Oslo Spektrum

Oslo Spektrum

Oslo Spektrum is an indoor multi-purpose arena in east central Oslo, Norway. It opened in December 1990, and saw its first continuous year of operation in 1991. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse (Norway Trade Fairs), who also own and operate the Norges Varemesse conference center in Lillestrøm which is Norway's largest conference center. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major events such as the Nobel Prize Concert, Eurovision Song Contest, and concerts by artists of national and international fame.

History

Oslo Spektrum was part of a large scale redevelopment of the formerly industrial Grønland/Vaterland area. It was designed by LPO Arkitektkontor AS, and was decorated with fragments of prints by the artist Rolf Nesch. Since the artist died in 1975 permission was obtained from his living relatives, and the decoration was supervised by the painter Guttorm Guttormsgaard and the ceramic artist Søren Ubisch. In 2004 Oslo Spektrum was awarded the Oslo City Council's award for outstanding architectural achievement. At the time of opening it was Norway's largest indoor arena, with a capacity of 9.700 (for concerts), or 6.500 (for sporting events). However, it has since been surpassed several times. In greater Oslo both Valhall Arena (capacity 13.000 for concerts / 4.000 for sporting events) and Telenor Arena (capacity 25.000 / 15.000) both provide larger venues. Oslo Spektrum was conceived as a multi-purpose arena although it was intended primarily for ice hockey. In this respect it was meant to become the home of the Vålerenga and Furuset ice hockey teams, but this did not work out as expected and the venue was soon left to rely on other means of generating revenue.

Location

One of Spektrum's strengths is it's location in the middle of Oslo, next to the central station, long- and medium haul bus terminal, Jernbanetorget collective transport hub and only a short distance from international ferry terminals. This makes it easily accessible and minimizes traffic problems when crowds arrive at events and disperse afterwards, something which has been an issue with other venues such as the more remotely located Telenor Arena.

Oslo Spektrum (left, next to the Oslo Plaza tower building)

Oslo Spektrum seen from Sonja Henies plass

Events

Designed from the outset to be flexible and in line with international standards for sporting events and concerts, Oslo Spektrum can accomodate almost any type of entertainment show or sports event that can fit into it. It has built-in ice making facilities, and while it is rarely used for ice hockey nowadays, it regularly hosts ice shows like Walt Disney's World on Ice. It also hosts the Norwegian Handball Championships, for a period becoming Norway's largest handball arena. Other notable events regularly held here include the Nobel Prize Concert, Norwegian Idol finals, Spellemannsprisen (Norwegian music awards), and the Oslo Horse Show. Currently, Spektrum hosts a total of 100 events annually, with some 400.000 visitors. Out of these, 70% are concerts by major national and international artists, 10% are other types of shows, 13% are fairs, conferences and corporate events, and only 3% are sporting events.

Amongst it's various claims to fame are that the Spektrum was the venue for the first concert the Spice Girls performed as a quartet, the 29th of May 1998, following the departure of Geri Halliwell. It was also the host of the four final shows of A-ha's farewell tour - on the 30th of November, 2nd, 3rd and 4th of December 2010, making it the venue for their final concert.

External links

• Official website