Creative Industries out in force

It's worth noting that the Olympic Games is pulling together a wealth of skills which fit perfectly into the remit of Cardonald College Glasgow's faculty of Creative Industries, and the opportunities for Glasgow 2014 are huge.

From journalism and television, through to PR, marketing and advertising, stopping off at design and fashion, there are real opportunites to be had.

The official Winter Olympics Main Media Centre has taken over all of Canada Place, a stunning conference centre right on the bay with remarkable views across to North Vancouver and the mountains, and it is immediately obvious that VANOC, the Vancouver Olympic Organising Committee, has spent painstaking hours ensuring that the media are happy.

A mass of blue-jacketed helpers (or Smurfs as they've been lovingly tagged) are on hand to answer every question, and media facilities at the venues are outstanding. Last night's 5-0 ice hockey win for a strong-looking Finland against Germany included  Teemu Selanne becoming the highest points scorer in Olympic history.

               Finland prepare for victory over Germany. Picture: Martin Boyle

And with television, press, online, radio and a string of agencies such as Reuters all in attendance, the media machine at Canada Hockey Place is immaculately organised.

              Media in action at Canada Hockey Place. Picture: Martin Boyle

Away from the main media centres, the creative industries are also out in full force. Any Olympic city is transformed into a marketing Disneyland, and Vancouver's no different, taking on the role of spectacular stage for official Olympic sponsors to show off their wares.

So while US snowboarding superstar Shaun White was uncharacteristically lacking in his usual Burton overload, it's hard to walk around Vancouver without getting the urge to drink Coke, use a Samsung phone and spend, spend, spend on your Visa (the offical card of the Games, rendering our Mastercard utterly worthless across the city this month).

And when it comes to fashion and design, organisers appear to have tapped into Canada's pride at the Games in perfect fashion. Almost everyone is wearing official Team Canada merchandise with mittens and Canada hoodies an absolute must-have.

                         Team Canada mittens - the must-have accessory. Picture: Martin Boyle

The Canada font on the hoodie and other items is all across the city, indeed, the country, and is very hard to miss.

Vancouver 2010 has clearly managed to grab itself a piece of the action with a clear marketing plan, clever organisation, and merchandising which has grabbed the mood.

It will be fascinating to see if London and Glasgow can live up to this success, and if they have anything as strong as Canada's bold red and maple leaf to symbolise a nation's support.