Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Minutes of Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Dome Europe

1.  INTRODUCTION

  Dome Europe is backed by Nomura International plc's Principal Finance Group and is not part of any consortium. Dome Europe's proposals have been drawn up in conjunction with over 30 professional advisers, many of whom will continue to work on the project.

  Should we win the Dome Legacy Competition, Dome Europe will manage and operate the Dome with a long-term, specially recruited management team, which will work together with the Dome's existing staff. Nomura's Principal Finance Group has a wealth of experience and expertise in acquiring consumer facing businesses and raising finance. Companies acquired and financed by the Principal Finance Group employ more than 25,000 people and have an aggregate annual turnover of more than £10 billion.

2.  WHY BID FOR THE DOME?

  Dome Europe believes in the Government's original vision for the Dome and that its continuance as a leisure attraction will offer the best way forward not only for the site and its employees but also for the people of Greenwich and the Thames Gateway. We are excited by the opportunities and challenges posed by operating the Dome.

3.  WHAT ARE DOME EUROPE'S CORE OBJECTIVES?

  Dome Europe is committed to providing an enduring legacy for the Millennium celebrations by taking the Dome forward and offering the people of Britain a great leisure attraction. We believe that Dome Europe will:

    (i)  Deliver fun, leisure and learning opportunities to the greatest possible number of people.

    (ii)  Improve cultural appreciation in the UK and enhance the quality of cultural experience on offer.

    (iii)  Positively contribute to our economic life by promoting physical and economic regeneration.

    (iv)  Address the fundamental causes of social exclusion through the provision of quality jobs and a commitment to equal opportunities.

4.  WHAT CAN VISITORS EXPECT FROM DOME EUROPE?

  Dome Europe will create a world-class urban entertainment resort that celebrates the richness of European culture. Visitors to Dome Europe will enjoy an electrifying entertainment experience that they will want to visit again and again. Through showmanship and groundbreaking interactive technology, Dome Europe will engage the mind and senses in a breathtaking tour of the fashions, innovations, food, traditions and arts of Europe past, present and future.

5.  HOW WILL DOME EUROPE MEET THE NEEDS OF A CULTURALLY DIVERSE SOCIETY?

  Dome Europe will create a spectrum of experiences to suit all ages and interests. It will offer a fun day out for children, exciting events throughout the year, a great place to meet and relax, opportunities to learn and a resource for community life—at a local, national and international level. Dome Europe will offer competitively priced day tickets and season tickets that will enable people to visit as often as they wish and get the most out of the variety of attractions that Dome Europe has to offer.

6.  WHAT WILL BE INSIDE THE DOME?

  Dome Europe will dramatically revitalise the Dome, introducing compelling new attractions and revamping existing successful features. Visitors will be welcomed into Dome Europe through a bustling entrance with hosts and street performers who will build anticipation and excitement. They will then enter the three content areas that have been developed by Dome Europe's partner HyperEntertainment—a company that has already delivered successful leisure attractions in San Francisco, Tokyo and Berlin. These areas comprise:

    (i)  "Tapestry of Life", a showcase for all that Europe offers today. This will add to the existing attractions by including a Hawkers' Market. Play Europe—a one-acre indoor adventure garden—and a 2,500-seat amphitheatre equipped to stage cultural events all year round.

    (ii)  "Celebrate Europe", Europe's past seen through its art, literature, history and culture. This will build on the existing attractions through the inclusion of Music Box, a feature that will trace the history of European Rock & Roll; The Beatles' Yellow Submarine Adventure—an interactive attraction based on the classic '60s animated movie; Art Dome a "virtual gallery" of digital art exhibits and Grimms' Cottage—an exciting children's adventure ride.

    (iii)  The innovations, gadgets and science of tomorrow will feature in the areas within "Imagine the Future", in which the existing Home Planet attraction will be enhanced with new special effects and extra informative elements, Edge will contain a constantly updated showcase of the latest in European technology and Airtight Garage will be a futuristic playspace that includes the latest in multi-player interactive games.

7.  WILL DOME EUROPE USE THE ADDITIONAL SPACE AROUND THE DOME?

  Dome Europe plans to develop a mix of leisure and retail opportunities outside the Dome and to utilise land up to the boundaries of the existing coach site. We are committed to working in partnership with the London Borough of Greenwich to achieve these objectives. Our plans are designed to complement the masterplan for the Peninsula and offer full access to the Dome's riverside views and walkway. They include:

    (i)  The development of three hotels.

    (ii)  A Greenwich Beach complex of themed restaurants, music venues, performance spaces and specialist non-High Street shopping outlets that are all open to non-Dome Europe pass holders.

