Manwell’s industry talk covered the basic flow and structure of the Olympics and also the Paralympics, which was common knowledge.

He took it further by introducing exceptional depth into the Olympics and Paralympics, allowing the students to better understand and explore the organising committee’s structure and responsibility, specific venue features and characteristics, and financial analysis of one of the biggest events on the planet.

The role and relationship that LOCOG had with its surrounding government and commercial partners were also introduced to the students.

Students taking on Human Resource Management and Business programmes were in awe of how talent and human resources could be managed in such a creative and innovative manner.

Special focus was also given to the legacy that the London 2012 Olympics intends to leave behind, which includes the crowd pleasing, yet practical parks and waterways, both Olympics and Paralympics village, and improvements made to London’s transportation system.

Every Olympics is bound to be different, but a key difference with this Olympics, according to Manwell, was the special attention given to sustainability since day one. Environmental and management factors were given sustainability considerations, leading it to be the first Olympics organising committee to be certified ‘British Standard 8901: Specification for a Sustainability Management System for Events’.

Students were intrigued by how successful events tend to have drastic environmental impacts, but if planned properly can bring further growth and benefits to the environment.

Besides the official figures and venues, Generasi Global students were intrigued by the personal stories and experience Manwell shared while he was on duty during the games itself.

Architecture students were thoroughly inspired by his special attention on the architectural aspects of the venue. A qualified architect himself, Manwell gave specific technical instructions that led to the successful design and building of the Olympics and Paralympics venues.

At the end of the talk, students were profoundly moved by the actual scale and complexity of the event that took place, having better understood the enormous amount of planning, management and coordination that was required both before, during and after the event itself.

Natasha Binti Sazari, BA (Hons) in Tourism Management said, “I knew it was a huge event but this talk showed me far greater depth and complexity. I feel my view of the world had just expanded exponentially.”

Mohd Idrus, Diploma in Graphic Design said, “We had many examples in class before about different events, but nothing, truly nothing compares to this. I feel like I want to go back and tell all my classmates what they’ve missed.”