SEC Centre

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SEC Centre
Facade of SEC Centre, February 2018
Main ingang tae the SEC Centre in 2018
AddressExhibition Way
Glesga
G3 8YW
LocationFinnieston, Glesga, Scotland
Coordinates55°51′39″N 4°17′17″W / 55.86085°N 4.28812°W / 55.86085; -4.28812Coordinates: 55°51′39″N 4°17′17″W / 55.86085°N 4.28812°W / 55.86085; -4.28812
AwnerScottish Event Campus Limited
Inauguratit27 November 1985; 38 years ago (1985-11-27)
Appent6 September 1985; 38 years ago (1985-09-06)
Renovatit2000; 24 years ago (2000)
Expandit
  • 1995
  • 1996
  • 1997
Construction cost
£36 million
Umwhile names
Scottish Exhibition Centre (planning/construction)
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (1985–2017)
Banquet/bawroom400 (Loch Suite)
100 (Seminar Suite)
72 (Gala Room)
624 (Lomond Auditorium)
300 (Forth Room)
Theatre seatin
10,000 (Concert Hall 4)
5,000 (Concert Hall 3)
Enclosed space
 • Exhibit haw fluir23,355 m2 (251,391 sq ft)
 • Brakoot/meetin4,431 m2 (47,695 sq ft)
Pairkin1,600 spaces[1]
Bicycle facilities
18 spaces[2]
Public transit accessExhibition Centre railway station
Wabsteid
www.sec.co.uk

The SEC Centre (oreeginally kent as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's maist muckle exhibition centre, fund in Glesga, Scotland. It is ae o the three main venues ben the Scottish Event Campus.[3] The biggins sit oan the steid o the nou infilled Queen's Dock on the River Clyde.[4]

Fae the appenin o the oreeginal biggins in 1985, the complex has unnergaun twa major stendin; the first bein the SEC Armadillo in 1997, an than the OVO Hydro in 2013.[5] The venue's haudin company SEC Limited, is 91% awnt bi Glesga Ceety Cooncil an 9% awnt bi private investors. It is probably best kent for haudin concerts, parteecularly in Haw 4 and Haw 3[3], wi five million fans attendin events ower five years.[6]

Development history[eedit | eedit soorce]

The Scottish Development Agency first uphaud the construction o an exhibition centre in Glesga in 1979. A site at the umwhile Queen's Dock on the north bank o the Clyde at Finnieston, thit haed closed tae navigation in 1969, was chysen. Land reclamation wirks stairtit in 1982 uisin rubble frae the malafousert St Enoch railway station. The biggin o the SEC Centre biggins stairtit on the site in 1983.[7]

In 2023, SEC appointit a new preses, Morag McNeill thit taks up her role in Januar 2024.[8]

Main Biggin[eedit | eedit soorce]

The Main Building was completit an appent in 1985, wi a concert bi the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Haw 1. It later on haudit the Grand International Show in Hall 4 as pairt of the 1988 Glasgow Gairden Festival. In 1990, the SEC Centre wis ae o the hubs for Glesga's year as European Ceety o Cultur.[9]

Shortly efter it's appenin, the Centre gotten its eikname swift frae the local press an efterhins became general uise, "The Muckle Reid Shed", acause o its ootwird appearance, as it leuked like a giant reid pentit warehoose. The eikname became redundant efter the Main Biggin was stendit an pentit grey in 1997.[10]

The SEC Centre taks up 64 acre (260,000 m2) o land – maist o't is surface caur parkin space – an hauds a fair feck o muisic concerts, exheebeetions an perfaisional confeerances.

The SEC Centre haes its ain railway station an aw, cried the Exhibition Centre, on the Argyle Line at Glesga's suburban railwey netwark.[11] The 16 storey Forum Hotel (nou pairt o the Crowne Plaza chain) was appent on the site in 1989.[12] It haes parkin forby fur 2700 vehicles.[13]

In September 1996, a new 5,095 square metre (54,840 sq ft) exhibition haw, Haw 3, was appent.[14]

SEC Armadillo[eedit | eedit soorce]

The SEC Armadillo wi the SEC Centre ahint it

In September 1995, construction stairtit on a new biggin – the Clyde Auditorium – tae become pairt o the SECC complex. Designt bi awaird-winnin airchitect Sir Norman Foster an is aften cawed "the armadillo" bi Glesga fowk, this new 3,000 capacity biggin wis feenishit in August 1997.[15]

Queens Dock 2 stendin[eedit | eedit soorce]

In Apryle 2004, the awners SEC Ltd again commeessioned Foster and Partners tae design a £562 million regeneration o the Queen's Dock area, unner the name QD2 – cawed as sic acause this is the seicont regeneration o the umwhile Queen's Dock area fae the centre's inception. This project incorporatit OVO Hydro, a 12,500 seat, £50 million concert arena for the SECC, thit appent as "SSE Hydro" in September 2013.[16]

Scottish Event Campus an the River Clyde

Shaws an events[eedit | eedit soorce]

The venue haudit the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008.[17] The SECC haudit the Girls' Day Oot Shaw in 2009, 2010 an 2012.[18] It staged The Scots Golf Shaw in 2009 an 2010.[19] The venue stages the faur ben BBC Good Food Show ivery year.[20] On 15 November 2015, it played host tae Insane Championship Wrestling's biggest shaw o the year, Fear & Loathing VIII.[21]

The SEC Centre haudit the World Science Fiction convention twice, as Intersection, the 53rd World Science Fiction convention in 1995, an Interaction, the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in 2005 (includin the SEC Armadillo). In Juin 2012, Irish pop band Westlife war honoured wi fower specially commeessioned bar stuils (tae be a permanent fixtur at the venue) tae merk 49 performances at the SEC Centre whaur they entertained ower 380,000 fan ower the years, sellin mair tickets nor ony ither act.

OVO Hydro and SEC Armadillo

NHS Louisa Jordan[eedit | eedit soorce]

The SEC Centre haudit the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Oreeginally scheduled tae be haudit in 2020, the conference wid pit back due tae the COVID-19 pandemic. Due tae the same pandemic, the SEC Centre wis turnt intae a COVID-19 critical care hospital unner the name NHS Louisa Jordan, an rin bi NHS Scotland.[22] At the stairt (in Apryle 8, 2020), it haed capacity for 300 bed, wi an stent, tae ower 1,000 gin needit.[23] The venue wis never uised for COVID-19 critical care an wis insteid uised for medical appyntments, bluid donations, staff trainin an COVID-19 vaccinations.[24] Wirk stairtit in July 2021 tae red it for hostin the rescheduled Climate Change Conference in October an November 2021.[24]

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. "SECC Car Park". City Parking (Glasgow). Archived frae the original on 8 Mey 2014. Retrieved 7 Mey 2014.
  2. "Getting to the SECC by Bike". Archived frae the original on 8 Mey 2014. Retrieved 7 Mey 2014.
  3. a b "All change as SECC is renamed the Scottish Event Campus". Evening Times. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 27 Januar 2017. Archived frae the original on 2 Februar 2017. Retrieved 27 Januar 2017.
  4. "All change as SECC is renamed the Scottish Event Campus". Glasgow Times (in Inglis). 26 Januar 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  5. SEC. "Scottish Event Campus Signs New Deal With OVO | SEC". www.sec.co.uk (in Inglis). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  6. SEC. "History of the SEC | SEC". www.sec.co.uk (in Inglis). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  7. "The Scottish Exhibition Centre, Queen's Dock, Glasgow". Arthur Lloyd. Archived frae the original on 28 Mairch 2020. Retrieved 28 Mairch 2020.
  8. Walker, Peter A. (13 September 2023). "Scottish Event Campus appoints new chair". businessInsider (in Inglis). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. "City of Culture - City of Architecture". The Glasgow Story. Archived frae the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 28 Mairch 2020.
  10. Law, Christopher M. (2002). Urban Tourism: The Visitor Economy and the Growth of Large Cities. Cengage Learning EMEA. p. 153. ISBN 978-0826449269. Archived frae the original on 19 Januar 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  11. "Scottish Event Campus". VisitBritain (in Inglis). 29 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  12. Cram, Auslan (15 November 1986). "Rifkind under attack from £18m hotel plan". The Glasgow Herald. Archived frae the original on 19 Januar 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  13. "Scottish Event Campus | United Kingdom - Conference Venue". Conferences-uk (in Inglis). Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  14. "History of the SEC Centre". SEC Centre. Archived frae the original on 27 Mairch 2020. Retrieved 28 Mairch 2020.
  15. "Clyde Auditorium - The Armadillo". Architecture Glasgow. Archived frae the original on 17 Februar 2020. Retrieved 28 Mairch 2020.
  16. "Rod Stewart road-tests Glasgow's SSE Hydro – with bagpipes and balloons". The Guardian. 1 October 2013. Archived frae the original on 28 Mairch 2020. Retrieved 28 Mairch 2020.
  17. "The Eurovision Dance Contest Glides Into Glasgow". BBC Press Office. 7 Julie 2008. Archived frae the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 30 Mairch 2020.
  18. "The Girls' Day Out Show at the SECC in Glasgow". Archived frae the original on 3 Februar 2011. Retrieved 17 Mairch 2011. SECC Events – Girls' Day Out Show
  19. "The Scottish Golf Show at the SECC in Glasgow". Archived frae the original on 8 Februar 2011. Retrieved 17 Mairch 2011. SECC Events – The Scottish Golf Show
  20. "BBC Good Food Show". BBC Haymarket Exhibitions. Archived frae the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  21. "Insane Championship Wrestling – Fear and Loathing VIII Results 15/11/15". TWM News. 15 November 2015. Archived frae the original on 28 Mairch 2020. Retrieved 28 Mairch 2020.
  22. Dennis, Brady; Mooney, Chris (1 Apryle 2020). "Amid pandemic, U.N. cancels global climate conference". Washington Post (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 2 Apryle 2020. Retrieved 1 Apryle 2020.
  23. "NHS Louisa Jordan". Scottish Government News (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 16 Mey 2020. Retrieved 8 Apryle 2020.
  24. a b "NHS Louisa Jordan to be fully decommissioned on Monday". STV News. 19 Julie 2021. Retrieved 19 Julie 2021.

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