Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway, that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Nova Spektrum, formerly Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major events such as the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert, the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, and concerts by artists of national and international fame.
Oslo Spektrum was part of a large-scale redevelopment of the formerly industrial Grønland/Vaterland area. It was developed and designed by LPO Arkitektkontor AS,[1] and its exterior walls were decorated with ceramic tiles containing fragments of prints by the artist Rolf Nesch.[2] Since this artist died in 1975, permission was obtained from his living relatives, and the decorating was supervised by painter Guttorm Guttormsgaard and ceramic artist Søren Ubisch.[3] In 2004, Oslo Spektrum was awarded the Oslo City Council's award for outstanding architectural achievement.[citation needed]
At the time of opening it was Norway's largest indoor arena, with a seated capacity of 9,700 for concerts (which can be increased to 11,500 when combined with a standing audience) and 6,500 during sporting events. In Greater Oslo both Vallhall Arena and Telenor Arena provide larger venues, although both of these were primarily designed to host football matches.[citation needed]
Oslo Spektrum was conceived as a multi-purpose arena although it was intended primarily for ice hockey and featured built-in ice making facilities. In this capacity it was intended as the home of both Vålerenga Ishockey and Furuset Ishockey, but this did not work out as expected. From 1994 to 1996, it was the home arena of the elite series professional ice hockey team, Spektrum Flyers, but the arena proved too large and too expensive for the club, which was subsequently relocated to Bergen. As a result, the arena was left to rely on other means of generating revenue.
Development and renovation
In June 2017, the owner notified Norges Varemesse that they were planning to renovate and expand the arena for more than NOK 1 billion. Among other things, a new congress centre is expected to be built in the city with around 3,000 seats and a total of 20,000 additional square metres. The development was scheduled to start in 2020, and the new centre was expected to open in 2023. The goal of the development is to make Oslo better equipped to be Scandinavia's "conference capital". Today's concert hall, with an audience capacity of approx. 10,000 seats, should be refurbished and include 1,700 extra seats. The renovation work was scheduled to start in the summer of 2019,[4] but has since been delayed to 2024–2027.
Location
Oslo Spektrum, next to the Oslo Plaza hotel (2008)
Oslo Spektrum is located in Downtown Oslo, next to the Central Station, long and medium haul bus terminal, Jernbanetorget public transportation hub and the international ferry terminals.
Events
Oslo Spektrum was designed to accommodate various types of entertainment shows and sporting events.
Currently, Spektrum hosts a total of 100 events annually, with some 400,000 visitors. Of these, 70% are concerts by major national and international artists, 10% are other types of entertainment shows, 13% are fairs, conferences and corporate events, and only 3% are sporting events.
