WIXLIB

All you needto know aboutthe Coca-ColaLondon EyeConceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects.Operated by London Eye Management ServicesLimited, a Merlin Entertainments PLC.‘Coca-Cola’, the Dynamic Ribbon Device andthe design of the ‘Coca-Cola Contour Bottle’ areregistered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.

ContentsDiscover the world of London’s 21st century landmark4/Now5/The vision6/A feat of design and engineering7/Coca-Cola Great Britain8/Impressive facts and figures9/Big impressions count10/The London Eye River Cruise11/Experience the London Eye online3/Filming and photography12/The London Eye – a positive impact on the community13/Fireworks14/4D Cinema Experience15/Merlin Entertainments16/Useful information11/

Discover the worldof London’s21st centurylandmarkWho would have thought that such a simpleidea could be so stunningly successful? Theworld’s tallest cantilevered observation wheelat 135m high and sat proud on the banks of theRiver Thames offers 360 degree, breathtakingviews across London.But there’s much, much more to the LondonEye than its views and engineering. It plays anintegral role in the community, has become aninternationally recognised symbol for London,a hugely popular filming location and is also aunique venue for corporate events, launchesand entertainment.A source of pride for the whole country aswell as the capital, the London Eye is the mostdistinctive addition to the world’s greatest citythis century, loved by Britons and tourists alike.It’s so uncomplicated, but so visionary, it’ssurprising that nobody thought of it yearsbefore it happened.03/16

NowSince it officially opened to the publicon March 9th 2000, the London Eye hasbecome as iconic a London landmarkas Tower Bridge, Big Ben, St Paul’sCathedral and the Tower of London.In fact, it has become the UK’s mostpopular paid for visitor attraction.A remarkable feat of design andengineering, the London Eye gaveLondon’s skyline a dramatic newaddition and has been offering guests anew perspective on London ever since.Originally, it was intended as atemporary structure, able to bedismantled and transported to a newlocation, and had planning permissionfor just five years. But with millionsboarding it every year, its popularityhas prompted its lease to be extended.Today it is a permanent fixture on theLondon skyline and a beautiful symbolof modern London.04/16

The visionAs the 20th Century drew to aclose there was a natural humandesire to mark the new millenniumin an enduring and substantial way.Newspapers asked readers for theirsuggestions; competitions wereheld; everybody had a view.Two people with a better ideathan most were the architects andhusband and wife, David Marks andJulia Barfield. They wanted to giveLondon its own 21st Century EiffelTower: a structure of beauty thatwould celebrate London’s creativity,innovation and technical prowess,and provide a new perspective onthe world’s greatest city.They chose to represent Londonwith a wheel - an age-old symbolof time and change and, therefore,the perfect structure with which tomark the dawn of a new millenniumin a city that never stands still.05/16

A feat of designand engineeringThe Coca-Cola London Eye wasdesigned as a huge bicycle wheelstructure that is cantilevered –supported on one side.The London Eye uses enormous‘A’ frame legs supported bycolossal foundations and tiedback by more cables anchoredunderneath Jubilee Gardens.1. It took seven years and the skillsof hundreds of people from fivecountries to make the London Eyea reality.2. The residents of an alpinevillage helped to test its boardingprocedures.3. The design is similar to an enormousbicycle wheel, with a central huband spindle connected to outer andinner rims by cable spokes.It is over 200 times larger than theaverage bike wheel (and four timeswider than the dome of St Paul’sCathedral).06/164. The 80 spokes laid together wouldstretch for 6km – the distance fromTrafalgar Square to Canary Wharf.5. The spindle which holds the wheelstructure is 23m long – the heightof nine classic London redtelephone boxes.6. The hub and spindle weigh in at 330tonnes – equivalent to 49 doubledecker buses and 20 times heavierthan Big Ben – the bell inside StStephen’s Tower at the Housesof Parliament.7. Some 1,700 tonnes of British steelwere used in the construction ofthe London Eye, which makes it298 times heavier than all the topLondon football teams (West Ham,Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea,Fulham and Charlton) combined.8. The London Eye was shippedup the River Thames by barge insections and assembled at theSouth Bank. It took a week to lift itfrom a horizontal position to the fullyvertical one we all know.The technology employed hadpreviously been used to erect NorthSea oil rigs.9. The total weight of the wheel andcapsules is 2,100 tonnes – or asmuch as 1,272 London black cabs.10. The operation had to beco-ordinated carefully with thetides to ensure that the river waslow enough to fit everythingunderneath London’sbridges. It was a squeeze: theclearance under SouthwarkBridge was just 40cm insome places.11. All 32 capsules were fixedonto the wheel in justeight days. A decade laterthey were improved, tomake their heating andventilation systems moreefficient and environmentallyfriendly. The upgraded capsulesare now expected to last atleast another decade.The London Eye is often mistakenlycalled a Ferris wheel. This is notthe case; first, the capsules arecompletely enclosed and climatecontrolled; second, the capsules arepositioned on the outside of the wheelstructure and are fully motorised; andthird, the entire structure is supportedby an A-frame on one side only; makingit the world’s tallest cantileveredobservation wheel.

