OlympicsISSUE 65 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 35No debt and we left behind a legacy of privately funded structures the city would not otherwise have had ATLANTA COMMITTEE FOR THE OLYMPIC GAMES Above: The closing ceremony in BeijingKurt Wehinger, GM of the Grand Millennium Beijing:"The hotel business in L.A. Sydney and Beijing was far from expectations; like during the F1 in Singapore where occupancy and rates were just up marginally over normal levels."CEO of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Bruce MacMillan:"The Olympics is not just a sporting event. It's a huge global gathering place that just happens to have sporting events around it."Visit London's Head of Business and Conventions, Tracy Halliwell:"We don't want to be an Athens, which has not picked up a major events icon." Atlanta's Committee for the Olympic Games: "Afterward, we had no debt and we left behind a legacy of privately funded structures the city would not have seen otherwise."Wisdom from Mount Olympus:

LondonInspiring GreatnessAs Shakespeare once wrote: "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." The same thing can be said for a city. London has always been recognised as a great place to visit and do business, but with the recent regeneration and improvements due to its Olympic host city status, it's now achieving new levels of greatness. With the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games just around the corner, the theme of people competing, working together and achieving greatness is not just one which remains exclusive to London's sports offer- it's also very much at the heart of London's business and meetings ethos too.When it comes to cities which inspire, London still remains a number one global destination. It's a city which is constantly changing and pushing boundaries, and offers an inspiring platform for events and venues which are sure to motivate delegates and business visitors - so they too can achieve their very best. London remains one of the top destinations in the world for incentive and business to events, with a proven track record of achieving the best delegate attendance numbers compared with other global cities around the world. Motivational trips in the capital remain incredibly popular with delegate benefits such as traditional afternoon teas, spa treatments at top London hotels, VIP shopping trips and behind-the-scenes access to events and shows in the capital continuing to be a strong pull for visitors.London is also a city which has never rested on its laurels - it is constantly improving and moving forward and it's this type of atmosphere and buzz which makes it just so attractive to global incentive groups and business visitors.Raising its GameBecause of the amount of investment surrounding the 2012 Olympic Games, London has seen a vast amount of regeneration and upgrades. Since winning the bid to host the Games, over £11 billion worth of investment Trafalgar squareThames RIb experienceshakespeare's Globe Theatrehas been driven into the city. Improvements have been seen across transport and travel, new hotels, bigger parks and leisure spaces, glamorous bars and restaurants as well as state-of-the-art meeting and conference venues all opening to rave reviews. Every aspect of the UK's capital has been revitalised and the city's benchmark has been raised to new heights. In 2011 alone, London has seen over 10,000 new hotel rooms come on line with openings such as Starwood's luxury W brand in London's iconic Leicester Square, 45 Park Lane (Dorchester Collection), the Hilton Hotel at Terminal Five and the stunning Renaissance St Pancras London - a five-star property which is situated alongside the Eurostar terminal in Kings Cross. Looking to 2012, London's landscape will change dramatically with the addition of the architectural highlight The Shard of Glass Advertising Feature