At 244m high, The View from The Shard is Western Europe’s tallest viewing platform. Chief executive Anders Nyberg explains why he believes it offers the best view in the world
By Kathleen Whyman | Published in Attractions Management 2013 issue 1
Anders Nyberg Chief Executive the View from
The Shard
What is The View from The Shard? The View from The Shard is the new premium, multi-sensory visitor experience at The Shard – London’s newest landmark, Britain’s first vertical town and Western Europe’s tallest building at 310m (1,01,6ft). The visitor experience, which opened on 1st February, gets people immersed in London before they go up and see it. It’s the only place in the capital where you can see the entire city.
The street entrance and level 33 showcase the past, present and future of London through multimedia displays and installations. Two high-speed lifts take guests to level 33, then on to level 68 in just 30 seconds each. They then walk up to level 69 to take in the 360-degree, 64km (40 miles) view of London.
Guests can choose to go even higher to the full 244m at level 72, the highest public level of The Shard. The buildings’ fractures don’t come together – the corners are exposed and open – so the elements and atmosphere come in.
We’re working on a kind of sculpture that picks up and amplifies the sounds of the city and offers an audio experience. Guests who stand in that pool of sound pick up what’s going on in the city below. We aim to have this additional feature in place later this year.
What makes this view so special? London isn’t a massively built up, vertical city, so when you’re up there you see rich layers of history and architecture.
Rather than just seeing rooftops, you go from the Tower of London, to the Gherkin, to St Paul’s. It’s all laid out for you. You don’t get that experience anywhere else. The Thames snaking out before you and the railroads tracks make it even more amazing. It’s fabulous.
Why are viewing platforms so appealing? It’s an opportunity to go up an iconic structure and see your surroundings in a way that isn’t possible otherwise, other than renting a helicopter, which is out of the range of most people. There’s the thrill factor of the lift ride before getting out and seeing the city open up before you. Views are inspirational.
What are Tell:scopes? Tell:scopes are high tech digital telescopes with LCD screens hooked up to a video lens. Guests can use the touchscreens to pinpoint up to 200 famous landmarks and places and find out more about them. They can also switch between the live view to a night time view or a perfect day, so if it’s hazy or cloudy they can still see a clear view.
The 12 Tell:scopes are positioned around the 68th floor so the city can be zoomed in on from different angles. Available in 10 languages, they’re highly adjustable so can come down to a child’s height or for a disabled person. Made by GSM in Montreal, they’re currently in Dubai, Asia, Canada and North America, but this is their first use in Europe.
Is there an app? We’re working on an app that people can download to their smart device that will offer the same content as the Tell:scope.
The app will use the GPS in smart devices the same way the Tell:scope does, so people can walk around with it. We’ll charge a nominal fee and they can take the app home with them.
We’re talking with the Museum of London to use their archival footage and finding historical views of the city so you could look back to past views of the city.
What will be the operational challenges? We’re going to be open from 9am til 10pm and will probably be moving around 300 people an hour through the attraction. All our tickets are timed so we have an obligation to people to deliver the experience at the booked time. That’ll be an ongoing challenge. If we have a problem with the lift, it’ll cut down our capability dramatically.
Who will the visitor be? We think we’ll start off with 60 per cent domestic visitors, which will swing to 60 per cent tourists over the course of two or three years. Tens of thousands of tickets have been sold since July 2012.
We have space for 400 people an hour, but at any one time we only expect to have between 250 and 300 people up there, staying for an average of 45-minutes on the top floors. It’ll be three-quarters of our capacity and will be comfortable. We’re very confident that it won’t be crowded. Annually, we’re forecasting a million people.
There’s a great deal of local interest, as there isn’t anywhere like this and people have watched the building’s progress as it’s risen from the ground. We had a press launch in late October and the press we got was phenomenal. My favourite quote was: “If you think you can’t afford it, sell something.”
How many staff are there? We’ve recruited 75 people who are part of the customer facing team. Staff are called guest ambassadors. They help with tickets, guest access and answering questions in the viewing gallery. They’d had very extensive training in health and safety, technical training on ticketing and retail systems, human management training and grooming. The training structure is probably akin to a five-star hotel.
