Experience designer Kile Ozier has a bone to pick with the 2024 Paris Olympics: an Opening Ceremony that lacked flow, story, and most importantly, community.

Discover where he thinks the organisers could have done better from an experience design perspective – and for how it should be done, check out Ozier’s experiential manifesto, Creating Community Through Shared Experience.

I love Paris…

…but if she does that again, there will be consequences. 

That was simply irresponsible; unleashing a corps of brilliant artists and creators on the City of Light with neither constraint or coordination. Apparently, there was no Producer on board capable of saying, “No. Absolutely not!” No one responsible for show flow, narrative, story, logic…and, for the luvva Pierre, TIME.

So many free-standing good ideas, a surfeit of genius, unleashed to devour the City with no regard for audience, for message, for the experience. This scatter-bomb of unleashed vision will be referenced at every future Olympics…as a cautionary tale, one would hope. 

Before I deconstruct and critique, though, one thing must be said:

Céline.

While she didn’t rescue the show, she closed it with unimaginable beauty, passion, love, history…and that voice. There truly are no words for that moment and the sonder behind it that poured from her on that iconic, Parisian aerie. 

That moment will remain indelible. 

Now, to the show.

1. The Athletes Were Robbed Of Their Big Moment

I believe that the most important audience for any spectacle is the one in the stadium. (For that, of course, there must actually be a stadium.) Definition of “stadium” in the context of spectacle includes virtually any defined space from which the audience can see and experience the thing without augmentation…Harbor, park, pier, rooftop, Washington Mall…

In the Olympics, the most important members of the audience are the athletes. Given that, I appreciated the fact that the First Act was the Parade of Athletes. Unfortunately, this “Parade” completely undercut the ceremonial experience for the athletes; robbing them of That Moment when their country is announced and they step into the packed stadium to cheers and brass while their adrenaline goes through the roof. Instead, they were brought down the river like so much cattle in party boats; to be offloaded and herded into the ceremonial space. 

That, and those who were “lucky” enough to be Seine-side for the parade saw the athletes grouped together in clusters of flag-waving youth. No Moment for each country, just an “oh, there they are!” and on down the river. Egregious dismissal of a critical and crucial moment for every Olympic athlete. Lost forever.

2. The Show Was Inhumanely Long

Virtually every act could have been cut by 30% and the show would have far better served the audience. The only theatrically tight segment was, IMHO, the passing of the torch through “Les Miserables” to the Heavy Metal segment. Quick, efficient, effective, and onward. 

Who and where was the intended audience? There was, literally (and by that, I mean Literally) no place where anyone could see more than the limited percentage of the show in their immediate vicinity. The only way to see the entire “ceremony” was television. 

Those who’ve worked with me or been a part of my forum (or have read my book, thank you very much!) know my stance on the importance of the live audience coming first. London 2012 broke that rule with outside-the-stadium, screen-dependent components that, to my mind, undercut the value of “being there.” 

Paris, wtf? If anything, this show was for the sponsors; as only the remote audience saw it…as there was no central ceremonial space from which the audience could experience even most of it…other than the plaza squeezed in across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower…the audience there got to see three speeches, the flag raising (upside down, btw), and Celine. 

To be “fair,” the concept of showcasing the City of Paris is an exciting one; but it can’t be done. In attempting, in spreading the ceremony to all parts of central Paris, the continuity was absent and the grandeur was lost in the transitions. Boats were lost in the vastness of the river, I’ve already addressed the absence of provenance or recognition of country. If one weren’t within three people of the river, one could not enjoy the show. Same with the art in the river: an honorable idea, poorly executed. Only visible to those on the river or the first row or two of Seineside audience. 

Truly, there was so much amazing creativity on display through the entire debacle. Enough skill, talent and beauty to render the entire audience diabetic. But it didn’t read. It seems that no one considered the actual audience. 

4. Lady Gaga’s Tribute Missed The Mark

Love her, but what was that? The number was cute and evoked classic burlesque “Paree” … and it was Lady Gaga. But why? Where was the audience with reference to the stage? We never saw them…if there was one. The stage looked to be an essentially utilitarian stairway generally used for egress from boat side to streetside along the Seine. ’Twas a sweet tribute, but not in any way grand nor did it contribute to a sense of ceremony.

5. The Torch Relay Was A Complete Misfire

It was far too slow – but I’m willing to give ‘em that as perhaps it was due to concern for slipping on wet cobblestones. So, fine. Beyond that, the announcer became completely out of synch with the passing of the torch to the extent that he was announcing names of people who’d just handed-off the torch. 

There were also far too many torch bearers for the distances traveled. Groups of two and three bearers handing off the flame without moving from the spot, then running together…no drama, no showcasing of each individual… And (I’m on a roll, now) who thought that putting Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Nadia Comãnici and Carl Lewis to successively pose with the torch as they puttered up the river was a good idea? They each looked uncomfortable and undirected throughout. It looked like an afterthought.

6. The Lighting Of The Cauldron Lacked Energy

Non-theatrical… ultimately watching two torch-bearers from behind as they dipped their flames into … something we could not see…and this globe floated into the air (could that be seen from the base of the Eiffel Tower? We never saw a long shot). I’m just glad I managed to stay conscious for Céline. 

Of coures, there were some good bits. I really liked the segment with Notre Dame workers dancing. Setting aside the pre-produced bits – a concept unrealized that evaporated quickly – the dancers were hot, synchronized, and the number was pretty rockin. There were also some great ideas and juxtapositions created on the bridges – the Catwalk and Parade ground were avery cool pairing that said a lot about unity and community, and the swaypole performers were breathtaking and entertaining. But who could see them?

Shame on you, Paris, for letting down the world, so. You had a chance to give this Olympics a ceremonial grandeur, to create and deliver a magical, fantastique, world-class Show as no other City might. But at best, this was a show for the privileged, the remote, the disconnected; it was not about community.

Do you hear the people sing?

Next time anyone’s designing a ceremony or mass event, they might want to ask themselves:

• How is the design expected to become a Ceremony?
• Can a Ceremony or Experience be City-wide?
• Where in all this is the audience… the shared experience?

To get more insights from experts in the Experience Economy, attend digital and IRL events, and access our exclusive online community, apply to join the WXO now.