by Leela Jesudason

t's an idea that surely has occurred to many foreign executives who do business in Australia: Why not sneak off to Sydney during the Olympic Games and squeeze in a meeting or two between the 400-meter hurdles and the women's volleyball finals?

Better think again.

Sydneysiders, proud as they are to be hosting the games, are already showing signs of Olympic-fatigue. Talk to many average Aussies and they'll tell you of their plans to be out of town during the two weeks of September when international attention is focused on their shining harbor city.

Many businesses outside the hospitality industry are expected to shut down or scale back operations during the games. So instead of patting yourselves on the back for arranging a trip to Sydney, you might want to wipe that smirk off your face and quickly call your travel agent.

"Nearly 80 percent of our employees have applied to take time off," says one managing director of a plastics factory in Wetherill Park. "They want to stay home and watch the Olympics on the telly."

It doesn't help that schools will be closed at the same time, creating a great opportunity for family bonding. "We have approved most of the leave applications, but a skeleton team will keep the factory running so that we don't have to shut down the machines."

That is not the message, of course, that the Australian Tourist Commission wants to convey to the global business community. Its public relations campaign is loud and clear: Sydney will be ``business as usual'' during the games.

But few doubt that heavy traffic, large crowds and other problems will make doing business more difficult.

"Getting past the Olympic Village will be a problem in itself," says a CEO of a furniture company. "Deliveries will come to a standstill because the traffic surrounding that entire area will be so bad, we won't be able to get the trucks across from point A to point B.

"Since we won't be able to get much done anyway, we might as well give our staff the time off to go home and root for our country." Furniture Company CEO

"Also, a fairly large number of our clients and business partners are already talking about going through the Olympic season with just a skeleton staff,'' the CEO continues. "Since we won't be able to get much done anyway, we might as well give our staff the time off to go home and root for our country during the games."

Hotel rooms in key cities are already fully booked, and enterprising Sydney residents are renting out their spare rooms (with breakfast thrown in) at prices as high as A$500 a week. You could rent an entire three-bedroom house in a posh Sydney suburb for a week at that price when the planets are in their normal alignment.

Business travelers should also remember that staff resources in the hospitality industry might be stretched thin, and some services could be affected or delayed.

The general expectation is that everything will run smoothly, with as many standby staff mobilized to keep guests happy. But given that this is uncharted territory, hoteliers are reluctant to offer guarantees that business will, indeed, be as usual.

Airline seats also are at a premium, meaning business travelers may not get the flexibility and service they traditionally expect. The traffic in and out of Sydney airport is expected to come in peaks and troughs because of the structure of international packages, making traveling at certain times impossible.

And don't think all the madness and mayhem will be confined to Sydney. Some of the preliminary rounds and games will be held as far away as Brisbane, where the soccer qualifiers will be the focus of attention to Queenslanders.

Flying into Sydney aboard a corporate jet from another Australian city may not be a viable option either since the 50 parking spaces at the airport are already reserved. And most aircraft are banned from flying in or out of the airport between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

To be sure, the promise of fast money will keep many restaurants and tourist attractions open throughout the Olympics. A guide produced by the New South Wales Department of State and Regional Development estimates the economic impact of the Olympic Games at $6.5 billion.

But the experience in Atlanta four years ago provides more than a few cautionary tales for small and medium-sized businesses planning to stay open to cash in on the Olympics.

A study by academics from Atlanta's Kennesaw State University, University of Newcastle and Monash Mt. Eliza Business School warned that businesses expecting to make a quick fortune out of the Sydney Olympics could be disappointed.

"If businesses hope to make a quick buck in a short time, it won't be an easy task," the study said. "The businesses most likely to be successful will be those that are already well-established and have surplus funds to deploy into new ventures in which they can afford to take risks."

Bearing in mind that sports is almost a national religion in Australia, many Sydney businesses may opt instead to close shop and participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event. And, as a result, business travelers could well find themselves frustrated trying to get their work done during those two weeks.