London Olympics chiefs seeking venue sponsors
The hunt to find sponsors for some of the key London 2012 venues began today.
Valuable naming rights and other sponsorship deals for the Olympic Stadium, aquatics centre and the multi-use arena, where the 2012 handball competition will be held, are up for grabs in the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s (OPLC) tender.
OPLC chief executive Andrew Altman described it as “a rare opportunity” to be linked to the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, and the venues which are set to reopen from 2013.
Bidders will have until March 2 2012 to register their interest before then having to submit their proposals. The OPLC aims to appoint sponsors in May 2012.
The Olympic Stadium will host the 2017 World Athletics Championships, while the aquatics centre and the multi-use arena are expected to serve over a million visitors a year when they re-open after the Games, according to OPLC figures.
They will be among an anticipated 9.3 million visitors a year to the Park from 2016.
Mr Altman said: “This is a rare opportunity to become part of one of the most exciting new places in the world. Billions of people will see these venues during the Games, and millions more will visit every year.
“We are looking for sponsors who share our vision to create an inclusive Park that promotes healthy living and offers sporting, training and employment opportunities to our local communities.
“The fact that we aim to appoint sponsors before the Games even start is another example of how London is further ahead in planning legacy than any previous host Olympic City.”
The OPLC has billed the aquatics centre, complete with two 50m pools with moveable floors and booms plus a diving pool, as Britain’s top swimming facility.
After the Games the 2,500-seat venue, which can be extended to 3,500-capacity for large events could attract up to 800,000 visits a year.
The multi-use arena will be the third largest arena in London with 7,500 seats for sport commercial, cultural and community sport use. Up to 400,000 visits a year have been estimated.
The Olympic Stadium will be a 60,000 seat multi-purpose venue and the new national centre for athletics, the OPLC said.
It is currently running a bidding process for other sporting, cultural and commercial uses and plans to appoint the winning bidders in May 2012.
The 16 bidders who have registered an interest in using the stadium after the Games have until March 23 to submit their full bids.
The OPLC wants to appoint an operator to manage the stadium on a day-to-day basis.
Greenwich Leisure Limited was named as the operator for the aquatics centre and the multi-use arena last month.
