http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/2948.html

Millennium Dome to become Europe’s largest entertainment zone

The £800-million Millennium Dome, which has so far been slammed for its appearance, its cost to the public and its lack of utility, would now be Europe’s greatest entertainment site and would be called ‘The O2’. The development follows the announcement that mobile firm O2 has agreed to sponsor it at a cost of £6-million per year. The dome, which was costing taxpayers £14,000 a week, would be redeveloped at the cost of £500 million.

“This is not an ordinary sponsorship deal. We are integrating our name with the whole venue. We wanted to get away from the lexicon with which it has been previously associated. We don’t want it to be known as the Dome,” said Russ Shaw, marketing director of O2.

The US-based mobile firm, which first initiated the deal in 2002, owns a number of entertainment venues in the US, including the Nokia Theatre in New York, the Toyota Centre in California and Staples Centre in Los Angeles.

Under the new plan, the dome would sport many self-contained facilities, including a 23,000-seat auditorium that would host up to 150 entertainment and sports events annually. Scheduled for completion by April 2007, the new entertainment site would have over 10 restaurants and eight bars, a British music museum, a street of jazz and a 10-screen cinema to premier films.

If London wins the 2012 Olympics deal, the dome would host basketball and gymnastics tournaments. For this purpose, the site has an ice rink and oxygen tents in its development plan.

Under the deal, O2’s advertisements would appear at other venues owned by Millennium Dome owner Philip Anschutz and his group Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which is behind famous performances and tours like those of Sir Paul McCartney, Prince, U2, and Cold Play.

“We have long been fascinated with London and Britain is the heart and soul of live music. But we are amazed that Britain does not have a world-class events facility. We are absolutely confident that you are going to have the best arena in Europe. When the work is finished in 2007, I think the number one comment will be, why didn't we do this in the first place?” said Tim Leiweke, AEG’s chief executive officer.

The revamp of the dome is a part of the larger development planned for the Greenwich Peninsula. The area would be redeveloped at the cost of £2 billion to accommodate around 10,000 homes and offices for over 10,000 workers.

But till the completion of the overhaul, taxpayers would have to continue paying £55,000 a month for maintaining the dome site. According to UK government, the profit sharing understanding with AEG would bring revenues of £550 million to the public exchequer by the year 2035. This amount, however, still falls short of the £600 million that has been pumped into the Millennium Dome between 1997 and 2000.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=201556&page=2

???

"...owns a number of entertainment venues in the US, including the Nokia Theatre in New York, the Toyota Centre in California and Staples Centre in Los Angeles"

Jesus Christ! :bash:

What are oxygen tents used for?

The revamped Millennium Dome is poised to be awarded its first major international sports event tomorrow, Standard Sport can reveal.
The Dome, which will reopen in Spring 2007 as the "The O2 arena", is expected to get the goahead to stage the 2009 world gymnastics championships.
The decision is set to be taken at a meeting of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in Helsinki.
It is understood that FIG chiefs are very keen to bring the event to London. Their approval would provide a huge boost to London's bid for the 2012 Olympics.
The Dome has been earmarked as the gymnastics venue if London wins July's 2012 vote. The 2009 event would provide organisers with a great opportunity to test the venue ahead of the Games.
British gymnastics officials have already struck a deal with the BBC to act as the host broadcaster for the 2009 championships.
Crowds of up to 16,520 are expected to be able to watch each session of the 6-day championships involving around 1,000 gymnasts. Britain last staged the championships in Birmingham in 1995.
The 2009 event would provide the sport with a much-needed boost in the UK after its Lottery funding was cut in February because of poor performances at last year's Olympics.
It would also help the Olympic bid since London has not staged as many high-profile championships as Paris.
Details of the Dome's transformation from a notorious white elephant into an entertainment venue were revealed this week. The U.S. company, Anschutz Entertainment, is heading a £500million investment in the site.

Their approval would provide a huge boost to London's bid for the 2012 Olympics.
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

But we are amazed that Britain does not have a world-class events facility. We are absolutely confident that you are going to have the best arena in Europe.

So the MEN, the world's busiest for the past five years and voted the best in the world for the past three years doesn't count as "world class" or "the best arena in Europe" then?

So the MEN, the world's busiest for the past five years and voted the best in the world for the past three years doesn't count as "world class" or "the best arena in Europe" then?

Earlybird!

I would have thought you of all people would know the answer to that question?

Its becasue its not in LONDON! :bleh:

How many times has this been announced now? The name is depressing.

on the pics I saw they were going to chop off half of the dome, but I guess thats so we could see inside ;)

So the MEN, the world's busiest for the past five years and voted the best in the world for the past three years doesn't count as "world class" or "the best arena in Europe" then?

Bullshit ...

Bullshit ...

I do apologise. A couple of slight factual errors in my post...

