Stockholm-based entrepreneur Åsa Caap is head of Space Stockholm, which has global rollout ambitions / photo: Karl Nordlund / Space
Sweden’s new digital culture centre Space has opened in Stockholm, featuring the world’s largest gaming centre with more than 400 gaming setups.
Described as: “A physical meeting place for the digital generation... that combines the most important ingredients in digital culture: gaming, music, esport and content creation for digital platforms,” the centre was inaugurated by Anna König Jerlmyr, the Mayor of Stockholm and Åsa Caap, head of Space, at the end of November.
Designed by architects DAP, the 7,500sq m centre is located over seven floors close to Stockholm’s Sergels Torg public square. It features Space Gaming, described by the operators as “the world’s largest gaming centre,” with more than 400 gaming set ups; and Space Arena – Northern Europe’s largest permanent esport arena at the base of the building, created for esports tournaments, concerts, lectures and tech conferences, hybrid events in gaming, concerts and esports.
ATTRACTING TALENT The centre also features restaurants, cafes and bars, co-working and conference spaces, education offers and content creation and music studios.
“Stockholm will finally have a central meeting place for gaming, esport and digital culture,” said Anna König Jerlmyr, Mayor of the City of Stockholm. “Space will attract more talent to the city and contribute to Stockholm’s continued development as a creative destination for culture, experience and tech industries."
The Avicii Experience – an immersive tribute exhibition honouring the Swedish DJ and music producer – will launch as part of Space at Stockholm in spring 2022.
“It is with great joy and anticipation that we now open Space at Sergels Torg in Stockholm,” said Caap. “We’re the world’s largest gaming centre and an open, dynamic and creative place in the middle of the city. Our goal is for visitors to be able to be inspired, deepen their digital knowledge and feel connection with the community.”
The idea for Space was initiated in 2019 by Gustav Käll, global head of esports at Universal Music Group; investor Lars Blomberg; and Per Sundin, CEO of Pophouse Group.
Space is a subsidiary of Pophouse Entertainment which was founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Conni Jonsson in 2014. In addition to Space, Pophouse Entertainment owns and operates ABBA The Museum, Cirkus, Hasselbacken, Pop House Hotel and Perfect Day Media.
The concept has been developed to be rolled out and exported internationally.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 4
Editor's letter: Eco drivers
Therme Group and The Eden Project are going global, on an environmental mission says Magali Robathan
AM People: Julia Baird
On why her brother John Lennon would have loved the Strawberry Field attraction and the work it’s doing for the local community
AM People: Åsa Caap
The thrill of opening the Space Stockholm digital culture centre
Interview: David Harland & Sir Tim Smit
With projects underway around the world, the Eden Project is going global with its call to arms for the future of the planet
Museums: Getting creative
How the Young V&A will aim to provide children with the creative tools stripped out by the pandemic
Interview: Richard Land
Mixing waterslides with wellbeing, the Therme Group is creating a category all of its own while taking on the world, says the group’s chief development officer
Museums: Kunsthaus Zurich completes
A David Chipperfield extension has more than doubled the museum’s exhibition space, making Zurich a major destination for the arts
Interview: Julien Kauffmann
As Farah Experiences prepares to open SeaWorld Abu Dubai, its CEO talks COVID-19, branding and branching with David Camp
Research: Making pre-booking work
Attractions are benefiting from the switch to pre-booking, but must cater for spontaneous, disorganised visitors too, says Jon Young
Research: All creatures great and small
Zoo enrichment and research can’t just be focused on the large animals most popular with visitors, argues Dr Paul Rose. All must be represented
Research: Popularity game
Research on zoo animals focuses more on ‘familiar’ species such as gorillas and chimpanzees, rather than less well known ones such as the waxy monkey frog, scientists say
Analysis: Light in the dark
A successful winter light show can see margins upwards of 30 per cent. Kathleen LaClair and
Yael Coifman look at some of the operators getting it right
Museums: Munch Museum opens in Norway
The iconic new attraction has opened on Oslo’s waterfront with the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch
Mystery Shopper: Galleries & Gourds
It has transformed the sleepy town of Bruton, UK, but does Hauser & Wirth Somerset live up to the hype? Magali Robathan mystery shops to find out
Stockholm-based entrepreneur Åsa Caap is head of Space Stockholm, which has global rollout ambitions / photo: Karl Nordlund / Space
Sweden’s new digital culture centre Space has opened in Stockholm, featuring the world’s largest gaming centre with more than 400 gaming setups.