How is ticketing handled? An average of 54 million people go through London Bridge a year.
At the main entrance to The View from The Shard, there are large screen boxes offering views from the top and digital signage tied in with our ticketing system inventory, so people can see what’s available before they come in, to set their expectations.
We’ve done everything we can to eliminate queuing. All tickets are dated and timed. There’s a price differential if you buy in advance. The ticketing is print at home, so many people will have an e-ticket. Those who don’t can collect their pre-booked tickets at pick-up stations. The system has been supplied by Omni Ticket and the tickets are read at speed gates.
What security is there? People are more aware of security since 9/11. Now we have metal detectors and scanning machines. It’s a fact of life. We have several floors of corporate office, restaurants, a five-star hotel and high-end residences, so we have an obligation to keep all of that secure.
How was the ticket price decided? We’ve done extensive market research. We’re creating a premium, up-market experience, with virtually no queues and we’re operating below capacity to ensure everyone has a great experience. All those things led to our market research audience pegging the price between £25 and £30, so we’re charging £24.99.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2013 issue 1
Editor's letter: VISAS – Not sexy, but vital
Of the 656 million tourists who visited G20 countries in 2011,
110 million needed a visa, but millions more were deterred
from travelling by the cost and difficulty of obtaining one
Profile: Sim Choo Kheng
The creator of Escape, Malaysia's new,
sustainable theme park, describes how
his free range childhood and a desire
to coax Asian children away from their
computers inspired the park's ethos
Heritage: Points of view
Egypt's Giza pyramids have been
brought to life by a 3D project, which
enables them to be shared worldwide
while protecting their heritage
Top team: Play and display
Contemporary art is used to encourage
children's interest and participation in art
as well as making them better citizens at
the New Children's Museum in San Diego
New opening: High life
At 310m, The View From The Shard is
Europe's tallest viewing platform as well
as being London's latest landmark. CE
Anders Nyberg describes the project
The Shard is a landmark building on the London skyline, designed by master architect Renzo Piano (see interview on p44). At a height of 310 m (1,016 ft), the building is in the historic London Bridge Quarter in the heart of London.
The Shard is a vertical city with high-quality offices, international restaurants, the five-star Shangri-La hotel, exclusive residences and visitor attraction The View from The Shard. The View from the Shard is operated by Shard Viewing Gallery Management Ltd. The company was formed out of the ownership entity of London Bridge Quarter and The Shard.
About the visitor experience
Kevin Murphy
Kevin MurphyDevelopment DirectorEvent Communications
“Our aim is for The View from The Shard to be the first stop for visitors to London, and for it to define their experience of the city. Where else can you see the whole of the city and plan your stay? To achieve this, we decided to tell the story of the quirkier parts of the city that aren’t so familiar and of Londoners and people who have lived in or influenced London.
We looked for diversity and things people wouldn’t normally think of and hope people will be inspired to seek these places out.
Audiovisual People come to The Shard to get the view, but by working with the client team plus DJ Willrich who did the AV hardware, Elbow Productions Ltd who provided AV and media production and Benchworks Ltd for the setworks, we’ve created a quality experience that starts at the website when people book and continues from when they enter the door.
We could just take guests straight to the top of the building, but we’re giving them much more than that. We have a number of multimedia screens and visual stimuli in at the ground floor and the walk through to the escalators, but once visitors get to top, the focus is on the view. We purposely haven’t put too much interpretation around the view, as we want guests to be looking out, not in.
We commissioned composer David Mitchum to write a piece of music that evokes the experience and grandeur of the building. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios by the London Symphony Orchestra, so ties into the city theme.
Media The View from The Shard is a premium attraction, so queuing will be minimal, but we want any visit and passage through security to be an experience, so there are very large graphics showing characters in odd situations. We looked for famous Londoners and people who were inspired by or had an influence or impact on the city, such as Benjamin Franklin who lived in London for 16 years. We then looked for situations that were comical, that these people would never find themselves in and that raise an eyebrow. These include the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a pearly king and queen; mayor Boris Johnson shining former mayor Ken Livingstone’s shoes; suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst pointing the way to emancipation with the Spice Girls; and Prince Charles judging architecture in a sand castle competition.
