What Odyssey Trust does

The Odyssey Trust Company Limited is a registered charity (NIC 100113) established in the 2000s as part of Northern Ireland's Landmark Project to hold, manage, safeguard, and develop the Odyssey project for the public benefit of the people of Northern Ireland. The organization operates as a not-for-profit entity limited by guarantee, governed by a board of trustees and registered in Northern Ireland (company number NI 033106) at 2 Queen's Quay, Belfast.

The Trust manages an integrated portfolio of five wholly-owned brands anchored at the Odyssey waterfront complex in Belfast: The O2 Belfast (Northern Ireland's premier concert and entertainment venue, branded under partnership with O2/Telefonica), the Belfast Giants (a professional ice hockey team competing in the Elite Ice Hockey League), W5 Science & Discovery Centre (Northern Ireland's award-winning interactive science centre), W5 LIFE (an educational extension focused on life sciences and broader learning programmes), and Parking at The O2 Belfast (an on-site amenity service). The portfolio collectively welcomes over one million guests annually, with 2025/26 visitor figures of approximately 4.5M at concerts/shows, 2.75M at W5, and 2.35M at Belfast Giants.

The business model is consumer-facing and volume-driven, generating revenue primarily through ticket sales for concerts, ice hockey matches, and science centre admissions, supplemented by venue hire for conferences and exhibitions, on-site parking, and event-driven ancillary spend. As a registered charity, surplus is reinvested for public benefit rather than distributed to shareholders; the stated charitable purposes are advancing public education (via W5) and providing facilities for leisure and recreation in the interests of social welfare. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no enterprise customers, sponsors, or third-party revenue anchors are named in the source data.

Name

Odyssey Trust

Legal name

The Odyssey Trust Company Limited

Website

https://theodyssey.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Registered charity managing Northern Ireland's premier entertainment and education destination, operating The O2 Belfast concert venue, Belfast Giants ice hockey team, and W5 Science & Discovery Centre, serving the general public of Northern Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Entertainment and Education Venue Management

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Incentive Travel Programs & Retreat Events (Offsites) (MPAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Entertainment venue management
• Science education centre
• Professional ice hockey
• Concert venue operations
• Charitable venue management

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Odyssey Trust is a registered charity that operates and manages an integrated portfolio of entertainment and educational venues in Northern Ireland. Its core offerings are a premier concert and events arena (The O2 Belfast), a professional ice hockey franchise (Belfast Giants), and a science and discovery centre (W5), supported by educational programming (W5 LIFE) and on-site parking. Collectively these venues welcome over one million guests annually.

Product overview

The Odyssey Trust is a charitable organization managing Northern Ireland's leading education and leisure destination through a multi-venue platform architecture. The portfolio comprises The O2 Belfast as the premier entertainment venue, the Belfast Giants professional ice hockey team, the award-winning W5 Science & Discovery Centre for public education, its W5 LIFE educational extension, and Parking at The O2 Belfast as a supporting amenity service. Together these brands welcome over one million guests annually, with The O2 Belfast hosting concerts and shows (4,526,780 attendees in 2025/26), W5 serving 2,753,690 visitors in 2025/26, and the Belfast Giants attracting 2,352,700 ice hockey spectators in 2025/26.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Belfast Giants: Elite ice hockey team competing in the UK and European ice hockey leagues, part of Northern Ireland's leading entertainment destination.
• The O2 Belfast
• W5 Science & Discovery Centre
• W5 LIFE
• Parking at The O2 Belfast

Products and services

• The O2 Belfast Northern Ireland's premier concert and entertainment venue, hosting internationally acclaimed artists, state-of-the-art conferences and exhibitions. Operated by The Odyssey Trust under an O2 branding partnership.
• Belfast Giants Professional Elite Ice Hockey League team based in Belfast, providing live sporting entertainment as part of The Odyssey Trust's integrated venue portfolio.
• W5 Science & Discovery Centre Northern Ireland's award-winning science and discovery centre offering interactive exhibits and educational experiences for the public, advancing the Trust's charitable education purpose.
• W5 LIFE Educational outreach and learning experiences extension of W5 Science & Discovery Centre, focused on life sciences and broader educational programming.
• Parking at The O2 Belfast On-site parking facilities serving visitors to The O2 Belfast venue, providing convenient access for event attendees.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• O2 (Telefonica)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorO2 is the branding partner for The O2 Belfast venue. The partnership provides exclusive naming rights and branding for the premier concert venue, leveraging O2's established telecommunications brand recognition in the entertainment sector. The venue operates as The O2 Belfast under this branding arrangement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• SSE Arena Belfast: The SSE Arena Belfast is the underlying entertainment arena managed within the Odyssey complex where the Trust operates; it is a directly comparable arena venue hosting concerts and events in the same Belfast market.
• AO Arena (Manchester): One of the UK's premier mid-to-large capacity concert arenas, directly comparable to The O2 Belfast in concert programming, touring artist competition, and arena-based live entertainment.
• 3Arena Dublin: Ireland's flagship indoor concert and entertainment venue operated by Live Nation, directly competing with The O2 Belfast for the same touring artist circuit on the island of Ireland.
• Cardiff Devils: Professional ice hockey team competing in the Elite Ice Hockey League alongside the Belfast Giants, directly comparable in team operations, league economics, and spectator sports business model.
• Sheffield Steelers: EIHL ice hockey franchise competing in the same league as the Belfast Giants, offering direct comparability in team revenue, fan engagement, and arena-based sports entertainment.
• Catalyst Science Discovery Centre: UK-based interactive science and discovery centre operating under a charitable model, directly comparable to W5 in visitor experience, STEM education programming, and charitable/non-profit operating structure.
• National Space Centre: UK charity operating a major science and visitor attraction in Leicester, comparable to W5 Science & Discovery Centre in scale, educational mission, and charity-led visitor experience.

Broad incumbents

• NEC Group (National Exhibition Centre): Operates the NEC, Resorts World Arena, and ICC in Birmingham; a broader UK venue-management incumbent providing multi-venue entertainment, conference, and exhibition services comparable to the Odyssey Trust's integrated destination model.
• ASM Global: World's largest venue management company operating arenas, stadiums, and convention centres globally, including several UK venues; broadly comparable as a venue operations platform serving entertainment and events.

Regional players

• Edinburgh International Festival: A charitable cultural festival organisation in Scotland delivering large-scale public entertainment and education programming, comparable to the Odyssey Trust's charitable, multi-vertical arts/education remit within a different UK region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Odyssey Trust