Galaxy - CWC 2007 charter - 6-12th April 2007

**Ally** · 02-21-2007, 08:29 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica, February 21, 2007 - ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc. is inviting the world games fraternity to get the inside scoop on how the Caribbean came together to host the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup.

The organising body for the event - one of the top global sporting tournaments held every four years - will host an Observer Programme for representatives of world games organisations, international sports federations and sports business professionals from April 6 to 12, this year, during the Super 8 segment of ICC CWC 2007.

This one-week tour package will include three Super 8 matches in Antigua, Grenada and Barbados; stadium tours; presentations on "the road to CWC 2007" by Event officials and a day trip to Dominica. Participants in the Observer Programme will be accommodated aboard the luxury liner, Celebrity Galaxy, starting in Puerto Rico. They will remain on the cruise ship until April 11 when it docks in Barbados and they transfer to a hotel.

"Delegates will have the opportunity to tour stadia on non-match days as well as full accreditation to observe critical 'back-of-house' areas and operations of the venues on match days. CWC 2007 will host these delegates for three Super 8 matches, including match tickets and hospitality," said ICC CWC 2007 Managing Director & CEO, Chris Dehring, elaborating on the programme.

"It is customary in the hosting of world games to share the experiences with other prospective organisers and we were certainly the beneficiary of observer tours in the lead up preparations for this event. The particular lessons to be gleaned from the Caribbean - a comparatively tiny region - could be very useful. We have had to innovate in dealing with the challenges. We will share our story and the solutions developed through our journey with other organisers of world games or candidate cities and countries."

The presentations, which will be made on three non-match days, will encompass the following topics: Venue Development (legacy and overlay); Event Management; Security; Team Operations; Commercial Programme; Public & Commercial Ticketing; Licensing & Merchandising; Corporate Hospitality; Accreditation & Media Management Programme; Transport Programme; Legal & Regulatory Programme; Venue Selection Bid Process and CWC 2007 Vendors, Suppliers & Service Providers.

CWC 2007 projects and initiatives have seen the employment of more than 10,000 people, with government investment in country infrastructure approaching US$500 million, including upgrades of airports, road networks, power generation and ICT. This is separate from stadium development costs of US$330 million with an additional US$40 million in overlay. Major upgrades of the Caribbean's tourism product have also occurred and unprecedented steps have been taken towards the unification of the nine sovereign nations with the establishment of a Single Domestic Space for three-and-a-half months surrounding the tournament.

"In the same way that we learned from others, who have hosted world games in the past, there's a lot of knowledge which we can pass on and that's the aim of this Observer Programme. There's limited space so it's imperative that those who want to be a part of this exciting opportunity, register as soon as possible," stressed Dehring, adding that delegates will be selected on a first-come basis.

Expressions of interest can be sent to: CWC 2007 Observer Programme, ICC Cricket World Cup W.I. 2007, 51 St. Lucia Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica.

John · 02-26-2007, 06:01 AM

Aboard the 2007 World Cup Cricket Cruise are cricket stars, celebrities, comedians and entertainers from all over the world, including Britain, South Africa, Australia, India and the US. Theme evenings are very popular on cruise ships and there will be several of those as well as string quartets and extravaganzas.