World Watches Beijing

Beijing has really pulled out all the stops to start the 29th Olympic Games with a truly phenomenal performance. From start to finish, it was transparently clear that China has spent long long hours preparing for one of it's greatest moments in history.

And why wouldn't it? An astounding 80 heads of state and nearly .1 million people gathered on 08.08.08 at 8 at Beijing's iconic National Stadium, also known as the Bird Nest Stadium. No other games have had so many important leaders in attendance. This is China's moment in the spotlight; the whole world is watching.

The past 48 hours have really been a test to see if Beijing is ready, especially at the airport. On Thursday, the Beijing Capital International Airport received 1,300 flights, more than three hundred of them Olympic related with heads of state and other VIP guests (China Daily). Friday had another expected 100 VIP flights.

I cannot begin to describe, nor would I want to describe (and spoil) all the surprises of the event for my friends in America who will be able to watch it on Friday evening on NBC Prime time. From the start to finish, the creativity of the program seemed to know no bounds. From the countdown to the lighting of the Olympic Flame, it never seemed to end.

I was especially impressed with the use of color, light, and technology, and the continuity of the entire production. Each portion of the performance was drenched in a palette of colors that seemed to dance, spin, and evolve right in plain eyesight. Fireworks obviously played a major role with exploding showers throughout the entire night. I really liked how large LCD displays were integrated into the performance to add to the visual effect, but without drawing too much focus to the screens themselves either. Lastly, the synchronized choreography absolutely rocked! The entire performance was smartly engineered to move from act to act without making the spectator impatient. Good planning.

I would suggest getting out a map and learning some geography during the final portion as the athletes take the floor and are represented. There are still a lot of countries that I don't know the names of that I wish I did. Over 200 countries are participating this year!