Happy birthday The NEC!

February 4 2005

Europe's busiest exhibition centre, The NEC, celebrates its 29th birthday today.

The venue, opened in 1976 by H.M. The Queen, has become established among the leading venues in the world; with a strong reputation as home to the widest mix of trade and public exhibitions, entertainment and sports events.

Since then, more than 85 million people have been welcomed through the doors, attending more than 5,000 different events.

Activity at the venue has increased dramatically through those years. In its first year, The NEC staged 28 exhibitions, attended by 1.3 million visitors. By 2005 the programme has grown to offer up to 180 exhibitions, plus many concerts, conferences and other events for more than four million people.

Among the many events for which The NEC has become known are examples such as the Crufts dog show (more than 100,000 people and 20,000 dogs), Spring Fair Birmingham (using all available space, the UK's largest ever exhibition) and British International Motor Show (regularly attracting more than 400,000 people). Other high profile events include Good Food Show, Gardeners World Live and other entertainment at The NEC Arena featuring artists such as Pavarotti, Rod Stewart, Westlife, and The Darkness. The NEC has been credited for its part in helping develop the UK exhibition industry. Many national and international trade shows (including Spring Fair) have grown hand-in-hand with the venue itself, while the past ten years has seen the most dramatic growth in consumer shows.

Various expansion phases have added to the facilities at the venue, growing to meet increasing demand from the exhibition and events industry. The venue opened with 89,000 square metres of exhibition space in six halls, and has more than doubled to 200,000 square metres in 21 inter-connecting halls.

The NEC has regularly been recognised by its customers, winning a host of awards for features ranging from general facilities to catering, security, box office and many more.

Andrew Morris, The NEC Group chief executive, said: "The NEC has developed a proud record since first opening its doors in 1976, remaining at the forefront of the exhibition and events industry, and delivering massive economic impact and profile for the local region.

"From world-famous public shows such as Crufts, the Motor Show, and Clotheshow Live to international trade exhibitions like ITMA and Spring Fair, The NEC has developed a world-class reputation for staging the very best.

"We have come a long way in the past 29 years, and continue to be the busiest exhibition centre in Europe, but we are mindful that there are many challenges ahead if we are to grow even stronger.

"We are determined to listen to the needs of our visitors so that we can help create an exciting future, not only for the events industry, but for Birmingham and its people."

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