What Makes A Venue Good For An Event?
Wales will 'kick off' the 2012 Olympic games, even before the opening ceremony in London; the Olympic football tournament will start in Cardiff at 16:00 on the 25th of July making it the first event of the 2012 Olympic Games. What makes the Millennium Stadium such a good venue for sporting and entertainment events?
Millennium Stadium - Cardiff
From rugby, to rallying, to monster trucks, to speedway to the biggest rock and pop concerts - Cardiff's Millennium Stadium is the perfect venue for events. The main strengths are due to the human geography of the venue. The stadium is in the centre of Cardiff meaning that it is close by to essential infrastructure such as transport, accommodation, restaurants, bars, parking. The same features such as a five minute walk from a major train station & bus station that make the city centre such a good place for business and retailing also make it the perfect place for any event.
Unlike many attractions in Wales, human geography is more important than physical geography. However the venue does benefit from being in an attractive riverside setting and some events such as special rallying stages in the past have relied on close proximity to the wilder landscapes of South Wales.
Human Geography Brain Box
Human geography is the features of a place created by people. It includes communications - a term geographers use to describe transport routes such as road and railways. It also includes economic activities such as retailing and business as well as features such as housing and other forms of accommodation. Other factors can include social characteristics ranging from educational facilities to healthcare and even cultural activities. Often the most important features of human geography of a location are summed up using the term infrastructure.
Physical Geography Brain Box
Physical geography is the features of a place created by natural processes. It includes the relief of a place such as its height or how steep or flat the location is. It includes the climate which is the usual weather conditions. It can also include features caused by agents of erosion such as rivers or the sea.
The Mountain Biking Argument
Soon after London was awarded the Olympic games, Cardiff was announced as a venue for the football tournament. When the authorities said the proposed mountain biking venue in Essex was inadequate, it seemed like common sense that the event should also come to Wales. The Welsh Government argued that Wales already had world class mountain biking challenges so it seemed more than sensible to move the event to South Wales instead of trying to build something new in an area where the physical geography just is not as good as in Wales. After all, the Olympic Games are supposed to benefit all of the UK and the football was already in Cardiff.
Canoeists
Despite all the arguments and all the Geography favouring Wales, sadly the London 2012 committee chose to build something new in Essex arguing that even though it would not be as good, the South East of England needed a venue to encourage better participation in mountain biking. Wales has the physical geography to attract adventure tourists from around the world. Steep mountain environments, fast flowing rivers, stunning coastlines, pounding surf and extensive cave systems all mean that Wales is a paradise to adrenaline junkies. And mountaineers, climbers, canoeists, cavers, kayakers, walkers, rafters and wildlife enthusiasts such as birdwatchers and even shooting and fishing enthusiasts head to Wales every weekend (or for longer holidays) to enjoy the geography and spend hundreds of millions of pounds in the Welsh economy.
It is an interesting question the Olympic event would be better in Wales but the legacy impact would be greater in Essex. Where should the Olympic mountain biking event have been held?
