The P.A. People looks back on the legacy of Australia’s greatest sporting event

October 2, 2020

With this week having marked the 20th anniversary of the closing ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, audio-visual specialists The P.A. People have looked back on their input to the Games and how the event helped fuel the Sydney-based company’s ongoing growth.

A spokesperson for The P.A. People explains “the 2000 Olympics left a significant legacy within the Australian event industry, not the least of which can be found within (our business) - a leading solutions provider of event communications worldwide and AV design and installation services for large venues.

“The P.A. People delivered many production and installation services for the Sydney Olympics, including the communications system for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies; permanent sound systems for the Olympic Stadium; many venues at the RAS Showgrounds; The Velodrome and the Tennis Centre; the majority of the Venue Sports Presentation intercom systems at the competition venues; and all the non-competition venue Overlay Sound and Vision systems.”

Since the Sydney Games, the company has built on the opportunity and has gone on to become one of the leading providers of event communications worldwide, providing systems at five Olympic Games, and is arguably Australia’s go-to vendor for the design and installation of sound systems in large venues.

The Company is also a significant player in the local events industry, counting the Australian F1 Grand Prix and Sydney New Year’s Eve amongst its regular clients, along with more than 15 major venues delivered over the past twenty years - many of these have included multiple contracts.

Chris Dodds, Managing Director of The P.A. People, explains “when the Olympics came along The P.A. People had been around for just over 25 years.

“We had emerged as a significant player in the installation space having worked on new venues in the mid- nineties such as the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. We had recently moved out of the large-scale audio reinforcement touring space, instead opting to specialise on niche rental business opportunities.

“The Olympics was an opportunity to build on both aspects of the business.

“As we look towards our half century of continuous operation next year, it is timely to recognise the catalyst and the opportunity that the Sydney Games afforded us.”

Comments on Sydney 2000 Olympics’s legacy include:

“The P.A. People have installed our audio systems, serviced the systems and supervised and operated the systems since the Stadium opened in 1999.”
Daryl Kerry, Managing Director, ANZ Stadium

“Multi-sport, multi-venue events need partners who will genuinely work with them. The P.A. People have that attitude to partnership.”
Sandy Hollway, Chief Executive, Sydney Olympic Games Committee/International Events Advisor

“You have to have a company that has the technology and the experience to be able to guarantee delivery; that understands what you are trying to achieve… and The P.A. People is that.”
David Atkins, Chief Executive/Artistic Director, David Atkins Enterprises.

Click here to contact The P.A. People via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory.

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games images courtesy of The P.A. People.

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