Firstly, it was only nominated as the venue of the year for four years in a row in the Pollstar awards, not five, and only won three of them. Last years nominees were Auditorio Nacional (Mexico City, Mexico), Brixton Academy (London, England), Color Line Arena (Hamburg, Germany), Heineken Music Hall (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Manchester Evening News Arena (Manchester, England), Royal Albert Hall (London, England), Sydney Superdome (Sydney, Australia) and the Royal Albert Hall beat us into second place.

http://www.men-arena.com/aboutus/
For each of the past four years (2001-2004), the Manchester Evening News Arena has been nominated 'International Venue of the Year' in the Pollstar concert industry awards. In 2003 and 2004, it achieved recognition as 'Busiest Arena Venue In The World' based on concert ticket sales, beating all other European and American indoor venues.

Secondly, it was only two years in a row we were busiest venue in the world by ticket sales, not three.

That's my fault for including projections for 2005.

Either way, the point still remains that the MEN is a world class arena and one of if not the best in Europe.

i would of prefer is they put a artificial Caribbean landscape inside, with rich sand and crystal heated blue water, palm trees, sunshine and what not... then have the usual large screen cinema multiplexes, massive arcades and futuristic games, then have hotels and casinos which the buildings curve around the dome ^_^

The US-based mobile firm, which first initiated the deal in 2002, owns a number of entertainment venues in the US, including the Nokia Theatre in New York, the Toyota Centre in California and Staples Centre in Los Angeles.


Sigh.. Bad journalism again. O2 is a British company - it used to be BT's Cellnet division..

Sigh.. Bad journalism again. O2 is a British company - it used to be BT's Cellnet division..

O2 is a US firm. The article is quite correct. Fear not, though. Verizon in the US is owned by Vodafone! ;)

O2 is not an American company, it is as stated by psprog the former mobile arm of BT.
The company that is associated with, the Nokia Theatre in New York, the Toyota Centre in California and Staples Centre in Los Angeles, is Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).
O2 are partners with AEG in the Millennium Dome development. See O2 press release.

http://www.o2.co.uk/about/presscentre/announcing_the_o2/0,,600,00.html

i would of prefer is they put a artificial Caribbean landscape inside, with rich sand and crystal heated blue water, palm trees, sunshine and what not... then have the usual large screen cinema multiplexes, massive arcades and futuristic games, then have hotels and casinos which the buildings curve around the dome ^_^

Actually that would be a great idea. Would love to go to that.

Earlybird, 02 is a British company formed from the demerged BT mobile unit. I doubt people are going to call the dome "The 02" though?

Earlybird, 02 is a British company formed from the demerged BT mobile unit.
No, it was bought from BT by a US investment firm and floated on the stock market. The investment firm still has a majority holding, making the firm American. Just because it's HQ is in Slough doesn't mean it's British.

You're probably right but can you just give me a source so I can see.

No, it was bought from BT by a US investment firm and floated on the stock market. The investment firm still has a majority holding, making the firm American. Just because it's HQ is in Slough doesn't mean it's British.

As mentioned by a number of other posters above:-
02 is a British company which was floated on the stock market by an I.O.M based venture company. The nationality of the majority holder doesn't make a company that nationality, otherwise we could say M.U.F.C. is an American company, when it's more correct to say it is American owned, until the shares are sold again. The mistake was made by a newspaper article which should have said the American company A.E.G in partnership with 02 are to develop the Dome.

As for the name the 02 dome, i can't see a problem with it, it's short snappy and recognisable, and since 02 are paying about £6m a year, they are not going to call it something else like the "Cray Twins Dome", only a joke :lol:, because that will not sell their product.



click here for press release and other 02 info (http://www.o2.com/media/pr_050525.asp)

O2 the former BT Cellnet was NOT sold by BT to anyone in America or the Isle of Man or anyone else. O2 was demerged from BT. For every one share in the old BT, shareholders received one new BT share and one O2 share.

Because the old BT was listed on the New York Stock exchange O2 was listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. In the last couple of months O2 has delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and is now only listed on the London Stock Exchange. O2 remains a British based and I would guess a company which is largely owned by British institutions (for the moment).

The American involvement is through a company called is Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), who now own the dome. As with a number of their properties in the states that are named after other companies, in return for a large wedge of cash the dome will become the ”O2 dome”.

Because the old BT was listed on the New York Stock exchange O2 was listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange. In the last couple of months O2 has delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and is now only listed on the London Stock Exchange. O2 remains a British based and I would guess a company which is largely owned by British institutions (for the moment).

The largest single investor in O2 is a US investment bank which owns a little over 30% of the company. BT delisted it and the management issued shares so that they could expand. The investment bank snapped them all up. Overall US investment banks own around 60% of O2.

The nationality of the majority holder doesn't make a company that nationality, otherwise we could say M.U.F.C. is an American company, when it's more correct to say it is American owned, until the shares are sold again.

Yes it does change the nationality of the company. What it doesn't change is the location of it's headquarters. As far as I'm concerned MUFC is an American company.