Olympics fever continues to build with the Summer Games in Paris kicking off on Friday, July 26. Ticketing has always been a major component of this global sports spectacle, and so we surveyed a number of INTIX members who have worked past Games to get their memories of the experience.

Joan Sullivan, Executive Assistant to the EVP Operations & GM for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, has worked multiple Olympics — from the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney to the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Her favorite was Sydney: “I worked on the IBM Sponsor program, and my flat had a view of the Harbour Bridge. The city was abuzz, perfect climate, lovely people, and the parties! [laughing] I was a lot younger back then. Don’t get me wrong, we worked hard. But let’s just say there were quite a few shenanigans!”

Retired ticketing executive Deirdre “Dee Dee” Naff, who now serves as Director of the Utah Cowgirl Collective, jokingly recalls her time working the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. “In fact, I just recovered about eight months ago!” she says. “So many memories. We weren't that far down the road from 9/11. So, there was a little fear mixed with determination not to let anything be taken away from the Games. It’s hard to believe, but web sales weren't a thing yet. Our company, SmithTix, was used due to our distribution system through 42 Smith's Grocery Stores. We worked with Tickets.com, and the friendships I made have stood the test of time.”

A number of INTIX pros interviewed for this feature worked the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Among them is Jon Secunda, currently Director of Box Office Operations for the University of Nebraska’s Baxter Arena in Omaha. For the ‘96 Olympics, he was co-Box Office Manager of the tennis venue at Stone Mountain, Georgia.

“Obviously the starkest memory was the tragic bombing in Centennial Park, having been in the park and close to that area the night before,” he recalls. “But as for more ticketing-centric memories, we were working out of a small trailer at the tennis site. One day, there was a significant schedule change involving a couple of important matches. I think it meant that some fans would get one match instead of two or something along those lines. Anyway, I remember a few angry fans banging on and shaking the trailer! A tense moment in an otherwise great experience.”

The bombing also impacted Laura Zehe, Senior Director of Operations for True Tickets, who worked those Games. “I had just gotten back to the dorm from Centennial Olympic Park and was getting ready for bed. Then, all of a sudden, there was craziness and commotion with knocks on the doors for bed checks to make sure everyone was safe after the explosion it seems I luckily just missed.”

The bombing was a little too close for comfort for Francine “Frankie” Accardi-Peri, board member of the Owsley Stanley Foundation and former head of the Grateful Dead’s mail-order ticketing operation who also worked the Atlanta Games. She says, “I left visiting with my friends at the soundboard in Centennial Park to deliver tickets 10 minutes before the bomb went off. I had met [the wrongly accused security guard Richard Jewell] several times before hand and knew they were blaming the wrong person for the incident.” A man named Eric Rudolph ultimately confessed and pleaded guilty to the bombing that resulted in two deaths and 111 injuries.

For Jennifer Staats Moore, Associate Director of Georgia State University’s Rialto Center for the Arts, the 1996 Games in Atlanta was the only Olympics she has worked on. But she calls it “a truly remarkable experience that left an indelible mark on my career. The sense of pride and accomplishment I felt seeing the hard work come to fruition in my new home city was unparalleled. One of my favorite memories from the 1996 Olympics ceremonies and Games include the moving surprise appearance of Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic cauldron, which was a powerful and emotional moment for everyone involved as well as the world audience watching it.”

Looking back, many of the ticketing professionals remembered the challenges of staffing such a historic competition where literally the eyes of the world were on their events. Derek Palmer, Chief Revenue Officer for Project Admission, worked the aforementioned Sydney Games in 2000. He recalls, “There were almost constant changes to ticketing rules by the [Australian] government and the Organizing Committee. We would actually sometimes hear about some new initiative on the morning radio!”

Moore, who worked full-time for the Olympics host committee for the ‘96 Games in Atlanta, chimes in, “The most challenging aspect was undoubtedly the sheer scale and complexity of the operations. Coordinating ticketing for an event of this magnitude, with millions of tickets sold and hundreds of staff members to manage, required meticulous planning and execution. The pressure to ensure that everything ran smoothly, from the development of the procedures manual to the on-the-ground management of ticket offices, was immense. However, these challenges also made the successes even more gratifying and the experience unforgettable.”

Working for the Olympic host committee required Moore to make a long-term commitment that spanned several years before the actual Games. As a Senior Project Manager for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, her primary responsibilities included managing department operations for Games Time staffing.

“This involved hiring, training and scheduling over 200 ticketing management staff, many of them INTIX members,” she says. “I also developed the Olympic Ticket Operations Policies and Procedures manual, which provided a standardized approach to ticketing that is still referenced worldwide. Additionally, I coordinated the signage program for our Olympic ticket offices and managed the seating manifest for the Olympic Stadium.”

Jim Sachs, Director of Event Services for the Park City Arena in Kansas, also worked those Atlanta Games. He served as the Ticketing Manager for the Wolf Creek Shooting venue. Looking back, what was his biggest challenge? “Learning a different ticketing system in a short amount of time! My venue was the most southern ticket outlet available, and patrons would come first thing daily as swimming and gymnastics tickets would be released for sale. Parking for them was over a half-mile away, and it was hard when they made the effort and tickets weren’t available or they didn’t have a Visa card.”

Despite the hard work and the obstacles involved, nearly all of our interviewees had fond memories of their Olympics experience. Zehe says, “It was a great experience, and I met a lot of incredible people. It was non-stop going all day long … basically getting up, going to site, then coming back to the dorm and doing it all again for weeks. But it was worth every minute!”

Debra Kay Duncan, former Director of Ticketing for the Los Angeles Dodgers for 13 years, has been involved in a dozen Olympic Games since 1984. She says, “I so believe in the spirituality of the Olympics — that for this moment in time, all countries can come together peacefully and compete fairly and honor the athletes who have dedicated their lives to excellence. I loved being a part of that ideal.”

For some, the experience made them even bigger Olympics fans than they were before. To this end, all concerned are certainly looking forward to watching the Paris Games. Zehe says she is most excited to see gymnast Simone Biles compete.

For his part, Secunda says, “I like it all! Although I’ve always been a team sport guy, I’ve grown to love the individual sports — track & field; gymnastics; boxing; and especially swimming, having had the honor of being the Venue Ticket Director for two U.S. Olympic swimming trials that were held here in Omaha. I’m also always interested to see how the logistics of host city planning works out.”

Like most, though, Linda Forlini is most stoked for what could be one of the most amazing Opening ceremonies in the history of the Games: “Using the bridges and streets as the viewing platforms with the athletes in boats on the Seine River? That is going to be spectacular!”