The O2 Arena/ Millennium Dome ADDRESS: DRAWDOCK ROAD GREENWICH LONDON SE10 0BB phone (for tickets): UK Customers: 0870 534 4444 Customers outside the UK: 00 44 161 385 3211 nearest train station: North Greenwich 0.1 miles (0.1 km)

The O2 may forever be referred as to as the Millennium Dome even though its name was officially changed on May 31 2005. The most recognisable landmark in central London when viewed from a plane the O2 Millennium Dome can be seen as a large white circular building. It’s actually the world’s largest fabric structure. The mobile phone company O2 bought the right to name the building and so changed the name to their own for obvious promotion and publicity reasons. Together with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) a £500 investment in the site will see it reopen in 2007 as a major sports and events venue with a capacity for up to 23,000 visitors.
The structure is sited in Greenwich on the Meridian line by the River Thames. Almost alongside the Blackwall Tunnel which gives access to the North side of the River Thames. Built to commemorate the current Millennium and designed by architect Richard Rogers. The dome opened to the public on January 1st 2000 and closed its doors on December 31st of that same year. The Dome held a massive range of exhibits with 20 major attractions divided into 14 zones. Body, Work, Learning, Money, Play, Journey, Self Portrait, Living Island, Talk, Faith, Home Planet, Rest, Mind, and Shared Ground. At the time the Millennium Dome came under a lot of criticism for its poor management both in terms of spending and spiralling costs and the originality and quality of the exhibits. During its open the exhibition saw 6.5 million visitors.

Since 2007 the O2 has been used for major music, exhibtions and sports events. Its main building can handle up to 20,000 spectators while the smaller indigO2 caters for up to 2350.

The Dome was credited as being an integral part of the successful bid for the 2012 Olympics in London. The venue will be used for gymnastics and the basketball finals.

The O2 Millennium Dome Website

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