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Here's the Globe article referenced above:

VANCOUVER 2010: PAVILIONS: PARTY ZONE
City, land owners compete for sponsors
Economic slowdown puts dent in Vancouver's plans to raise $4.5-million by renting 'hosting sites'

FRANCES BULA
Special to The Globe and Mail
March 17, 2009

VANCOUVER -- A musical-chairs scramble is on in downtown Vancouver as sponsors and other Olympic celebrators look for spaces to set up 'hosting sites' during the Games.

But at a time when the global economy has been in freefall, competition from private property owners is hampering city plans to attract up to $4.5-million from Olympics sponsors putting up pavilions and entertainment venues at its two planned live sites.

"There's a host of private sites out there," said Dave Rudberg, the city's general manager for Olympic preparations. "It does require you to sharpen up and be competitive."

Groups are said to be looking at renting everything from private art galleries to entire floors of downtown department stores to Stanley Park restaurants in the blocks around BC Place, where Olympics ceremonies will be held - effectively transforming the downtown into one large party zone.

Concord Pacific is renting vacant land in northeast False Creek, opposite the Olympic athletes village, to Hockey Canada, and is in negotiations with several Canadian provinces that want to set up pavilions there. Elsewhere, groups from other countries' Olympic organizing committees, as well as from provinces, sports federations and various nations, have been using Tourism Vancouver's database of about 100 possible downtown venues to find potential hospitality sites.

And Vancouver's business improvement associations are in talks with the city to see whether they can get sponsors or others to set up on the streets that will be designated pedestrian-only during the Games.

"The downtown is going to be rocking," Mr. Rudberg said. "And if people don't get their sites nailed down soon, they are going to miss the opportunity."

But Mr. Rudberg acknowledged that, as a result of the economy and the availability of other private spots, the city has not been able to get quite as many tenants yet for its two sites as originally hoped - one on Georgia on the block next to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, and another in David Lam Park in Yaletown. A third live site that had been briefly considered as a possibility for sponsor Bombardier, near the new Canada Line station on Second Avenue, will not go ahead.

In some cases, previously interested sponsors have chosen to look at cheaper private spaces in the city, as a way of controlling their costs. Mr. Rudberg said the city's policy of not allowing alcohol, except in closed-door, invitation-only events, may have prompted some potential tenants to look elsewhere. However, he said the city wanted to make sure its sites were family-friendly. Live sites being organized by Whistler, West Vancouver and Richmond have the same policy.

The lack of sponsors may mean some scaling back of the extensive entertainment and programming at Vancouver's two live sites, which are meant to accommodate nearly 20,000 people.

But, Mr. Rudberg stressed, the city still has $15-million from the federal government and its own coffers, along with a healthy number of sponsorships, that will allow it to put on an exciting entertainment program.

The live sites are open only to the official Olympics sponsors - a group of about 50 businesses and other organizations. But Mr. Rudberg said that an indoor site, which will be set up in the atrium of the central library, won't be as restricted.

"We can go outside the Olympic sponsor family there," he said. "And we are going out and talking to some who haven't activated at the live sites yet."

The city will also have competition for tenants there, as business associations are also looking for sponsors and other groups to set up pavilions and hosting sites on the pedestrian streets.

"We would be very extremely excited if we were able to land a number of pavilions," said Charles Gauthier, director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association. "We are encouraging different groups to look at that space."

Source: Globe and Mail