National Exhibition Centre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an exhibition centre in Solihull, near Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres (2.54 km2). It is the busiest and seventh largest exhibition centre in Europe.
Opened by the Queen in February 1976, the first event to be staged at the venue was International Spring Fair and has returned every year since. Growing annually, the event now occupies all of The NEC's 20 halls, the LG Arena (formerly The NEC Arena) and is the largest single exhibition staged at the venue.
Contents |
[edit] History
The NEC was originally going to be built adjacent to the M1 junction 21 near Leicester but it was turned down by Leicestershire County Council with claims that "The big shows won't move away from London".
In November 1971, the Secretary of State for the Environment granted outline planning approval for the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The NEC, originally comprising 89,000 m2 of exhibition space, was opened by the Queen in February 1976. The building was designed by Edward Mills.
In 1989, the Queen opened three further halls, increasing the space to 125,000 m2. Four more halls were added in 1993, the total exhibition space increasing to 158,000 m2. Another four new halls, opened in September 1998 by Neil Kinnock, European Commissioner for Transport, took the total space to 190,000 m2 (2,045,142 square feet). These buildings were designed by Seymour Harris.
As of 2009, The NEC is nearing completion of a five-year, £40 million venue improvement programme which has seen improvements made to everything from the car parking to signage, seating and catering. The most obvious result of this development has been the redesign of the Piazza - the central space around Halls 1 to 5, which has received a contemporary update.
[edit] Music
Since the 1980s, The NEC has hosted performances by many international musicians and music groups, several of which have played at The NEC Arena on more than one occasion. Canadian rock band Rush filmed their VHS and DVD release entitled A Show of Hands at The NEC Arena in 1988. Some of this recording featured in the the audio album of the same name.
Status Quo recorded the Live at the N.E.C. album (CD) there.
Tina Turner recorded the VHS for her 1985 Private Dancer Tour there.
Iron Maiden recorded Maiden England at the NEC, during their Seventh Tour Of A Seventh Tour in 1988.
The video for AC/DC song, That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll was also recorded there, during their Blow up your video tour in 1988.
In 1997 The NEC Arena hosted the WWE One Night Only PPV, as well as annually on UK Tours.
The Original Black Sabbath officially reunited at The NEC to record their live Reunion album on December 4 and 5, 1997.
[edit] LG Arena
The LG Arena (formally The NEC Arena), host to large music concerts, is part of the complex. The 13,000 capacity NEC Arena was the largest multi-purpose arena in the UK when opening in the mid-1980s and although no longer the largest it is still a popular venue for touring acts. Together, The NEC and the LG Arena host over 3 million visitors each year.
From 1 September 2008, The NEC Arena was officially renamed as the LG Arena, following a naming-rights sponsorship deal with global electronics company LG. The Arena is currently undergoing a £29 million overhaul of its facilities, paid for by loans from Birmingham City Council and regional development agency Advantage West Midlands.
Set to be completed in November 2009, the work will include the installation of 2,000 new seats, hospitality, bars, restaurants and other customer facilities.
[edit] Shows
The NEC was home to the British International Motorshow from 1978 to 2004.
The NEC also hosts the Clothes Show Live each year, with high street fashions, Model Scouts and Runway Shows. Major sporting events are also held at the venue including Horse of the Year Show and the British Open Show Jumping Championships.
Since 1991, the NEC has been the venue for the international dog show Crufts. Held over four days and using five halls and the LG Arena, Crufts attracts an estimated 160,000 visitors annually. The 1991 show was also Crufts centenary year and as part of the celebrations to mark the occasion, the Guiness Book of Records gave official recognition of the events status as the worlds largest dog show, with 22,973 dogs being exhibited that year.
[edit] Euro Bus Expo
Euro Bus Expo is held annually at the UK's Birmingham National Exhibition Centre (NEC). [1]
 |
This section requires expansion. |
[edit] Car parks
The NEC offers 29,000 car parking spaces spread around the site, with a shuttle bus service operating to-and-from the car parks for the convenience of visitors.
In 2008 the all-day parking fee for public exhibitions was £8.00, which contributes directly to the upkeep of the car parks, running of the shuttle bus service, maintenance of road surfaces and lighting, and manning of the areas with traffic stewards.
[edit] NEC Group
Parent company The NEC Group also owns and operates The National Indoor Arena (NIA) and International Convention Centre (ICC), both in central Birmingham, and the LG Arena, based on The NEC site.
[edit] Photographs
 Entrance 3 leading into the atrium |
 Preparations for an exhibition in Hall 3a |
 Atrium roof structure |
 The atrium showing an upper level called the Gallery |
