Olympic Tech Poll: TechWeek Readers Not Fazed By London 2012

Despite scare stories about the impact of the London Olympics on business, half of TechWeekEurope‘s readers expect Olympic Games will have no effect on their business this summer or even improve business, according to our latest poll.

With the opening ceremony now just one week away, nearly 45 percent percent said that London 2012 would not impact their organisation at all, perhaps providing some evidence that the negative reports are wide of the mark.

Olympic Tech Impact

Of those who felt that the Olympics would be an inconvenience, transport restrictions were deemed to be the biggest worry. Nearly a quarter felt that the expected surge in traffic on London’s roads, except for those pesky Olympic Lanes, and the anticipated strain placed on bus, underground and national rail services would have a negative effect on their business.

Staff absenteeism was a concern for 11 percent of our readers, who obviously think that many of their employees may sneak off to the pub to watch the action. This was closely followed by network overload from video streaming caused by those who choose to stick around and watch from their desks.

Mobile network issues were only a concern for 2.8 percent of readers, while the extra support needs for remote workers barely registered with just 1.3 percent of the vote and 2.2 percent were worried about something else entirely.

More positively, 3.4 percent of you anticipated a patriotic surge in business!

In fact, the vote was split almost evenly between negative and positive or indifferent answers, meaning that it must just be safe to enjoy the Games when they start next Friday.

Can’t wait for the Olympics? Then try our Sport IT Quiz!