O2’s annual £6m to turn Dome into super-arena

Published Tuesday 31 May 2005 at 15:40 by Nuala Calvi

Telecommunication company O2 is to sponsor the transformation of the Millennium Dome into a multibillion-pound entertainment complex by 2007.

Developer Anschutz Entertainment Group unveiled the £6m a year deal, which will see the facility named the O2, along with further details of the plans for the Greenwich site.

They include a 23,000 capacity indoor arena, 2,200 capacity music club, 1,800-seat theatre, ice rink and world-class exhibition space, as well as redevelopment of the surrounding area with bars, restaurants, shops and a jazz and blues street. Last year’s plans for a Las Vegas-style casino by hotel chain Kerzner have been put on hold by until the government’s policy on the location and number of super casinos is finalised.

AEG executives said the indoor arena would host acts similar to those seen at its Staples Centre in Los Angeles, which have recently included the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Britney Spears. That venue has also hosted the Grammys and Emmys.

The company’s Europe president, David Campbell, said: “Unlike other arenas, the O2 will be designed for music, offering great acoustics for the performers and modern facilities for the fans. In addition, the way we have developed the space allows us to attract world-class sporting competitions and special events, some that never would have considered London before now.”

Sporting events to be held at the O2, which forms part of London’s 2012 Olympic bid, are expected to include boxing, gymnastics, tennis, figure-skating, basketball and gymnastics. It is also hoped that film premieres will take place at the ten new cinema screens being built on the site.

AEG is the world’s second largest live entertainment promotion and touring organisation and operates the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, where Celine Dion plays for 40 weeks a year.