French Firm Vinci To Operate Olympic Stadium

04 Feb 2015 | sigadmin

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The London 2012 Olympic Stadium’s transition into a multi-use venue has entered the next long-term stage after French company Vinci agreed a 25-year contract to manage the location.

Vinci Stadium – a subsidiary of Vinci Concessions, based in Paris – will now be responsible for all aspects of managing the venue on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on a day-to-day basis, as well as bringing in new events and activity.

Vinci currently operate a network of French venues, including the Stade de France in Paris, the Allianz Riviera in Nice, the New Bordeaux Stadium and the MMArena in Le Mans.

They will work alongside the E20 Stadium Partnership – a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation and Newham Council – with the immediate focus being preparations for the Rugby World Cup later this year.

Work is currently underway to have the venue ready to host five matches during the rugby competition, ahead of the stadium’s scheduled full re-opening in 2016 – when it will become the new home of West Ham United, as well as the host for a number of athletics events including the World Athletics Championships and International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships in 2017.

Among new elements to be installed will be 21,000 retractable seats to allow closer pitch side football views while retaining a top-level running track, as well as 428 wheelchair user accessible viewing spaces.

The new stadium capacity is projected to be 54,000 seats in football mode, 60,000 for athletics and 80,000 for concerts.

They will also be responsible for managing the London Marathon Charitable Trust Community Track and events on the South Park Lawn. This will include delivering mass participation events such as the Great Newham London Run, due to be held for the first time later this year.