Developers behind the 拢1.3bn transformation of听London’s Olympia venue have joined forces with听Oxford Innovation Space and Media City Immersive Technologies Hub on an exciting new initiative.
罢丑别听“Outside->In / Inside->Out”听challenge is part of the 鈥楿nlock the Future鈥� accelerator programme and is aimed at听bridging physical and virtual worlds through immersive technologies.
The 拢1.3bn redevelopment started in 2020 and will听 create a 2.25 million sq ft arts, entertainment, and exhibition district.
The project is being financed and managed by Deutsche Finance International (DFI) and Yoo Capital and the destination is expected to launch in late 2025.
When it’s complete the transformed destination will include a new 4,000-capacity live music hall managed by AEG Presents; London鈥檚 largest purpose-built theatre in almost 50 years, managed by Trafalgar Entertainment Group; two hotels operated by Hyatt Regency and citizenM Hotels; 30+ restaurants and bars; Wetherby Pembridge School, a new co-educational senior school; 550,000 sq ft of offices boasting the largest terraces in west London, as well as new public space.
The new听challenge is split between two streams –听听technical and creative content 鈥� and is听听designed to provide Greater Manchester innovators with ways to showcase and further develop their technologies to solve a real-life, commercial challenge being faced by one of the UK鈥檚 premier creative destinations.
Lloyd Lee, managing director of Yoo Capital, explained why Olympia chose to partner with Unlock the Future听and work with Greater Manchester businesses and academics.
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He said: 鈥淲e want out guests and visitors at the transformed Olympia to be able to enjoy it both in the physical world, but also through the devices that have now become part-and-parcel of our daily lives.
鈥淥ur aspiration for Olympia is for the new destination to become a British icon, so who better to partner with than Manchester鈥檚 best and brightest? We are thrilled to be able to provide a platform for some of the country鈥檚 best innovators.鈥�
Jo Stevens, managing director of Oxford Innovation Space, said: 鈥淲e are excited to see the innovative solutions that will arise from this new partnership, especially given Olympia’s exciting transformation.
鈥淏y fostering collaborations between SMEs, industry, and academia, we aim to push the boundaries of what is possible in immersive technology and support the growth of the next generation of Manchester鈥檚 tech pioneers.鈥�
Anthony Hatton, innovation programme director at MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub, added: 鈥淭hese challenges, inspired by Olympia鈥檚 dynamic regeneration, are designed to unlock new opportunities and drive investment in the immersive technology sector.
鈥淲e are excited to see how the brightest minds in Greater Manchester will tackle these challenges and shape the future of immersive experiences.鈥�
The 鈥楿nlock the Future鈥� accelerator programme is being by Naomi Timperley, ex-Microsoft staffer James Akrigg and entrepreneur Vikas Shah.
SMEs in Greater Manchester are invited to apply by August 30th听2024.听听听The programme concludes with a demo day in November where participants will showcase their solutions to industry leaders and investors.
For more information 听 here.