The owners of the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), in Glasgow, are planning another major expansion of its facilities - just five years after the opening of the SSE Hydro arena.
SEC has applied for planning permission to build a £150-200m extension, developing the west end of the campus with additional meeting and exhibition space with city views.
It is estimated that the new facilities, designed to keep the SEC ‘competitive’, will generate around £123m for the Glasgow economy every year, £106m to Scotland and £71m to the UK.
Billy McFadyen, Finance & Development Director, SEC said: “It is widely recognised that events drive immediate economic benefit of scale for cities and countries. Conferences and exhibitions in particular, provide a catalyst for further long-term economic benefit. The focus now is to secure funding support for the project which will be of significant benefit to the economy”.
He added: “The SEC currently offers Glasgow and Scotland a solution to stage events of varying sizes. However, competition worldwide is robust and constantly evolving. In order to maintain this level of success we need to invest in our product to ensure we have the best facilities. The plans for this expansion will fulfil this and create a truly unique UK Event Campus which will be world class.
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce CEO Stuart Patrick said: “…in a highly competitive sector venues must constantly evolve, and this imaginative planned expansion will help ensure the city’s share of the conference and exhibition markets continues to grow.”
The application is the next step following a previous feasibility study which was carried to establish viable options for upgrading and expanding the campus, principally to facilitate further growth in the Conference and Exhibition sectors. It was also supported by a robust business plan and economic impact study as the rationale for the new facilities.
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
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