Main Media Centre
Located within Canada Place and the Vancouver Convention Centre on the city’s downtown waterfront, the Main Media Centre (MMC) will house the Main Press Centre (MPC) and the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). This venue allows the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC) to provide a common location with shared services for press and broadcasters, as has been done in previous Olympic Winter Games in Torino and Salt Lake.
The Canada Place complex, which includes the Vancouver Convention Centre (East Building) and Port Metro Vancouver facilities, will be the site of the MPC providing workspace for the approximately 2,800 accredited members of the written and photographic press. It will also host the shared services for all media (press and broadcasters). The IBC will be housed in the Vancouver Convention Centre West facility, providing workspace for some 7,000 accredited broadcasters and technicians who will produce live television and radio coverage of the 2010 Winter Games.
Location
The Main Media Centre’s downtown Vancouver location is only three kilometres from the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver and within walking distance to BC Place (Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Victory Ceremonies) and Canada Hockey Place (the main competition venue for ice hockey).
Main Media Centre Features
Main Press Centre Lobby
The main lobby of the MPC is located near the main entrance of the Vancouver Convention Centre (East Building) at Canada Place and includes services and facilities for both press and broadcasters, including help desks, lost and found, banking services, travel and tourism services and information, express courier service, laundry drop-off, general store and an Olympic Store.
Food Services
Located in the main lobby of the MPC, a variety of dining options are available, including a food court featuring a variety of cuisines, snack bar and a McDonald’s restaurant.
Press Workroom
A common workroom for the accredited written and photographic press will offer approximately 600 numbered workstations available on a first-come, first-served basis, with complete live televised coverage of the Olympic Winter Games, printed results and associated sport-specific information, a help desk, power outlets, pay telephones and internet access.
Photo Services Centre and Workroom
The photo services centre offers a one-stop shop for accredited photographers, including digital camera services, camera repairs and servicing, equipment loans, computer stations for editing photographs, image production and image transfer to CD or DVD.
A photographer workroom with more than 100 seats is located near the photo services centre, along with equipment lockers reserved for the use of photographers.
Private Office Space
A significant portion of the MPC will include individual private offices for national and international press organizations. Many international agencies will use this space as their base operation for the duration of the Games.
Press Conference Rooms
Three press conference rooms are located on the upper level of the Main Press Centre.
The primary conference room, seating up to 500 people, will host all major Games-related press conferences, including the daily briefing from VANOC and the IOC. Simultaneous interpretation in a number of languages will be provided in this conferencing facility
International Broadcast Centre
The Vancouver Convention Centre (West Building) will house a variety of technical and administrative facilities for both Olympic Broadcast Services Vancouver (OBSV) and the rights-holding broadcasters including videotape edit suites, production quality control rooms, studios and offices.
A variety of services will be available exclusively for the international broadcast community, including a general store with Olympic merchandise, banking services, food and beverage outlets, help desks and lost and found.
