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Flying the flag: Spectators in London will hope organisers learn lessons from Beijing
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London 2012 organisers have learned important lessons from the Beijing Olympics on improving the ticketing, security and not least the atmosphere of the Games.
The sheer size of the Olympic Green in Beijing caused a problem - for the first week it was closed to those who did not hold tickets for venues and parts were completely deserted.
It is likely that London's compact Olympic Park will have a ticketed ground pass system where people can sample the atmosphere and watch events on big screens even if they do not hold tickets for venues.
The issue of tickets, and specifically the swathes of empty seats in many of the Beijing venues, is also a matter that London organisers will focus on.
In 2012, a system of recycling tickets based on the Wimbledon tennis model is likely to be put in place, where people hand over their tickets when they are leaving which will then be redistributed if the event is still going on.
Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said: "We have learned the importance of extending access as to the widest number possible.
"We will be looking at the ticketing strategy so we avoid these blocks of empty seats because people have not turned up, or because they have turned up and left early."
London 2012 chiefs will also know they will have to match the facilities in the athletes' village in terms of fitting out the rooms and providing adequate leisure space, something of a challenge given that space in London will be much more limited.
Effective
Security is another big issue, and at the Beijing Games was described as "heavy-handed" and "intimidating" by Jowell, who added in London the procedures would be different.
Jowell said: "We are working on a detailed security plan which will be published before Christmas. The key thing is that the security is effective and keeps people safe but it is not oppressive."
The other major lesson that organisers will take home from Beijing is regarding the force of volunteers, a key feature of every Olympics. Many in Beijing have lacked even basic foreign language skills and have been of questionable use.
There will be far fewer in London - in Beijing and other Chinese cities hosting events there were more than 1million. In 2012 the number will be a tenth of that.
There will also be a drive to have a wide range of ages among the volunteers, as was the case in the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.
Jowell said: "The way in which volunteers are deployed will be different - it's important that volunteers have very clear skills, making sure they are useful.
"We want them to be well-trained, well prepared so we will have to start aspects of the volunteer programme much earlier than 2010, which is the present plan, in order to get it right."
