The Hydro is a 12,000 seat Foster + