Down on Belfast's docks tonight, the air around the Abercorn Basin will be filled with the sound of sticks clashing with ice and the applause of 7,000 people - both audio signals of a new venue that is set to transform Belfast's entertainment scene.
The Odyssey Arena, the only purpose-built indoor arena in Ireland, opens tonight with the first home game for the unlikely-sounding Belfast Giants, the local ice hockey team. Over the past 16 months, the population of the city has marvelled as this massive construction rose up against their skyline. Piece by piece the impressive dome-shaped roof took shape and now it stands in all its state-of-the-art glory alongside those veteran Belfast landmarks, the custard-yellow Harland and Wolf cranes.
Speculation that the 10,000-capacity venue may emerge as Belfast's own version of the maligned Millennium Dome has been fuelled first of all by the curvy roof and also by the amount of UK millennium funding the project received. Around u£45 million sterling was pumped into the Odyssey complex by the British government. Early indications are that a Dome-style fiasco is unlikely. Tickets for the Steps concert on December 16th sold out in three hours and a second date for the 17th has since been added. Acts such as 5ive and Westlife have already been booked for December 23rd and March 2001 while event managers are said to be hopeful of securing the ultimate contemporary crowd-puller, Robbie Williams, at some point in the near future.
Another reason why this island's largest indoor arena is tipped for success is Nicky Dunn, the Londoner at the helm of the operation. Now executive director of the Odyssey Arena, Dunn was responsible for turning the London Arena into a thriving venue after it went into receivership in 1991. The Odyssey is her baby, a project nurtured carefully by Dunn and her team of executives who all boast expertise in developing similar entertainment venues in Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield. "We have based our predictions on the success of the other arenas in the UK," she says. "Arenas are tried and tested products and it is a completely different concept to the Dome, people always ask about it but there is no comparison."
Unlike the Dome, the Odyssey is an unselfconsciously commercial project. "It's very versatile. Anything that we can use it for that people want to come to and we can make money from, we will," says Dunn cheerfully. "What we want is to provide entertainment to a complete cross-section of the community. We will obviously attract the big name music acts, but there are loads of opportunities for sports and a more diverse range of entertainment."
The Odyssey complex is managed jointly by Dunn's employer, international venue managers SMG, and Belfast company, the Sheridan Group. When the entire facility is opened it will comprise an interactive science park, an IMAX cinema, a multiplex and a variety of restaurants and bars. What you can't do entertainment and - buzzword ahoy - edutainment-wise at Odyssey, those behind the venture maintain, just ain't worth doing.
The arena's vital statistics suggest it will have a considerable impact on Northern Ireland, turning it into a mecca for international events. In the past, big names have chosen Dublin - usually opting to play the barn-like Point Depot - over Belfast, but that trend could soon be reversed.
The Lagan-side arena, which sits on a 23-acre site, cost u £35 million sterling to build. The seating in the 500,000 square-metre arena is ingeniously flexible and designed to facilitate all kinds of events. Concerts in the round can hold around 10,000 punters, while performances and conferences for a more manageable 3,000 can also be accommodated.
There is a permanent ice hockey facility - complete with a super cool centrally hung scoreboard - which is covered over with a special insulated pad when floor seating is required. (This manoeuvre from ice hockey pitch to concert venue takes a mere 10 hours). The venue is also home to the only indoor 200-metre running track in Ireland.
The corporate facilities are unlike any others available at the country's bigger venues. Located above the public seating, these boxes can be rented annually by companies. Their favoured clients or employees can enjoy a bird's-eye view while drinks and food are prepared and served. The ordinary customer is well catered for, too, Dunn says, with facilities designed to eradicate queues for refreshments and, what a relief, the loos.
In addition to the poptastic performances planned, the International Amateur Boxing Championships are scheduled to be held there in June of next year. Tennis, wrestling, five-a-side football and even motorcycle trials will all feature in the sporting programme. Naturally, ice hockey games will be a regular staple. Does Dunn think Northern Ireland will take to this ultra-American sport?
"It's not just sport, it's family entertainment." In England more than half the spectators are women, she says , "We expect the same interest here." As well, "There aren't that many teams in Belfast that the whole community can identify with. This is a team for everyone in Northern Ireland."
She doesn't think the team will have difficulty attracting a local fan base although none of the players is actually from Belfast or, for that matter, anywhere else in Northern Ireland. But with a nod to Ireland International Tony Cascarino, a few of the Czech and Canadian players taking on Scottish rivals Ayr tonight are claiming Irish roots.