At the security check, visitors walk through a metal detector and their bag goes through a scanning machine. Panels here show tongue in cheek images of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, Crippen and police officers.
After security, cameras are tied into screens which take a guest’s picture and transfer their image onto a character in the picture, such as in Sergeant Pepper’s balloon. They’ll see themselves on the screen along with the other 10 or 12 people in front of them and be able to buy souvenir images at the end.
Screens outside the first lift doors show where they currently are to give a scale to the building. The image shows it’s a vertical city plus a transport hub, with trains running under the building.
Highs and lows We hit a few practical challenges in terms of the size of the building and cable runs because of the distances involved. The biggest personal challenge for me was getting over my vertigo, as we initially had to use a lift outside of the building. The first time I nearly got off halfway up and left the rest of the team to it, but I would never have lived down the shame, so I got through it.
The delight has been working with an architect who wants to work with us. It’s very rare to see an architect embracing the creative element of a project. That, and a client team that wants to have fun. It’s been very refreshing.
“People come for the view. we could just take Guests straight to the top of the building, but we’re giving them much more than that”
The visitor experience explores the quirky side of London
Guests are 244m above London at the highest public level, floor 72
There are 12 Tell:scopes on the 68th floor. LCD screens are hooked up to a video lens, allowing visitors to zoom in on city landmarks from different angles
There are 12 Tell:scopes on the 68th floor. LCD screens are hooked up to a video lens, allowing visitors to zoom in on city landmarks from different angles
There are 12 Tell:scopes on the 68th floor. LCD screens are hooked up to a video lens, allowing visitors to zoom in on city landmarks from different angles
The View will operate a timed ticket system to help eliminate queues.
Up to a million visitors are expected annually
The View will operate a timed ticket system to help eliminate queues.
Up to a million visitors
are expected annually
The Shard is described as a vertical city with restaurants, offices, five-star hotel and private residences as well as the View
The Shard is described as a vertical city with restaurants, offices, five-star hotel and private residences as well as the View
At 244m high, The View from The Shard is Western Europe’s tallest viewing platform. Chief executive Anders Nyberg explains why he believes it offers the best view in the world
By Kathleen Whyman | Published in Attractions Management 2013 issue 1
Anders Nyberg Chief Executive the View from
The Shard
What is The View from The Shard? The View from The Shard is the new premium, multi-sensory visitor experience at The Shard – London’s newest landmark, Britain’s first vertical town and Western Europe’s tallest building at 310m (1,01,6ft). The visitor experience, which opened on 1st February, gets people immersed in London before they go up and see it. It’s the only place in the capital where you can see the entire city.
The street entrance and level 33 showcase the past, present and future of London through multimedia displays and installations. Two high-speed lifts take guests to level 33, then on to level 68 in just 30 seconds each. They then walk up to level 69 to take in the 360-degree, 64km (40 miles) view of London.
Guests can choose to go even higher to the full 244m at level 72, the highest public level of The Shard. The buildings’ fractures don’t come together – the corners are exposed and open – so the elements and atmosphere come in.
We’re working on a kind of sculpture that picks up and amplifies the sounds of the city and offers an audio experience. Guests who stand in that pool of sound pick up what’s going on in the city below. We aim to have this additional feature in place later this year.
What makes this view so special? London isn’t a massively built up, vertical city, so when you’re up there you see rich layers of history and architecture.
Rather than just seeing rooftops, you go from the Tower of London, to the Gherkin, to St Paul’s. It’s all laid out for you. You don’t get that experience anywhere else. The Thames snaking out before you and the railroads tracks make it even more amazing. It’s fabulous.
Why are viewing platforms so appealing? It’s an opportunity to go up an iconic structure and see your surroundings in a way that isn’t possible otherwise, other than renting a helicopter, which is out of the range of most people. There’s the thrill factor of the lift ride before getting out and seeing the city open up before you. Views are inspirational.
What are Tell:scopes? Tell:scopes are high tech digital telescopes with LCD screens hooked up to a video lens. Guests can use the touchscreens to pinpoint up to 200 famous landmarks and places and find out more about them. They can also switch between the live view to a night time view or a perfect day, so if it’s hazy or cloudy they can still see a clear view.
