team gear and items from
- Pros: outdoor space, friendly staff, free
- Cons: food took quite a bit of time to be prepared
Club France
- Rather a club or house, think FESTIVAL with indoor and outdoor spaces
- Endless activities and entertainment
- Indoors boasted sponsor activation locations
- 30 EUR entry with food and drink for purchase
- Pros: you could never be bored
- Cons: SO many people
Czech House
- Sometimes free, sometimes not. It depended on what was happening and how many people were around. Food and drink for purchase.
- Indoors hosted a stage and a team store. Outside was a garden with a big screen for sport.
- No visible sponsors
- This may have been my favorite space due to one individual we met – a 10 year Czech boy with his family. He jumped from the table next to us to join us at ours. This incredibly well spoken child went on to teach us words in Czech, discuss the world’s problems, and analyze problems unique to the United States. I’m not sure where he got his talking points from but I sure hope to see him as a world leader one day.
Serbian House
- I didn’t visit inside here but I think it’s important to note I did not see Nikola Jokić’s horses – CON.
Team GB House
- I only walked by here but they were close to Maison Polonaise (see my previous blog post). They had a tiered entry fee system. We did not inquire for details but I believe it started at 100 EUR.
Team NL Huis
- The best club in all of France with 30 EUR entry fee
- If you got lost heading this way, you simply needed to follow someone (likely a Dutch person) wearing orange.
- Outdoor viewing area, merch, food and drink for purchase
- Indoor stage and party
- Pro – likely the cheapest beer in all of Paris and also the best EDM club to exist; I would’ve gone every night If I could have
- Con – It was slightly too far away for me to visit every night
Team USA House
- Located at the Palais Brongniart, Paris’s first stock exchange building. It was built under the direction of Napoleon. Today, it is an event venue.
- Entry: tiered starting at 325 EUR for 1 day; unlimited access for Olympians
- Food and drink: inclusive, not very American
- Sponsors: well displayed throughout the house
- Features: Team USA store, Ralph’s Cafe, viewing screens, stage for activities, and upper level private for athletes, sponsors, and other guests of the USOPC; Google Starline activation
- Pros: lively at night, all you can eat, unlimited re-entry during the day, good energy during American competition in the evenings
- Cons: expensive, not as lively during the day, not very centrally located, did not have American food
Bonus: Adidas House and OLY House
Adidas House is a hospitality space for Adidas athletes and their partners. This was an inclusive space and hosted panels, fireside chats, and viewing spaces. Products were on display but it never was a push to purchase, rather a, “Hey! Look what we’re up to!” Big con – the allergen menu was very unclear.
OLY House is a hospitality space hosted by the World Olympian Association. This is a space for ALL Olympians. Many countries do not have a country house to spend time in and be celebrated, OLY provides that to them. It was much more casual than many other hospitality spaces, nestled in a quiet neighborhood. Drinks at OLY are on the house but food is for purchase. They hosted events throughout the Games including the Olympian for Life Award presentation, the Olympic Truce Foundation award presentation, an event for the Nigerian Olympians Association, and a film festival. It was a beautiful space with a peaceful garden and welcoming home.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! I believe you have the stamina and endurance to survive the Paris metro’s stairs! It was so fun to create so many global connections in one city. It was the easiest, passport-free travel I’ve ever done!
With Stars and Stripes,
Aine
