Matt Johnson: Great white elephant rides again with £350m refit

Jun 27 2007 by Matt Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

WHEN it was first mooted that one of the biggest brands in the mobile communications business was interested in "giving" its name to the much-derided Dome in Greenwich, the words "barge" and "pole" sprang to mind.

Why would an international brand want to be associated in any way, shape or form with one of Britain's biggest and most expensive white elephants?

The Dome's history is well documented – from the shambles of an opening night on Millennium Eve – (when did you last see the Queen, handbag on wrist, holding hands in an Auld Lang Syne line-up?) to the James Bond-style diamond robbery; the place has hardly covered itself in glory. Taxpayers' £20 notes per-haps – but glory? Most certainly not.

Yet here we are after what must amount to one of the biggest branding gambles witnessed in recent years being asked to drop the words Millennium Dome from our lexicon in favour of 02 Arena.

The complex in south-east London has undergone a £350m refit after years of argument over its future use. The centrepiece is a 20,000-seater auditorium that will host concerts and sporting events such as ice hockey and basketball. US rockers Bon Jovi were the first act to perform at the arena on Sunday.

Even by busy London standards, where demand for venues is often high, the new style Dome will need to fight its corner in a crowded market.

It's now under US-ownership, and despite missing out on the chance to house the super-casino (Manchester's success saw to that), its new owners are confident they can make it a successful venture.

Its chances of success will be helped by the fact that the new owners and operators are also the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events.

They say the word "dome" had been left out intentionally from the new name "so as to make a clean break with the past."

How clean remains to be seen. Not least by O2.

MATT JOHNSON is chairman of the Mando Group