The 12 Tell:scopes are positioned around the 68th floor so the city can be zoomed in on from different angles. Available in 10 languages, they’re highly adjustable so can come down to a child’s height or for a disabled person. Made by GSM in Montreal, they’re currently in Dubai, Asia, Canada and North America, but this is their first use in Europe.
Is there an app? We’re working on an app that people can download to their smart device that will offer the same content as the Tell:scope.
The app will use the GPS in smart devices the same way the Tell:scope does, so people can walk around with it. We’ll charge a nominal fee and they can take the app home with them.
We’re talking with the Museum of London to use their archival footage and finding historical views of the city so you could look back to past views of the city.
What will be the operational challenges? We’re going to be open from 9am til 10pm and will probably be moving around 300 people an hour through the attraction. All our tickets are timed so we have an obligation to people to deliver the experience at the booked time. That’ll be an ongoing challenge. If we have a problem with the lift, it’ll cut down our capability dramatically.
Who will the visitor be? We think we’ll start off with 60 per cent domestic visitors, which will swing to 60 per cent tourists over the course of two or three years. Tens of thousands of tickets have been sold since July 2012.
We have space for 400 people an hour, but at any one time we only expect to have between 250 and 300 people up there, staying for an average of 45-minutes on the top floors. It’ll be three-quarters of our capacity and will be comfortable. We’re very confident that it won’t be crowded. Annually, we’re forecasting a million people.
There’s a great deal of local interest, as there isn’t anywhere like this and people have watched the building’s progress as it’s risen from the ground. We had a press launch in late October and the press we got was phenomenal. My favourite quote was: “If you think you can’t afford it, sell something.”
How many staff are there? We’ve recruited 75 people who are part of the customer facing team. Staff are called guest ambassadors. They help with tickets, guest access and answering questions in the viewing gallery. They’d had very extensive training in health and safety, technical training on ticketing and retail systems, human management training and grooming. The training structure is probably akin to a five-star hotel.
How is ticketing handled? An average of 54 million people go through London Bridge a year.
At the main entrance to The View from The Shard, there are large screen boxes offering views from the top and digital signage tied in with our ticketing system inventory, so people can see what’s available before they come in, to set their expectations.
We’ve done everything we can to eliminate queuing. All tickets are dated and timed. There’s a price differential if you buy in advance. The ticketing is print at home, so many people will have an e-ticket. Those who don’t can collect their pre-booked tickets at pick-up stations. The system has been supplied by Omni Ticket and the tickets are read at speed gates.
What security is there? People are more aware of security since 9/11. Now we have metal detectors and scanning machines. It’s a fact of life. We have several floors of corporate office, restaurants, a five-star hotel and high-end residences, so we have an obligation to keep all of that secure.
How was the ticket price decided? We’ve done extensive market research. We’re creating a premium, up-market experience, with virtually no queues and we’re operating below capacity to ensure everyone has a great experience. All those things led to our market research audience pegging the price between £25 and £30, so we’re charging £24.99.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2013 issue 1
Editor's letter: VISAS – Not sexy, but vital
Of the 656 million tourists who visited G20 countries in 2011,
110 million needed a visa, but millions more were deterred
from travelling by the cost and difficulty of obtaining one
Profile: Sim Choo Kheng
The creator of Escape, Malaysia's new,
sustainable theme park, describes how
his free range childhood and a desire
to coax Asian children away from their
computers inspired the park's ethos
Heritage: Points of view
Egypt's Giza pyramids have been
brought to life by a 3D project, which
enables them to be shared worldwide
while protecting their heritage
Top team: Play and display
Contemporary art is used to encourage
children's interest and participation in art
as well as making them better citizens at
the New Children's Museum in San Diego
New opening: High life
At 310m, The View From The Shard is
Europe's tallest viewing platform as well
as being London's latest landmark. CE
Anders Nyberg describes the project
The Shard is a landmark building on the London skyline, designed by master architect Renzo Piano (see interview on p44). At a height of 310 m (1,016 ft), the building is in the historic London Bridge Quarter in the heart of London.
