SECC

1982

1983

1985

7 Sept - Gala performance by the SNO in Hall 1 (now the Loch Suite)

8 Sept - First exhibition - Commercial Interiors and Shopfitting Exhibition

Oct - Modern Homes Exhibition - Record attendance of 275,100.

Nov - SECC "officially" opened by HM the Queen during the Scottish Motor Show.

1988

1990

Glasgow is designated European City of Culture. SECC hosts performances by:

• Pavarotti (top price tickets were priced at £75. Strathclyde Regional Council hired Hall 1 which carried a live link of the concert; 2,000 tickets were sold at £12 each as part of an early "social inclusion" programme)
• The Bolshoi Opera and Ballet (Hall 4 set up as replica of Moscow's Bolshoi theatre complete with orchestra pit and seating for 5,400) Performances of Mlada and Maid of Orleans had never been seen outside the Soviet Union
• In October Bryan Adams played to an audience of 12,000 - Britain's largest indoor, all standing concert.

1993

SEC Ltd makes a trading profit of £46,000 in the year to September, the first in the company's history. Accumulated losses from opening stand at almost £5.5 million.

The venue opens its own Box Office as part of Glasgow City Council's Ticketlink operation.

World Championship Boxing - three World Championship fights on the same bill; the first "Triple hitter" outside the USA.

At the Boat Caravan Camping and Leisure Show, SECC welcomes its ten millionth visitor, less than nine years after opening.

The 14th World Orchid Conference staged - the only event of its type to be commemorated with a set of postage stamps. Another spectacular exhibition accompanied the conference.

KPMG carried out an Economic Impact Assessment of SECC. The business staged at the Centre injects some £49.7 million into the economy of Greater Glasgow.

1994

On 12 December, following torrential rain, the River Kelvin burst its banks and water flowed tdrough old railway runnels flooding the entire SECC site.

Concerts due to take place at this time were cancelled. The date for the opening of Circus and Carnival was delayed. Performances by the Singing Kettle were disrupted. Although the flood waters subsided in less than 24 hours, the mess left behind was huge.

Within just five days, the SECC was up and running again, thanks to the efforts of staff, contractors and the City Council.

1996

The new 5,095m² exhibition hall, Hall 3, opens on schedule in September.

With local government reorganisation , Strathclyde Regional Council was abolished. The Region's shareholding in SECC was therefore inherited by the new Glasgow City Council.

• Glasgow City Council (91.87%)
• Private Sector (9.13%)

1999

The Clyde Auditorium is proving to be a very popular venue - turnover for conferences is up by 43% compared with the previous year. Turnover and gross profit for concerts increased by 25% and 30% respectively as a direct consequence of events held in the Clyde Auditorium.

Accumulated losses, which stood at £5.5 million in 1992 have been cleared and for the first time, a credit balance has been created in the consolidated Group accounts.

As part of Glasgow's year as City of Architecture and Design, Vivienne Westwood chooses to launch her latest collection at a fashion show staged at the venue.

The business and economic targets were met - four years ahead of schedule. In that year, we achieved:

• 57 conferences
• 150,248 delegate days
• Economic benefit to the City of £26.5 million

2001

In April, SECC launches our own Box Office after Glasgow District Council decides to withdraw from the Ticketlink operation. By September, SECC had carried out 63,595 transactions, selling 165,437 tickets with a value of £3.95 million.

Work began on a £1.75 million refurbishment of Hall 4 concert facilities - the seating was turned around 180 degrees giving audiences improved access and egress routes. New bar areas are created and theatrical lighting is introduced to the bar, merchandise and circulation areas. New dressing rooms were built for performers along with crew catering and green room facilities.

SECC Board approves proposal to carry out a complete master plan exercise for the site which will provide a vision for the development of the company and its facilities over the next ten years - project has been called QD2 - the second redevelopment of the Queens Dock.

2004

Following a rigorous tendering process, Foster and Partners were appointed design team leader to create the new national arena.

In July, Glasgow-based developer Elphinstone was appointed as the preferred developer to build a unique urban-village. Elphinstone plans to transform the west end of the SECC's site into a £350 million sustainable urban village providing homes for families, key worker accommodation, work/live units, serviced apartments as well as mainstream housing in a prestigious riverside location.

Box Office continues to perform well - during the year, SECC sold more than 920,000 tickets with a face value of over £20 million.

2006