    (iii)  A residential development and office space with the technological infrastructure for a variety of business uses.

8.  DOES DOME EUROPE HAVE AN E-COMMERCE STRATEGY?

  Dome Europe has developed an "online" strategy that will open up the Dome to a worldwide audience. Using Dome Europe's website, visitors will be able to pre-plan their trips to the Dome, experience what is taking place at the Dome and receive information on forthcoming events. The website will also offer:

    (i)  A focus for e-learning, with links to National Curriculum-approved content and a wide range of educational materials for a European audience.

    (ii)  A focal point for Dome Europe's sponsors, enabling them to engage and interact with an international audience and gain feedback of new product ideas.

    (iii)  A great opportunity for web surfers to play computer games based on Dome Europe's content with people at the Dome and fellow surfers around the world.

    (iv)  A safe and secure way for people to buy the products showcased at the Dome.

    (v)  An international chat room that enables people to share their impressions of Dome Europe and voice their ideas and opinions on European and community issues.

9.  IS DOME EUROPE'S VISION ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE?

  Dome Europe is backed by the successful track record of Nomura International plc's Principal Finance Group. Nomura International plc, the European entity of one of the world's five largest global securities firms, will provide Dome Europe with the financial stability and commitment to make its vision a reality. Dome Europe is committed to investing at least £200 million over the next three years on content enhancements in order to achieve:

    (i)  5.7 million visits (including repeats) per annum within three years.

    (ii)  Substantial sponsorship revenues from a select group of global brands.

    (iii)  The development of successful commercial ventures on the land immediately adjacent to the Dome.

  Dome Europe believes that its clear vision, talented management team and strong financial backing will ensure that its plans are economically sustainable. In addition, it will employ a strong marketing strategy designed to develop the Dome Europe brand and to make it familiar throughout the world.

10.  HOW WILL DOME EUROPE MEET THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY?

  Dome Europe believes in the concept of partnership between business and the wider community in which it operates and that this is a key factor in developing lasting and meaningful initiatives and countering social exclusion.

  To meet this requirement Dome Europe has invested in an independent Community Audit (conducted by experts from the University of Teesside) and held numerous meetings with community groups in the area. In addition to sharing the findings of this Audit with the Government's Social Exclusion Unit and relevantboroughs, Dome Europe will fund and establish a Community Outreach Unit (COU). This new unit will work with local stakeholders on strategies to encourage:

    (i)  Life-long learning.

    (ii)  The use and understanding of new technology.

    (iii)  Entrepreneurship.

    (iv)  Arts and leisure activities.

    (v)  Sustainable development and environmental initiatives.

  Dome Europe believes that the COU will make a positive contribution to community life and give the Dome a sustainable role in the lives of people in Greenwich and the Thames Gateway.

11.  HOW WILL DOME EUROPE ASSIST WITH REGENERATION?

  Dome Europe will sustain and enhance the momentum of regeneration that has been built up over the past three years because it will protect the existing jobs at the Dome and create thousands of local job opportunities as it evolves over the coming years. These jobs will fall in a variety of areas including management, design, construction, software programming and the service sector. Dome Europe is committed to sourcing many of these skills from Greenwich and neighbouring boroughs and has agreed to continue the Greenwich Local Labour and Business (GLLaB) initiative that has already ensured jobs for over a thousand local people. Dome Europe will not just provide jobs for an "elite group of knowledge workers". Dome Europe will instead offer jobs covering the widest possible range of skills and is committed to today's equal opportunities agenda. We envisage that many jobs will also be created in local businesses as a result of partnerships with Dome Europe. This is a further example of how Dome Europe will assist in countering social exclusion and the challenges faced by local boroughs suffering from economic deprivation.

12.  ARE DOME EUROPE'S PROPOSALS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE?

  Dome Europe appreciates the great achievement involved in taking a derelict, contaminated gasworks site and from it creating a development that is now recognised across the world as a model for the regeneration of brownfield sites. It also applauds the integration of the new Jubilee Line extension into the infrastructure of the Millennium Dome. Dome Europe is pledged to maintain these and the other environmental initiatives at the Dome and to expand upon them as it develops the site. It will also continue with the existing emphasis on public transport and work closely with the London Borough of Greenwich and Transport for London to develop links to and from the Dome. Dome Europe appreciates the pollution and traffic issues that are of concern to the people of Greenwich and the Thames Gateway and will seek to ensure that these problems are not exacerbated by its development of the Millennium Dome site.

June 2000





 
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