Victoria Sena on Saving The Surprise

The Human Risk Podcast

How do you get 𝟲𝟮,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 to keep a 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁? By not calling it a secret.
With the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics later today, on this episode, I'm looking back 12 years to the London 2012 Olympics.
In this episode, we dive into the behind-the-scenes secrets of the London 2012 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies with Victoria Sena, a participant and former colleague of mine from the UK Financial Services Authority. We discuss the meticulous planning, the psychology behind the “Save the Surprise” campaign, and the incredible volunteer effort led by Danny Boyle.

Back then, the opening ceremony director 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝗹𝗲 faced a dilemma.
He needed to hold a dress rehearsal to ensure nothing went wrong on the night. But to make it as realistic as possible, he’d need a stadium full of test viewers.
Boyle wanted the details of the opening ceremony to be a surprise. Having 62,000 people who’d seen it ahead of time posed a potential risk.
So he did something clever.
Since some people aren’t good at keeping secrets, Boyle spoke directly to his test audience and asked them to help '𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦’.
Knowing they’d likely want to share their experience on social media, he suggested they use the hashtag hashtag#savethesurprise. While he encouraged them to share as much as they liked about their experience, he asked them not to divulge specific details of the show.
It worked exactly as he’d hoped.
I wrote about this recently on LinkedIn, and a former colleague Victoria Sena, got in touch to say that she was part of the ceremony and had some insights to share. So, I invited her to the show to get an insider's view of what happened.
Guest Bio
Victoria Sena started her career at the UK Financial Services Authority, worked at the Bank of England, and has since moved into the private sector as a COO. She played a significant role in the London 2012 Olympic ceremonies and brings a unique perspective on the intersection of large-scale event planning and compliance.
AI-generated Timestamped Summary:
• [00:00:00] - Introduction and context of the episode.
• [00:01:00] - The “Save the Surprise” story from “Humanising Rules.”
• [00:03:00] - Victoria’s background and career journey.
• [00:05:00] - Decision-making around volunteering for the Olympics.
• [00:09:00] - The audition process and commitment required.
• [00:14:00] - The role of psychology and selling the dream.
• [00:20:00] - The meticulous planning and the role of professionals.
• [00:27:00] - Problem-solving during rehearsals.
• [00:32:00] - The “Save the Surprise” campaign’s impact on secrecy.
• [00:39:00] - Final thoughts on the success of the London 2012 ceremonies.
Links
Find Victoria on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlnsena/
Six Degrees Wealth Management: https://thisis6.com/
The London 2012 Olympic Ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4As0e4de-rI
The LinkedIn post that prompted Victoria to get in touch with me: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/humanrisk_savethesurprise-ethics-compliance-activity-7195309250129096704-dwyM?
To read the first few chapters of my book 'Humanizing Rules' for free: www.humanizingrules.com