| Article | : | GOC Mannheim 2002 (6)
On the spot report by Werner J. Braun
Behind the Curtain of the GOC
The umbrella of the event was held by Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Federal Minister for Inner Affaires, Otto Schily, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Erwin Teufel, Minister for Culture of Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Anette Schavan and Lord Mayor of Mannheim, Gerhard Widder and not to forget the Presidents of the DanceSport Federations, Karl Breuer for the Professionals and Harald Frahm and Wilfried Scheible for the Amateurs and the President of the local DanceSport Club Blue-Gold-Casino, Gerhard Worm.
Organiser was the Mannheim Congress and Tourist Ltd. Besides their staff they were assisted by members of the DanceSport Association of Baden-Württemberg TBW, the co-organising Dance Sport Club Blue-Gold Casino Mannheim and the DanceSport Centre Calw. A total of 200 persons were working round about the clock to guarantee the success of the event.
The most important and effective novelty was the foundation of the GOC Steering Committee. Its members were in charge of the competition and sports organisation. We already saw a huge progress: such as the improved co-operation between the Associations and Federations, the foundation of the Mannheim Dance Academy, the panel of judges and the participation of the Chinese delegation with ca. 80 couples. The Dean of the Beijing Dance Academy, who proposed, that a contract of co-operation is to be set up, accompanied them.
Manager of the event was Juergen Heitz of MKT who perfectly kept all the threads in his never tiring hands. He was responsible for the complete technique and the exhibition of Dancing material, which with 38 exhibition stalls again was bigger than that of last year. Round about the clock he was present in the Rosengarten, an oak tree in the storm! In the same manner we saw Dr. Manfred Mueller of MKT working. He was in charge of all personal.
A great job did the Internet Team with Thomas Rings, Hamburg, Roland vom Heu, Dortmund, Hendrik Henneke, Berlin and Daniel Reichling, Hueckelhoven. They prepared all the results and interesting news in a way, that within seconds after the rounds ended, the results could be seen in Internet. Already in 1997 Thomas Rings started the DanceSport Spectacle in Internet. In the meantime it has a worldwide-recognised fame. Try it yourself: www.goc.mannheim.de
The computer-service since 16 years was in hands of Ralf Pickelmann and his team from Stuttgart in co-operation with MKT Mannheim. His TPS competition protocol system, Version 6, is just a must with big dance competition events. About his new electronic marking system you will get more information.
All that had to do with Press and other Media was handled by Sibylle Dornseiff, assisted by Kati Matthias of MKT. Sibylle is professional journalist and connected with the local Newspaper "Mannheimer Morgen". I admired Sybille: Not only she took care about the journalists from all over the World, trying to fulfil al their wishes including reservation of seats in the halls, but in between she constantly wrote very interesting articles about all that happened during the competitions for publication in her Newspaper.
Secretary of the GOC and responsible for tickets, transportation of Judges and VIPs and all those detailed wishes and questions which were put into the GOC´s Secretariat, was Heidi Koerner. She did her difficult job quiet and effective. Quality in organisation pays: She is now on the payroll of the Organisers. Martina Burkhaeuser of MKT assisted Heidi.
The complete sponsoring was in hands of May ProSports Ltd. Mannheim. They took care about the sponsors such as Bayersdorf Hamburg with their brand "Hidro Fugal", International Dance Shoes, London and the "Kurfuersten Passage with Dr. M. and P. Mueller and the HM InterDrink beverage service etc.
The Dorint Hotel with his huge stuff did a tremendous job. Besides the wonderful service in the adjacent Dorint Hotel, they were in charge of the complete catering of the Rosengarten. They pleased the officials and VIPs daily in the VIP Hall with an always changing cold and warm buffet with delicatessens, they run a restaurant and buffet for thousands of visitors and they run a special buffet with lower prices for the sportsmen. They deserved the "Five Stars"!
But not to forget the most important Sponsor, Michel Maugé himself, Director and Manager of the Mannheim Congress- and Tourist Ltd. - Host and organiser of the total event! More than a 100 Thousand EURO was his participation.
One man I want to mention, because he did a great job behind the curtain, which hardly anybody realised: Norbert Stier, retired Mannheim high police officer. His task was so manifold that I hardly can describe it: He was in charge of the surveillance of the Rosengarten, assisted and led the police staff, showed the VIPs around the halls and finally to their places. Accompanied the honouree quests such as Federal Minister Prof. Dr. Deubler-Gmelin and her staff and body guards and used his connections to the local press very effectively It is his merit that during the whole week of the GOC each day there was a full big page of pictured reports published. On this point I want appreciate especially what the leading redactor for local events of the "Mannheim Morgen", Peter W. Ragge, did for the GOC.
I could mention a lot more personalities who were responsible for the result: Peter Jocham, Fellbach, the responsible man for the price presentations, The head of the competition office, Volker Guenther of Ludwigsburg - he and his crew had to handle the more than 3200 starts in those five days. Or those guys who were responsible for the canned music in the pre-rounds, Gerhard Pusch, Rocco di Guglielmo and Dieter Waesch from Blue-Gold-Casino Mannheim and last but not least, Casa musica from Duesseldorf.
This year television showed much more presence than during the last years. "TV South West 3, also taken over by Radio Hessian and Radio Northern Germany, televised summaries of two hours. And the local television company Rhein-Neckar televised summaries of the most attractive events every day.
Werner J. Braun |
