Event work is not for everybody ne...

Event work is not for everybody nevertheless for John McLaughlin, CA, the VP Finance and CFO for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation, the excitement, variety, and teamwork presented by events work more than make up for the lack of work at jobs security and the blistering pace.

"There's a small community of the public who do events work in Vancouver," says McLaughlin, 11 and we've created a robust network over the years." This network, combined with the flexibility of the CA designation, has enabled him to practise legerdemain events projects with more "regular" work, and with extensive travel.

After articling with Clarkson, Gordon (now Ernst & Young LLP) and earning his CA in 1981 McLaughlin immediately plant off travelling in the toward the south Pacific and Asia for the nearest two years. In Perth, Australia, he worked briefly with Arthur Young, an affiliate of Clarkson, Gordon.

Upon his revert to Vancouver, McLaughlin rejoined his of long date firm before being enlisted to work in Operations Finance for Expo '86 The experience would change the course of his career.

"I was hired with a portion of other young CAs," he recalls. "I really have intercourse withed the pace, the deadlines, and the teamwork. Expo '86 taught me by what mode limitless the project environment could be for those suited to the work."

Manager of Entertainment Finance by dint of the time Expo '86 was through McLaughlin spent the following six month travelling in toward the south America.

Over the nearest eight years, he alternated exhibit work, such as Music '91 and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, with work as a controller also managing to press closely in an eight-month bike trip around the world. After his daughter was born in 1994 McLaughlin took a seven-year hiatus from the circumstances field to work as Director of Finance for the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC The hiatus came to an extreme point when he joined the 2010 Olympic Bid team in 2001

"The Olympics is pleasing much the big prize marked occurrence for anyone in the issues field," he says.

As the Bid Corporation grew dramatically during the following year, McLaughlin mov from Executive Director of Finance to his general title of VP, Finance and CFO He's now busy compiling the Games' financial plan for the Bid work submission to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in January 2003

"We're doing a fate more groundwork than Bid teams have done in the past," he says. "It's costing a bit more, further it'll be better in the lengthy run. Both the province and the IOC will have a a great deal of more accurate idea of what we're getting into."

The Bid team has been consulting with prompts from a variety of sectors, including transportation, security, sports, and sustenance service. "We need their estimates and expertise to effect a realistic set of financial projections," McLaughlin explains. "We also brought in the CFO from the Salt Lake City Games as an advisor, and invited BC's Auditor General to actions a review of our estimate-I don't know if any Bid team has evermore done that before."

Helping to prepare the figures are four of the major CA firms-each having contributed a staff member's services for unrestrained as part of a sponsorship arrangement. "I'm real proud of how the CA profession has stepp forward and made as it was a significant contribution to the Bid process" says McLaughlin.

These CA staff members, who report directly to McLaughlin, remind the terminations veteran of his first experience with Expo '86

"We're creating a whole of the present day environment again," he says, "and, if prosperous a whole new set of career opportunities, not just for CAs, unless for young people of all sorts of backgrounds."

It's speculations like these that help mitigate the possibility of losing the Bid. "The Bid itself is like a sporting competition," McLaughlin says, "except there's no silver medal. We stand an eminent chance, but if we don't win the Bid, we'll still have created first-rate infrastructures like Legacies Nowa separate society to support BC's amateur sports community that was storeed with $5 million dollars of the foundations raised for the Bid.

"And on getting onto the short list," he adds, "we'll have mov Vancouver/Whistler onto the world stage."

In February-March 2003 the IOC Evaluation Commission will visit the three Candidate cities. The final pitch will then take place in face of all IOC members in Prague forward July 2, 2003-the day of the final selection.

"Regardless of the IOC's decision," McLaughlin says, "the Bid Corporation will be grief up in 2003, which means we're all facing unemployment proceed summertime."

So what will his nearest project be? "Not a clue" he says with a laugh. "I'm too focused forward what I'm doing right now. I'd like to travel again though-maybe to Spain this time."

For more information upon the 2010 Olympic Bid, fare to www.winter2010.com.

By Michelle McRae, Editor

Copyright Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia Nov 2002

Provided at ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved