They call it 3D projection mapping; I call it cool.

The show was called The Tree of Light and it was part of the City of London's celebration of the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships. The skating competition was held inside the city's Budweiser Gardens arena and the high-tech light show was held on the outside of the arena. Both were steeped in the wow-factor.

The neatest illusion of the light show was the "unwrapping of the arena." That was just so cool. But there were lots of other bits of absolutely gorgeous eye-candy. No surprise here as the show was done by the well-known Canadian company specializing in these shows called the Moment Factory out of Montreal, Quebec.

There has been a lot of controversy about the championships and whether or not hosting them was worth it. But, the argument is based on a false dichotomy. Hosting these events is not question of profit vs. loss.

These events rarely return big bucks to the host communities. What they do do is put a town under a stress test. Can the community be trusted to host a big, complicated event and pull it off smoothly, professionally, without a hitch? This is the feather-in-the-cap award and London walked away a winner.

The Budweiser Gardens arena is a fine arena. And it is run very professionally. It has been said to be among the top fifty entertainment complexes of its type in the world. The smooth delivery of support for the figure skating event certainly lends credence to that reputation.

Some days I am proud to say I'm from London.