WINTER | FEATURE is spot on and matches the ticket price . This is different to a concert where the audience pretty much knows what they are going to get .”
Mounting success Just six miles west of the River Thames from ExCeL sits another immersive experience by another concert promoter with German roots . Arches at London Bridge operated by DEAG subsidiary Kilimanjaro Group , opened this year to expand on DEAG ’ s Arts + Exhibitions business segment . Arches houses an event space of around 1,050sqm with up to 400,000 visitors expected annually . The permanent space , designed by architects Cubit3D , features sevenmetre-high , 360-degree , cavernous galleries . It is made up of five giant railway tunnels underneath platforms 1 and 2 of London Bridge Station – forming part of the massive redevelopment that the station has undergone since 2008 . The venue is currently home to the Direct from Graceland : Elvis exhibition , and in Spring it is set to host Monet ’ s Garden ; a journey through the history and works of French painter Claude Monet .
Liz Koravos , managing director of Arches London Bridge and executive director of the British Music Experience , says Kilimanjaro had been looking for an exhibition space for around five years before securing the London Bridge location :
Kilimanjaro ’ s Arches London Bridge
Damian Norman James Cassidy Liz Koravos
“[ Kilimanjaro ] had seen a big gap in the London market and had watched entertainment productions toured all around the world – and had been offered these products but did not have the venue to put them into .
“ When a big product comes knocking at the door saying they want to come to London and are looking for a promoter , it becomes difficult to find that venue . Having a venue controlled by the promoter became the only way that we could seek to do this in a viable way . It was the big barrier to making this work .”
Having searched high and low for a suitable London venue space , Kilimanjaro signed a 15-year lease agreement with landlord Network Rail for the Arches . Kilimanjaro CEO Stuart Galbraith says the venue will give London the opportunity to host experiences and interactive events that are already enjoyed by other major cities .
Koravos says large-scale
exhibitions have long been easily accommodated in the US but the UK market is somewhat different : “ Every big city has a convention centre that sits on the outskirts and can take these big , large-scale , exhibitions in a heartbeat . People in America are happier to drive so going to these locations , that might not be in the centre of the city , is normal . Tourists in London want to be in walking distance of something else that they want to do in a day , so you want to be in that hub of activity .”
As to why live show promoters are moving into the immersive exhibition sector , Koravos says , “ It is the natural merging of art forms as music , 3D projection and other effects layer together to create a new form of entertainment . Gone are the days of reading text panels in a quiet gallery , now there is a much more experiential and interactive way to enjoy some of the great stories and brands .
“ Diversifying out of live outdoor events , which are at risk of weather and travel , is appealing , especially following Covid when big live music events were hit the hardest and exhibitions were allowed to reopen with social distancing far sooner .”
Earthly experiences The challenge of finding the right central London venue space for the team behind BBC Earth Experience led to the creation of the purpose-built , 1,608sqm , Daikin Centre in London ’ s Earl ’ s Court .
The multi-sensory BBC Earth
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