- Location: Peninsula Square, London, United Kingdom
Architect: Richard Rogers
Opening: July, 2012
Seating: 3,200
The O2 is one of the UK’s most iconic venues, located under the unmistakable canopy of London’s former Millennium Dome. It is also one of the largest, capable of hosting up to 20,000 people for major international events.
Audience Systems has been working with The O 2 and its operator AEG since 2007, when more than 3,000 removable “Matrix” seats were purchased for the arena floor. Then in 2012, Audience Systems supplied the arena with 16 retractable mobile seating structures with luxurious folding seats.
In 2015, Audience Systems undertook a major project to design, manufacture and supply structures and seating for the north end of the arena. “We had a number of key objectives related to the procurement of the new system,” explains Steve Gotkine, director of operations for The O 2. “We were looking to increase the number of seats and improve the speed and efficiency of the system.”
Audience Systems’ design increased the potential capacity by 200 seats and, as operations have shown, reduced the time and crew required to set up the system by 60%.
So how was this achieved? For the lower levels, Audience Systems supplied two different sets of structure: standard retractable platforms for when floor space is a priority, but also low-height retractable units that allow more rows of chairs to be created when seating is in high demand. For the upper rows, something even more customized was created.
“We wanted the upper section (5 rows) to be able to remain in situ for standing shows and make the space below usable,” says Steve Gotkine. “This meant a large increase in the amount of seating in this format, but no impact on the available standing floor.” The resulting elevated structure created by Audience Systems is a first for UK stages.
Audience Systems also supplied 1187 luxurious Espace 628CC seats to complete these structures. Their thickly padded seats and high backrests will contribute to the fantastic visual experience that the O2 aims todeliver to its customers.
Steve Gotkine reports a very positive experience working with Audience Systems. “The team is always available and happy to work with the client. We threw some last-minute curveballs that we managed to include without delay in the agreed-upon installation period of the project.” And did the seats themselves meet expectations? “Yes! Especially the upper section, which was something that was designed from scratch for our specific requirements. I would recommend Audience Systems to other venues.”
Audience Systems is now ready to undertake a similar but even more ambitious project to replace the seating at the south end of the arena. We look forward to continuing our relationship with this innovative field.
