The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC), located on the north bank of the
River ClydeThe River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, is
Scotland'sScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
largest exhibition centre.
It has 22,355 m
2 of flexible space in five main exhibition halls, ranging in size from 775 m
2 to 10,065 m
2.
The venue's holding company SEC Ltd is 91% owned by Glasgow City Council and 9% owned by private investors.
It is probably best known for hosting concerts, particularly in Hall 4 (seating 10,000) and Hall 3 (fully seated 4,232, seated/standing 4,656 and 5,852 for all standing).
Development history
The Scottish Development Agency first supported the construction of an exhibition centre in Glasgow in 1979. A site at the former Queen's Dock on the north bank of the Clyde at
FinniestonFinnieston is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the North bank of the River Clyde and between the city's West End and the city centre. It is home to the SECC, where many musical concerts and important conferences are held...
, which had closed to navigation in 1969, was selected.
Land reclamationLand reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
works started in 1982 using rubble from the demolished
St Enoch railway station
. The construction of the SECC buildings began on the site in 1983.
Main Building
The Main Building was completed and opened in 1985, with a concert by the
Royal Scottish National OrchestraThe Royal Scottish National Orchestra is Scotland's national symphony orchestra. Based in Glasgow, the 89-member professional orchestra also regularly performs in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and abroad. Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company has performed full-time since 1950,...
in Hall 1. It later held the Grand International Show in Hall 4 as part of the 1988
Glasgow Garden FestivalThe Glasgow Garden Festival was the third of the United Kingdom's five National Garden Festivals, and the only one to take place in Scotland.It was held in Glasgow between 26 April and 26 September 1988...
. In 1990, the SECC was one of the hubs of Glasgow's year as
European City of CultureThe European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
, hosting concerts by
Luciano Pavarottiright|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, the
Bolshoi Ballet and OperaThe Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
&
Bryan AdamsBryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
.
Upon its opening, the Centre quickly gained its nickname among locals: "The Big Red Shed", owing to its outward appearance, which resembled a giant red painted warehouse. The nickname became redundant following the Main Building being repainted grey in 1997.
The SECC occupies 64 acres (260,000 m
2) of land — most of which is surface car parking space — and hosts numerous music concerts, exhibitions and professional conferences. The SECC also has its own railway station,
Exhibition CentreExhibition Centre station - previously called Finnieston [1979-1986] and earlier Stobcross [1894-1959] - is in Glasgow on the Argyle Line. It serves the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, which is accessible by adjoining footbridge from an island platform...
, on the Argyle Line of Glasgow's suburban railway network. The 16-storey
Forum HotelCrowne Plaza Glasgow is a high-rise skyscraper in the Finnieston area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is a 4-star hotel on the banks of the River Clyde adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Clyde Auditorium ....
(now part of the Crowne Plaza chain) was opened on the site in 1989. In September 1996, a new 5,095 m
2 exhibition hall, Hall 3, was opened. In May 1997, the conversion of Hall 1 into the Loch Suite conference venue was completed.
Clyde Auditorium
In 1995, construction began on a new building — the
Clyde AuditoriumThe Clyde Auditorium, familiarly known as "The Armadillo", is an iconic concert venue in Glasgow, Scotland. The building sits on the site of the now infilled Queen's Dock on the River Clyde, adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre....
— to become part of the SECC complex. Designed by award-winning architect
Sir Norman FosterNorman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, OM is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners....
and often called "the
armadilloArmadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
" by Glaswegians, this new 3,000 capacity building was completed in 1997.
Queens Dock 2 expansion
In April 2004, the owners SEC Ltd again commissioned
Foster and PartnersFoster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
to design a £562 million regeneration of the Queen's Dock area, under the name QD2 — so-called as this is the second regeneration of the former Queen's Dock area since the centre's inception. This project will incorporate a new 12,500 seat, £50 million concert arena for the SECC to be known as Scottish Hydro Arena, and construction of this development is expected to be completed by Spring 2013. The centre is also to be served by the
Clyde FastLinkClyde FastLink is a proposed high frequency dedicated bus link in Glasgow, United Kingdom. It is planned to run between Glasgow city centre and several local and regional destinations, including Glasgow Harbour, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and Renfrew. The scheme is being led by...
. The surface carparks to the West of the site will be sold for residential development and land to the east has also been identified for commercial development.
Shows & Events
The SECC held the second
Eurovision Dance ContestThe Eurovision Dance Contest was an international dancing competition that was held for the first time in the United Kingdom on Saturday 1 September 2007....
in September 2008.
The 59th
International Astronautical CongressEvery year, the International Astronautical Federation together with the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Institute of Space Law , holds the International Astronautical Congress which is hosted by one of the national society members of the IAF.They are an annual meeting...
was held here between 29 September and 3 October 2008. IAC 2008 was organised by the
British Interplanetary SocietyThe British Interplanetary Society founded in 1933 by Philip E. Cleator, is the oldest space advocacy organisation in the world whose aim is exclusively to support and promote astronautics and space exploration.-Structure:...
.
The SECC also hosted the
MOBO AwardsThe Music of Black Origin Awards, established in 1995 by Kanya King MBE and Andy Ruffell, are held annually in the United Kingdom to recognise artists of any ethnicity or nationality performing black music....
in September 2009 and October 2011.
The SECC also hosted the Girls' Day Out Show in 2009 and 2010. This event was for Scottish Women to enjoy Scottish Fashion, Lifestyle, Beauty, etc. and the SECC was the ideal host for this event.
The SECC staged The Scottish Golf Show in 2009 and 2010.
The SECC hosts the Glasgow audition stages of
The X FactorThe X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
.
The venue annually stages the popular
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Good Food Show run by
BBC Haymarket ExhibitionsHaymarket Media Group is a privately owned media company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore and the United States....
attracting almost 20,000 visitors.
External links