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Invest Thames Gateway
The Bridge, Brunel Way,
Dartford, Kent, DA1 5GA
The Bridge, Brunel Way,
Dartford, Kent, DA1 5GA
London Olympics 2012 Business Opportunities and Benefits
In the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics there are extensive business benefits and opportunities for companies looking to invest in the Thames Gateway.
Invest Thames Gateway’s recent report, Home to Big Ideas: The Impact of Major Events on Inward Investment, which looks at Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Beijing and the Winter Olympics in Turin and Vancouver, plus the World Cup in France and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa draws far-reaching conclusions about the positive business benefits of hosting a major global event.
Download a PDF copy of the report
The report identifies a number of advantages that companies in the Thames Gateway region have begun to experience or anticipate in connection with the London 2012 Olympics. The 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games will create a step change for the Thames Gateway brining a global market and universal brand to the existing redevelopment and investment programme. Companies that take the opportunity will be part of a new agenda for world cities and their regions.
"First movers" to the region will benefit from a huge range of business advantages, from new sites, space and amenities, to more competitive supply-chains to exceptional world class infrastructure and global exposure. These companies are optimistic that the 2012 Olympic Games will provide the unique spur for business development and economic growth.
The Games alone are estimated to contribute £5 billion to the London economy and represent a huge opportunity for international business. Over 70,000 business contracts will be awarded by the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and many have already been won by overseas companies. Successful businesses will benefit from worldwide exposure – for years before and after the event.
By 2012, when London will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the London economy is forecast to have grown by more than £50 billion, and by 2020, it’s expected to be the 4th largest city economy in the world.
Key London Olympics Facts
- Companies and institutions that have already invested in the Thames Gateway are experiencing benefits from the London 2012 Olympics – Westfield’s major development in Stratford City has been accelerated by the 2012 Games
- The 2012 Games will make the Thames Gateway more visible and encourage massive co-investment that has huge potential to change perceptions and boost enthusiasm
- By 2020, the Thames Gateway has the potential to be a truly successful new business and residential region – London 2012 brings the promise closer
Case Studies
Buoyed by the profile of the London 2012 Olympics, London Southend Airport’s passenger numbers are expected to rise to two million per year by 2020 as it aims “to open the runway and new terminal in winter 2011 in order that Southend Airport can be a Gateway to the London Olympics.”
A GBP 12 million onsite railway station, providing access to the Olympic Village at Stratford in 40 minutes and central London in 50 minutes, will further help to develop London Southend Airport’s business model in the future. Future developments also include utilising 14 development plots set aside for attracting aviation related businesses and a premium quality hotel. The expansion plans will provide a boost for the local business economy as a whole and are intrinsically linked to successfully ensuring that 8,000 companies located in Basildon, for example, remain in the local area, as well as the London 2012 Olympics providing an opportunity to boost the local economy’s profile and ability to attract new international businesses.
Watch video interviews with Alastair Welch and Ian Dorling at London Southend Airport ...
Chris Dow’s involvement with the recycling project team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics inspired him to take the Closed Loop concept to Dagenham Docks in 2004. Closed Loop Recycling takes discarded soft drinks and water bottles made from Polyethylene Terephthalate and milk bottles made from high density Polyethylene and recycles them into food-grade plastic companies such as Bitvic, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer.
Managing Director Dow sees the London 2012 Olympic Games as a huge opportunity for his business. The 2012 Games will create a surge in the availability of recyclable materials, with Closed Loop Recycling aiming to benefit by becoming a Tier Two sub-contractor to the Tier One waste contractor. In addition, the event also gives the company a chance to enhance its international reputation. Dow thinks that: “The Olympics is a dream come true for ambitious green businesses in the Thames Gateway. It has the potential to put sustainability and recycling at the forefront of people’s minds.”
Watch video interview with Chris Dow ...
Download the report
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