Described as: “A physical meeting place for the digital generation... that combines the most important ingredients in digital culture: gaming, music, esport and content creation for digital platforms,” the centre was inaugurated by Anna König Jerlmyr, the Mayor of Stockholm and Åsa Caap, head of Space, at the end of November.
Designed by architects DAP, the 7,500sq m centre is located over seven floors close to Stockholm’s Sergels Torg public square. It features Space Gaming, described by the operators as “the world’s largest gaming centre,” with more than 400 gaming set ups; and Space Arena – Northern Europe’s largest permanent esport arena at the base of the building, created for esports tournaments, concerts, lectures and tech conferences, hybrid events in gaming, concerts and esports.
ATTRACTING TALENT The centre also features restaurants, cafes and bars, co-working and conference spaces, education offers and content creation and music studios.
“Stockholm will finally have a central meeting place for gaming, esport and digital culture,” said Anna König Jerlmyr, Mayor of the City of Stockholm. “Space will attract more talent to the city and contribute to Stockholm’s continued development as a creative destination for culture, experience and tech industries."
The Avicii Experience – an immersive tribute exhibition honouring the Swedish DJ and music producer – will launch as part of Space at Stockholm in spring 2022.
“It is with great joy and anticipation that we now open Space at Sergels Torg in Stockholm,” said Caap. “We’re the world’s largest gaming centre and an open, dynamic and creative place in the middle of the city. Our goal is for visitors to be able to be inspired, deepen their digital knowledge and feel connection with the community.”
The idea for Space was initiated in 2019 by Gustav Käll, global head of esports at Universal Music Group; investor Lars Blomberg; and Per Sundin, CEO of Pophouse Group.
Space is a subsidiary of Pophouse Entertainment which was founded by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus and Conni Jonsson in 2014. In addition to Space, Pophouse Entertainment owns and operates ABBA The Museum, Cirkus, Hasselbacken, Pop House Hotel and Perfect Day Media.
The concept has been developed to be rolled out and exported internationally.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 4
Editor's letter: Eco drivers
Therme Group and The Eden Project are going global, on an environmental mission says Magali Robathan
AM People: Julia Baird
On why her brother John Lennon would have loved the Strawberry Field attraction and the work it’s doing for the local community
AM People: Åsa Caap
The thrill of opening the Space Stockholm digital culture centre
Interview: David Harland & Sir Tim Smit
With projects underway around the world, the Eden Project is going global with its call to arms for the future of the planet
Museums: Getting creative
How the Young V&A will aim to provide children with the creative tools stripped out by the pandemic
Interview: Richard Land
Mixing waterslides with wellbeing, the Therme Group is creating a category all of its own while taking on the world, says the group’s chief development officer
Museums: Kunsthaus Zurich completes
A David Chipperfield extension has more than doubled the museum’s exhibition space, making Zurich a major destination for the arts
Interview: Julien Kauffmann
As Farah Experiences prepares to open SeaWorld Abu Dubai, its CEO talks COVID-19, branding and branching with David Camp
Research: Making pre-booking work
Attractions are benefiting from the switch to pre-booking, but must cater for spontaneous, disorganised visitors too, says Jon Young
Research: All creatures great and small
Zoo enrichment and research can’t just be focused on the large animals most popular with visitors, argues Dr Paul Rose. All must be represented
Research: Popularity game
Research on zoo animals focuses more on ‘familiar’ species such as gorillas and chimpanzees, rather than less well known ones such as the waxy monkey frog, scientists say
Analysis: Light in the dark
A successful winter light show can see margins upwards of 30 per cent. Kathleen LaClair and
Yael Coifman look at some of the operators getting it right
Museums: Munch Museum opens in Norway
The iconic new attraction has opened on Oslo’s waterfront with the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch
Mystery Shopper: Galleries & Gourds
It has transformed the sleepy town of Bruton, UK, but does Hauser & Wirth Somerset live up to the hype? Magali Robathan mystery shops to find out
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