Coca-ColaGreat BritainCoca-Cola is one of the world’sbest known brands and has a richheritage of spreading messages ofhappiness for over 129 years.Coca-Cola Great Britain is responsiblefor marketing 19 brands and over 100different drinks to consumers across thecountry. In addition to the four Coca-Colavariants– Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, CocaCola Zero and Coca-Cola Life –brandsalso include Sprite, Fanta, Dr Pepper,Oasis, Schweppes, glacéau vitaminwaterand glacéau smartwater.Coca-Cola has a rich history in London –from their first appearance in the 1900s,to starting sales in Selfridges in the early1920s. They’ve gone on to feature onthe famous billboard of Piccadilly Circussince 1954, sponsored the London 2012Olympic and Paralympic Games and nowthe Coca-Cola London Eye.07/16To find out more visit:www.coca-cola.co.ukwww.twitter.com/CocaCola GBwww.youtube.com/user/cocacolacompanyuk

Impressive factsand figuresThe things you didn’t know about theLondon Eye.800GuestsPerRotation1. You can see around 40km from thetop – as far as Windsor Castle on aclear day.2. The London Eye can carry 800guests per rotation – equivalent to11 London red double decker buses.08/163. There are 32 capsules in total; onefor each of the London boroughs.For superstitious reasons they arenumbered up to 33, with capsule 13left out for good luck.4. Each of the 32 capsules weighs11 tonnes. To put that figure intoperspective, it’s the same weight as1,157,894 pound coins.5. Each rotation takes approximately30 minutes, meaning that a capsuletravels at a stately 26cm per second,or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour – twiceas fast as a tortoise sprinting; thisslow rate of rotation allows gueststo step on and off without the wheelhaving to stop.6. In one year the London Eye willrotate 7668 times, or 2300 miles,as far as from London to Cairo inEgypt, home to other wonders ofthe world.9. Supermodel Kate Moss holdsthe record for the UK celebritythat’s enjoyed the most rotations,standing at 25, and Hollywood starJessica Alba holds the record for anoverseas celebrity that’s enjoyed themost rotations, standing at 31.7. The circumference of the LondonEye is 424m (1,392ft).10. The London Eye receives morevisitors annually than ancientwonders of the world like theTaj Mahal, Stonehenge and even theGreat Pyramids of Giza.8. The height of the London Eye is135m (443ft – equivalent to 64 redtelephone boxes piled on top ofeach other),11. A new LED lighting system has beenintroduced on the London Eye,which saves 75% more energy thanthe previous system.12. Since opening, there have been over5000 marriage proposals –not surprising then that the LondonEye has been voted the UK’s mostromantic destination and the world’ssecond just behind the Eiffel Towerin Paris.13. All oils on the London Eye arebiodegradable, the grease isedible and causes no harm towildlife and cleaning products arebiodegradable and non-pollutant.

Big impressions countSince launching as a corporateentertainment venue in September2000 with a Champagne gala eventattended by then Prime Minister TonyBlair, the London Eye’s Corporateand Special Events department hasgarnered a reputation as a dab handat hosting high-profile, high impactparties, launches and ceremonies anything is possible!09/1610/17Many customers and clients choose tohire the entire London Eye, but if youwant to hire just one capsule we canhelp too. With a range of products fromwine and Champagne tasting capsulesto seasonal treats such as wintercocktails and Christmas canapés,there’s something special all year round.In May 2001 we hosted our first-everwedding with the happy couple saying‘Eye do’ live in front of an audience offive million on GMTV, then Europe’smost-watched breakfast show. We’vebeen hosting happy couples ever since– an average of 60 per year.In 2011 and 2013 the London Eye playedhost to the famous Red Bull MusicAcademy events. Beamed across theglobe on the internet, the event hadfamous musicians and DJs performingin each capsule to an intimate audience.Simultaneously, thousands of guestsenjoyed a silent disco in the shadowof the London Eye hosted by some ofthe world’s most famous DJs. Guestsdescribed it as the best party ever.During the London 2012 Olympic andParalympic Games, the London Eyeplayed an integral part in the run upand duration of the games. We hostedhundreds of media and sponsors fromacross the globe, had the OlympicTorch on top of one of our capsulesand even featured in both the openingand closing ceremony, highlightingthe London Eye’s place amongst thecapital’s historic treasures.

The London EyeRiver CruiseThe Coca-Cola London Eye alsooperates a unique award-winning 40minute sightseeing cruise on the RiverThames with live commentary thatbrings the city to life, presented byexpert guides.The circular cruise aboard the SilverBonito, with both covered and sundeck seating, departs from theLondon Eye pier directly underneaththe London Eye, goes as far asTower Bridge and returns 40 minuteslater. Cruising past the Houses ofParliament, St Paul’s Cathedral, theTower of London, Shakespeare’sGlobe as well as Westminster,Millennium and Tower Bridges.10/16The Silver Bonito can carry up to 170passengers at any one time and isone of the few fully accessible boatson the river, with full disabled accessto both decks. Audio commentaryis also available in French, German,Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Russian,Japanese and Mandarin.“The live commentary is superband everyone who takes thisriver cruise will learnsomething new about oneof the attractions they pass”.Laura Porter, About.com