The Shard is a vertical city with high-quality offices, international restaurants, the five-star Shangri-La hotel, exclusive residences and visitor attraction The View from The Shard. The View from the Shard is operated by Shard Viewing Gallery Management Ltd. The company was formed out of the ownership entity of London Bridge Quarter and The Shard.
About the visitor experience
Kevin Murphy
Kevin MurphyDevelopment DirectorEvent Communications
“Our aim is for The View from The Shard to be the first stop for visitors to London, and for it to define their experience of the city. Where else can you see the whole of the city and plan your stay? To achieve this, we decided to tell the story of the quirkier parts of the city that aren’t so familiar and of Londoners and people who have lived in or influenced London.
We looked for diversity and things people wouldn’t normally think of and hope people will be inspired to seek these places out.
Audiovisual People come to The Shard to get the view, but by working with the client team plus DJ Willrich who did the AV hardware, Elbow Productions Ltd who provided AV and media production and Benchworks Ltd for the setworks, we’ve created a quality experience that starts at the website when people book and continues from when they enter the door.
We could just take guests straight to the top of the building, but we’re giving them much more than that. We have a number of multimedia screens and visual stimuli in at the ground floor and the walk through to the escalators, but once visitors get to top, the focus is on the view. We purposely haven’t put too much interpretation around the view, as we want guests to be looking out, not in.
We commissioned composer David Mitchum to write a piece of music that evokes the experience and grandeur of the building. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios by the London Symphony Orchestra, so ties into the city theme.
Media The View from The Shard is a premium attraction, so queuing will be minimal, but we want any visit and passage through security to be an experience, so there are very large graphics showing characters in odd situations. We looked for famous Londoners and people who were inspired by or had an influence or impact on the city, such as Benjamin Franklin who lived in London for 16 years. We then looked for situations that were comical, that these people would never find themselves in and that raise an eyebrow. These include the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a pearly king and queen; mayor Boris Johnson shining former mayor Ken Livingstone’s shoes; suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst pointing the way to emancipation with the Spice Girls; and Prince Charles judging architecture in a sand castle competition.
At the security check, visitors walk through a metal detector and their bag goes through a scanning machine. Panels here show tongue in cheek images of Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, Crippen and police officers.
After security, cameras are tied into screens which take a guest’s picture and transfer their image onto a character in the picture, such as in Sergeant Pepper’s balloon. They’ll see themselves on the screen along with the other 10 or 12 people in front of them and be able to buy souvenir images at the end.
Screens outside the first lift doors show where they currently are to give a scale to the building. The image shows it’s a vertical city plus a transport hub, with trains running under the building.
Highs and lows We hit a few practical challenges in terms of the size of the building and cable runs because of the distances involved. The biggest personal challenge for me was getting over my vertigo, as we initially had to use a lift outside of the building. The first time I nearly got off halfway up and left the rest of the team to it, but I would never have lived down the shame, so I got through it.
The delight has been working with an architect who wants to work with us. It’s very rare to see an architect embracing the creative element of a project. That, and a client team that wants to have fun. It’s been very refreshing.
“People come for the view. we could just take Guests straight to the top of the building, but we’re giving them much more than that”
The visitor experience explores the quirky side of London
Guests are 244m above London at the highest public level, floor 72
There are 12 Tell:scopes on the 68th floor. LCD screens are hooked up to a video lens, allowing visitors to zoom in on city landmarks from different angles
There are 12 Tell:scopes on the 68th floor. LCD screens are hooked up to a video lens, allowing visitors to zoom in on city landmarks from different angles
There are 12 Tell:scopes on the 68th floor. LCD screens are hooked up to a video lens, allowing visitors to zoom in on city landmarks from different angles
The View will operate a timed ticket system to help eliminate queues.
Up to a million visitors are expected annually
The View will operate a timed ticket system to help eliminate queues.
Up to a million visitors
are expected annually
The Shard is described as a vertical city with restaurants, offices, five-star hotel and private residences as well as the View
The Shard is described as a vertical city with restaurants, offices, five-star hotel and private residences as well as the View
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.
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.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
