TfL appoints Event Management Company for 2007 Tour de France Grand Départ

It will be the biggest cycling event of 2007 and it’s going to be in London. The Tour de France is the largest annual sporting event in the world. The event will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to London and the South East and is expected to bring more than £70 million to the South East economy. Transport for London today announced that after a rigorous selection process Innovision has been appointed as the event management company for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in July 2007. Innovision will work in association with SweetSpot (organisers of the Tour of Britain) to deliver the host city requirements.

Innovision, in association with SweetSpot, will deliver:

1) Race HQ & Press Centre

located in ExCeL London and covering 8,000 square metres, will be home to the race organisers and the world’s media between Wednesday 4 July and Saturday 7 July. The facility will include a 500 seat press centre, two conference rooms seating a total of 650 people, a Tour de France partner exhibition zone, and temporary offices for race officials. There will be an additional facility located at the Stage One finish in Canterbury incorporating a 500 seat press centre.

2) The Opening Ceremony

taking place on Friday 6 July in Trafalgar Square this event sets the scene for the forthcoming competition, combining the presentation of the riders and teams taking part in the 2007 Tour de France with an array of live entertainment.

3) The Race consisting of:

The Prologue

taking place on Saturday 7 July, is an individual race against the clock with the riders setting off a minute apart and racing around a 7.9km circuit. The result of this time trial will determine which rider wears the world famous yellow jersey on the 1st Stage of the race. The route comprises Whitehall, Parliament Square, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park Corner, Hyde Park, Constitution Hill and a finish in The Mall.

The 1st Stage

Taking place on Sunday 8 July, comprises a 209km course starting in The Mall and taking in many London sights including the Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bank of England, Tower Bridge and the Greenwich World Heritage site. The route proceeds through the Kent countryside passing through a number of historic urban centres before finishing in Canterbury with the Cathedral as a backdrop.