SEC Centre | |
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Exterior of venve (c.2004)
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Address | Exhibition Way Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8YW Scotland |
Location | Scottish Event Campus |
Owner | SEC Limited |
Inaugurated | 27 November 1985 |
Opened | 6 September 1985 |
Renovated | 2000 |
Construction cost
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£36 million |
Former names
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Scottish Exhibition Centre (planning/construction) Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (1985-2017) |
Classroom-style seating
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400 (Loch Suite) 100 (Seminar Suite) 72 (Gala Room) |
Banquet/ballroom | 624 (Lomond Auditorium) 300 (Forth Room) |
Theatre seating
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10,000 (Concert Hall 4) 5,000 (Concert Hall 3) |
Enclosed space | |
• Exhibit hall floor | 23,355 square metres (250,000 sq ft) |
• Breakout/meeting | 4,431 square metres (48,000 sq ft) |
Parking | 1600 spaces |
Bicycle facilities
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3 cycle racks, six spaces each |
Public transit access | Exhibition Centre railway station |
Website | Venue Website |
The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, located in the district of Finnieston on the north bank of the River Clyde, Glasgow.
It is one of the three main venues within the Scottish Event Campus. Since the opening of the original buildings in 1985, the complex has undergone two major expansions; the first being the SEC Armadillo in 1997, and then the SSE Hydro in 2013.
The venue's holding company SEC Limited, 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 and Hall 3.
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 Finnieston, which had closed to navigation in 1969, was selected. Land reclamation 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.
The Main Building was completed and opened in 1985, with a concert by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Hall 1. It later held the Grand International Show in Hall 4 as part of the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival. In 1990, the SECC was one of the hubs of Glasgow's year as European City of Culture, hosting concerts by Luciano Pavarotti, the Bolshoi Ballet and Opera & Bryan Adams.