Originally Posted by
Raffles
Basically, a few thousand people have passes which give them 'access all areas' access. They can turn up at any event unannounced and must be seated. This means that the organisers need to leave enough empty seats on the off chance that the bulk of these people turn up - which they never do.
The passes are mainly with the IOC and national federations, not sponsors.
The mistake made by the organisers is that these seats are always in one massive block which looks bad on TV when no-one shows up as they are all in a crack-house / brothel / Harrods / another event (delete as applicable).
Originally Posted by
SpurMan
If it is the case that it's the IOC and federations who are not using the seats, then it is understandable but regrettable, as they are some of the best seats in the house, and it doesn't look good on camera.
This is the bit that really ought to be fixed. Whether the seats are in one block or not, there's no reason why there has to be any guarantee of seating for these individuals.
Unfortunately, it won't be fixed, because however well the Olympics are going and however much enjoyment we're getting out of them, we shouldn't forget for whose benefit they really exist. Hence the empty seats.
Good on BA, though, for using their corporate seats to entertain good customers - and thanks to all who've reported back!