Working London 2012 Olympics: Inside Casa Brasil
- Luciana Machado
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
In London 2012, the whole city shifted. The streets were packed with volunteers in those bright purple uniforms, and everything—from traffic to daily routines—changed overnight. I worked on content and VIP operations for the Brazilian Olympic Committee (Time Brasil) and Tamoyo Turismo, the agency handling all the Brazilian ticketing.
From the inside, the London 2012 Olympics feel like a massive, temporary city built on adrenaline and logistics that seem impossible until they actually happen.
London 2012 Olympics: How I Got There
My job started months before the opening ceremony. I was living in London at the time, and I was hired to write bi-weekly guides for the official newsletters. My goal was to explain the soul of London to Brazilians. I spent those early months scouting markets and explaining the quirks of the Tube so the 200 million fans back home felt ready for the trip.
Somerset House: The Hub
By May, my role shifted to the ground. I moved to Casa Brasil at Somerset House to handle VIP guests and concierge services.
Brazil was the next country hosting the Olympics, so Casa Brasil was a huge deal. It was the main hub for our country, hosted in one of London's most beautiful historic buildings. I was the point of contact for government officials, press, and athletes. In the weeks before the Games officially started, my days were spent doing site inspections at luxury hotels for dignitaries and making sure the schedules for high-profile guests actually worked.
London 2012 Olympics & The Moments You Don't Forget
The opening was massive. President Dilma Rousseff was there to officially open Casa Brasil with a speech. But the moment that really stopped everything was Pelé arriving. The icon. He was immediately swarmed, and you could feel the shift in energy, everyone knew they were in the presence of someone who transcends sport.
The athlete pipeline was one of the most intense parts of the experience. As soon as a Brazilian athlete finished their event, they came straight to us at Somerset House for press conferences. I was in the middle of that hub every day. In the mornings, I managed the VIP desk and scheduling. There was a lot of juggling.... one minute I was helping an official with a logistical issue, and the next, I was helping the press get access to an athlete who had just stepped off the podium.
After Hours
Once the day's events wrapped, Casa Brasil transformed into a venue. We hosted concerts and cultural performances. One of the highlights was 'Sargento Pimenta', a Brazilian band that plays Beatles songs with carnival rhythm. It was this perfect collision of British and Brazilian culture, and it worked.
The Takeaway
What I remember most isn't the size of the stadiums. It's the way thousands of moving parts (from the press, the ticketing, the daily events, the working volunteers) all clicked together because for those three weeks, this was the only thing that mattered.
The Olympics teach you how to keep your head when everything is moving fast. It's about trust and making a real connection with people, all while representing a country that is cheering as one single team.
