Watching the opening ceremonies for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, I was happy to see that a visitor guide I created about the 2010 Winter Games in Whistler is still being actively promoted today, over 14 years later!
This is what happens when communications strategy is designed for legacy, not just immediate impact.
Most communications efforts are designed to inform, activate, or persuade in the moment. As short-term campaigns, these won’t necessarily advance strategic priorities.
But if you’re leading a big shift in your organization, how do you encourage engagement that stands the test of time?
The Challenge: Beyond the News Cycle
Major events, organizational transformations, and strategic initiatives need foundational communications that:
- Serves multiple stakeholder groups with competing needs
- Maintains relevance as priorities shift and leadership changes
- Transfers ownership from organizers to communities
The risk? Investing heavily in campaigns that disappear the moment the press conference ends, leaving no infrastructure for ongoing engagement. The cost? Having to rebuild stakeholder relationships from scratch with each new initiative because nothing was designed to endure.
When I work with clients, we build communications plans and engagement platforms that compound value year after year.
Core Principles for a Strategic Approach
1. Design for the Ecosystem, Not the Event
Massive projects or events like the 2010 Winter Games required coordinating five levels of partners in two official languages—from international Olympic officials to local government and community groups. We were continually challenged to maintain message coherence across jurisdictions.
Even though we worked with a range of partners, we continued to design communications that felt locally relevant while maintaining strategic consistency.
Without this ecosystem thinking, organizations face: message fragmentation, stakeholder confusion about priorities, and a cycle of re-explaining the same vision to different audiences in different ways.
2. Think About Legacies, Not Launches
Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was transformational for a community like Whistler, so the 2010 Games Experience guide wasn’t designed as event collateral—it was designed as community infrastructure.
I always ask clients: “What will people need five years from now when you’re no longer in crisis mode, when the budget has shifted, or when half your team has turned over?” Most organizations don’t plan ahead—and then wonder why engagement evaporates.
The tools were built to serve immediate needs while creating lasting value. More than a print guide, the multi-channel strategy included digital platforms, community presentations, storytelling signage, and media relations. The content—stories about venues, culture, accessibility—is not dated and encourages immersive, experiential learning.
The municipality continues promoting the 2010 Games Experience because it drives tourism and community pride long after the Games ended.
3. Translate Vision Into Action
Senior leaders think in vision and strategy; stakeholders need clarity and action.
During the 2010 Games, I prepared bilingual mayoral speeches for high-stakes diplomatic settings, including events at the Canadian Embassy in Paris. The challenge wasn’t just translation—it was cultural resonance across political contexts while underlining our strategic intent.
Whether it’s keynote speeches, stakeholder workshops, community open houses, or venue activations, the communications framework I develop builds a bridge between vision and action with messaging that:
- Maintains credibility across diverse audiences
- Can be repurposed without losing strategic intent (speaking notes, media releases, social media, signage)
- Stays fresh through project updates and evolving stories
Without this strategic translation, even brilliant visions get lost in implementation. I notice this in messages that: are diluted through multiple hands, inconsistent across channels, or forgotten when priorities shift.
The principles that made this communications project stand the test of time can be applied to any major initiative. Whether it’s a global event, organizational transformation, or complex stakeholder engagement, the question is the same: Are you building for the moment or for lasting impact?
Effective communications strategy shouldn’t require constant reinvention—don’t get stuck in that cycle!
If your organization is navigating complex initiatives where stakeholder fatigue is real, budgets are tight, and you need engagement that lasts beyond the next quarterly review, let’s explore how to build a sustainable communications foundation.
I’m offering strategic consultations for leaders facing transformational moments. Your communications can create compounding value instead of starting from zero with each new initiative.
Contact me to schedule a conversation.
See more: A Whistler 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Primer