
As featured in C&IT's Venue London guide
Olympic Stadium
The iconic centrepiece venue seats 80,000 people and hosted 208 events, including the opening and closing ceremonies and athletics. After the Games, the stadium will host cultural, entertainment and sporting events, including the 2017 World Athletics Championships. It will contain lecture and conference space and is set to reopen in 2014, although the main tenant is yet to be decided. In the frame are football clubs West Ham United and Leyton Orient, UCFB College of Football Business and a bid to use it for Formula One.
Aquatics Centre
With a pedestrian bridge running over its 160m-long wave-shaped roof, this striking venue held 17,500 spectators during the Games, at which its pools hosted 192 swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and modern pentathlon events. Two temporary wings will be removed, reducing seating capacity to 2,500, and the building will contain space for meetings, seminars and poolside gala dinners for up to 500. Moveable pool floors will also create space to accommodate larger events. It will reopen in spring 2014 and be run by GLL.
Velodrome
The most sustainable venue in the Olympic Park in terms of design and construction held 28 cycling events on its 250m indoor track and seated 6,000 - 3,500 around the track and 2,500 suspended within the roof's upper tiers. A glass wall allows a 360-degree panorama of the Olympic Park. Post-Games, a mountain bike course and road cycle circuit will be added to create the Velo Park, operated by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Multi-purpose rooms will be in situ for meetings, seminars and conferences.
South Park Hub
The South Park Hub - part of the 50-acre South Plaza, London's newest post-Games public space - will be literally overshadowed by the Orbit and the Stadium, but offers a range of different and quirky options for creative event planners. Its contrasting, dynamic spaces will be designed for more intimate events, whether it is an evening gala dinner on the roof terrace or a daytime drinks reception in the gardens. Open for business from spring 2014, the indoor area will have 170m2 of flexible event space and a capacity of 150 for dinner or drinks.
Multi-Use Arena
The Handball Arena is renamed the Multi-Use Arena post-Olympics, and the 6,000-spectator venue hosted handball, goalball and modern pentathlon during the Games. The 'copper box' is clad in predominantly recycled copper, one of a number of eco-friendly features. The flexible arena and its 2,743m2 hall will have a capacity of 7,500 theatre-style for conferences and 2,000 for gala dinners, as well as meeting rooms and hospitality spaces. The third-largest arena in London will be available from summer 2013 and will be run by GLL.
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