IP: 134.7.93.129 On: Wed, 30 Jan 2019 08:17:09 Delivered by Ingenta Article(s) and/or figure(s) cannot be used for resale. Please use proper citation format when citing this article including the DOI, publisher reference, volume number and page location. Event Management, Vol. 22, pp. 389–403 1525-9951/18 $60.00 + .00 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3727/152599518X15252895715050 Copyright © 2018 Cognizant, LLC. E-ISSN 1943-4308 www.cognizantcommunication.com 389 Address correspondence to Kirsten Holmes, Professor, School of Marketing, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia. E-mail: k.holmes@curtin.edu.au experiences of mega-event volunteers for three reasons. Firstly, generating a legacy, including a volunteer legacy, was explicitly stated in both the bid document and legacy plans (Department of Culture, Media & Sport [DCMS], 2012). Indeed, the London Games were the first Olympic Games to take place under the revised Olympic Charter, Introduction This article investigates how the volunteer pro- gram management model adopted at the London 2012 Olympic Games affected the volunteers’ experiences. The London 2012 Olympic Games provided a unique case study for investigating the IT’S A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY— DEAL WITH IT! VOLUNTEER PERCEPTIONS OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES KIRSTEN HOLMES,* GEOFF NICHOLS,† AND RITA RALSTON‡ *School of Marketing, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia †School of Management, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK ‡Department of Food and Tourism Management, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK Mega-events such as the Olympic Games involve huge numbers of volunteers from the host com- munity, necessitating the development of a large volunteer program, which will only operate for a short time. Leveraging this volunteer energy to lead to longer-term community volunteering has become a legacy goal for many event organizers. Mega-events typically use a top-down “program management” approach for their volunteer program. This article examines how the program man- agement style impacts on the volunteer experience, using in-depth interviews with volunteers at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The study found that the program management approach had a negative impact on many volunteers’ preevent experience, leading to some rejecting the offer of a role at the event. However, the anticipated “once-in-a-lifetime” experience of volun- teering for the Olympic Games overcame most of the preevent shortcomings. The article considers the impact of volunteer management on repeat volunteering. Recommendations for better manage- ment of mega-event volunteers, leading to a volunteer legacy, are offered. Key words: Volunteers; Volunteer management; Olympic Games; Program management; Mega-events