| SEC Centre | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Main entrance to the SEC Centre in 2018 | |
| Address | Exhibition Way Glasgow G3 8YW |
| Location | Finnieston,Glasgow, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°51′39″N4°17′17″W / 55.86085°N 4.28812°W /55.86085; -4.28812 |
| Owner | Scottish Event Campus Limited |
| Inaugurated | 27 November 1985; 39 years ago (1985-11-27) |
| Opened | 6 September 1985; 40 years ago (1985-09-06) |
| Renovated | 2000; 25 years ago (2000) |
| Expanded |
|
Construction cost | £36 million |
Former names | Scottish Exhibition Centre(planning/construction) Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (1985–2017) |
| Banquet/ballroom | 400 (Loch Suite) 100 (Seminar Suite) 72 (Gala Room) 624 (Lomond Auditorium) 300 (Forth Room) |
Theatre seating | 10,000 (Concert Hall 4) 5,000 (Concert Hall 3) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 23,355 m2 (251,391 sq ft) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 4,431 m2 (47,695 sq ft) |
| Parking | 1,600 spaces[1] |
Bicycle facilities | 18 spaces[2] |
| Public transit access | Exhibition Centre railway station |
| Website | |
| www.sec.co.uk | |
TheSEC Centre (originally known as theScottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) isScotland's largestexhibition centre, located inGlasgow, Scotland. It is one of the three main venues within the Scottish Event Campus.[3][4]
Since the opening of the original buildings in 1985, the complex has undergone two major expansions; the first being theSEC Armadillo in 1997, and then theOVO Hydro in 2013. The venue's holding company SEC Limited, is 91% owned byGlasgow City Council and 9% owned by private investors. It is probably best known for hosting concerts, particularly in Hall 4 and Hall 3.
TheScottish Development Agency first supported the construction of anexhibition centre in Glasgow in 1979. A site at the former Queen's Dock on the north bank of the Clyde atFinnieston, which had closed to navigation in 1969, was selected.[5][6]Land reclamation works started in 1982 using rubble from the demolishedSt Enoch railway station. The construction of the SEC Centre buildings began on the site in 1983.[7]
The Main Building was completed and opened in 1985, with a concert by theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra in Hall 1. It later held the Grand International Show in Hall 4 as part of the 1988Glasgow Garden Festival. In 1990, the SEC Centre was one of the hubs of Glasgow's year asEuropean City of Culture.[8]
Upon its opening, the Centre quickly gained its nickname from the local press and thus to general usage, "The Big Red Shed", owing to its outward appearance, which resembled a giant red painted warehouse. The nickname became redundant after the Main Building was expanded and painted grey in 1997.[9]
The SEC Centre occupies 64 acres (260,000 m2) of land – most of which is surface car parking space – and hosts numerous music concerts, exhibitions and professional conferences. The SEC Centre also has its own railway station,Exhibition Centre, on theArgyle Line of Glasgow's suburban railway network. The 16 storeyForum Hotel (now part of theCrowne Plaza chain) was opened on the site in 1989.[10]
In September 1996, a new 5,095 m2 (54,840 sq ft) exhibition hall, Hall 3, was opened.[11]
In September 1995, construction began on a new building – theClyde Auditorium – to become part of the SECC complex. Designed by award-winning architectSir Norman Foster and often called "thearmadillo" by Glaswegians, this new 3,000 capacity building was completed in August 1997.[12]
In April 2004, the owners SEC Ltd again commissionedFoster and Partners 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 incorporatedOVO Hydro, a 12,500 seat, £50 million concert arena for the SECC, which opened as "SSE Hydro" in September 2013.[13]
The venue hosted theEurovision Dance Contest 2008.[14] The SECC hosted theGirls' Day Out Show in 2009, 2010 and 2012.[15] It staged The Scottish Golf Show in 2009 and 2010.[16] The venue annually stages the popularBBC Good Food Show.[17] On 15 November 2015, it played host toInsane Championship Wrestling's biggest show of the year,Fear & Loathing VIII.[18]
The SEC Centre has hosted theWorld Science Fiction convention three times: asIntersection, the 53rd World Science Fiction convention in 1995; asInteraction, the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention in 2005 (including theSEC Armadillo); and again asGlasgow 2024 in 2024.[19]
In June 2012, Irish pop bandWestlife were honoured with four specially commissioned bar stools (to be a permanent fixture at the venue) to mark 49 performances at the SEC Centre where they entertained over 380,000 fans over the years, selling more tickets than any other act.[20]
The SEC Centre hosted the2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Originally scheduled to be held in 2020, the conference was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. Due to the same pandemic, the SEC Centre was turned into a COVID-19 critical care hospital under the name NHS Louisa Jordan, and run byNHS Scotland.[21] Initially (as of April 8, 2020), it had capacity for 300 beds, with an expansion to over 1,000 if needed.[22] The venue was never used for COVID-19 critical care and was instead used for medical appointments, blood donations, staff training and COVID-19 vaccinations.[23] Work began in July 2021 to prepare it for hosting the rescheduled Climate Change Conference in October and November 2021.[23]
SECC Events – Girls' Day Out Show
SECC Events – The Scottish Golf Show
| Preceded by Television Centre London | Eurovision Dance Contest Venue 2008 | Succeeded by |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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