A new visitor attraction billed as Central London’s first purpose-built entertainment and cultural visitor space is set to open next month.

NEON at Battersea Power Station, which boasts more than 3,200m2 of floor space, will launch with Jurassic World: The Experience on 23 May.

The brainchild of global immersive experience and exhibition specialist NEON, the venue is expected to become a hub for “high-profile, rotating cultural content”.

It plans to unveil two “cutting-edge” shows per year from NEON’s repertoire of touring IP and original artifact engagements, such as Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs. NEON is also currently in discussions with global IP holders, museums, and experiential design partners to programme a year-round calendar of exhibitions.

“We are excited to bring this globally celebrated experience to the heart of London”

“The opening of Jurassic World: The Experience at the iconic Battersea Power Station will mark the first of many world-class IP experiences that NEON will be showcasing in London through our partnerships with leading global studios and partners around the world,” says NEON CEO and executive chair Ron Tan. “Together, we are excited to bring this globally celebrated experience to the heart of London.”

NEON will provide 5,000 complimentary tickets to local schools and 1,000 free tickets to local charities, community organisations, and youth groups. The building’s sustainability credentials include 95% recoverable materials, 60% reduction in construction time, and a sedum living roof.

“We are delighted to be working closely with NEON to bring an exciting new cultural space to Battersea Power Station in the year that Wandsworth has been named the London Borough of Culture. Jurassic World is iconic, making it the perfect first experience to showcase next to this iconic London landmark,” adds Sam Cotton, head of asset management at Battersea Power Station Development Company.

The booming experience and exhibition sector will be showcased in IQ‘s Touring Entertainment Report 2025, which will be published in May.

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Dice has announced a new marketplace for event creators and fans as part of its wider strategy to expand its operations beyond ticketing.

The first product feature within the new marketplace is Dice Extras, which will allow event creators to offer enriched experiences and auxiliary products to fans, in addition to their concert tickets.

Launching in July in the US and UK, it will enable event creators to create, manage, report on and market their add-ons to fans. Extras include ‘Experiences’ such as area passes, meet & greets, after-parties, VIP upgrades, and skipping the line; ‘Accommodation and Transport Options’ like parking, coach or bus services, and camping area passes; ‘Food and Drink’ provisions and ‘Merch’.

To support the development, the live music network and ticketing company has appointed Jack Driessen as its new VP of commerce, with responsibility for creating, building, and overseeing the launch of its unified concert marketplace.

“The Extras suite will allow fans to effortlessly discover and purchase everything music-related in one place from tickets to VIP upgrades and unique experiences,” explains Driessen. “It also empowers our artist, venue and promoter partners to connect directly with audiences whilst streamlining their operations and boosting their bottom line.”

Driessen’s previous experience includes stints as GM of apparel at Whatnot, COO of Saturdays NYC and director of e-commerce strategy at Tommy Hilfiger. He also held leadership roles at Amazon and Abercrombie & Fitch.

“Dice has already nailed the ticket-buying experience, and now we want to build on that, making it even easier for fans to get the most out of live events”

“Dice has already nailed the ticket-buying experience, and now we want to build on that, making it even easier for fans to get the most out of live events, all on one platform,” he adds. “It’s an exciting moment for Dice, and I’m looking forward to growing our product capabilities to help fans get out more and get closer to the artists they love.”

The launch follows a Beta phase which saw 44 partners across the UK and US benefit from increased revenues and enhanced fan experiences. The firm notes that independent venue and promoter partners have seen up to 30% increase in average event revenue so far.

“Since partnering with Dice, our RnB Slow Jams events continually sell out, and we’re always seeking new ways to engage with our growing community of fans,” says Matthew Bridgeman, events manager at RnB Slow Jams. “Our Valentine’s Day shows at London’s Koko felt like the perfect fit to trial Dice’s commerce offering and test the new Extras features. We were thrilled to see hundreds of fans snapping up the queue jump tickets on top of their regular admission tickets.

“The seamless integration has not only enhanced our fan experience but also boosted our revenue. We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership with Dice and leveraging more of the app’s commerce features in the future.”

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Pollen, the music, travel and experiences start-up, has raised US$150 million in a Series C round.

Founded in 2014 by brothers Callum and Liam Negus-Fancey, the London-headquartered company runs two offerings: Pollen Presents, which curates experiences for customers across travel, music, and more; and Pollen+ which partners with promoters and music festivals to offer customers who book through its platforms perks at events.

The firm says that it uses data and customer insights to create experiences that are exclusive to its platform, and also partners with “the biggest music festivals and brands in the world” to sell their experiences.

Pollen Presents has organised a number of artist-curated weekenders with artists including Justin Bieber in Las Vegas, Diplo in Cabo, Kurupt FM in Amsterdam, J Balvin in Vegas and Bring Me The Horizon in Malta.

Pollen+ has partnered with promoter brands and music festivals including We Are FSTVL, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Electric Zoo and Live Nation.

“People want personalised travel experiences built around what they are passionate about”

The company previously raised over $100m in venture capital funding, from investors including Kindred, Northzone, Sienna Capital, Backed and Draper Spirit.

Backers named in the latest funding announcement include Kindred, Lansdowne Partners, Northzone, Sienna Capital, Backed and Molton Ventures.

Pollen says that its Series C funding comes on the heels of “significant momentum” for the company, after seeing sales increase “more than 300% relative to pre-pandemic levels”.

“People want personalised travel experiences built around what they are passionate about,” says co-founder and CEO Callum Negus-Fancey.

“Pollen is at the forefront of this demand; we use our proprietary data and customer insights to build one-of-a-kind travel experiences with the world’s biggest talent and brands in the best destinations. When people look back after 10 years, and think about their top five memories, we want them to feel like Pollen was responsible for three of them.”

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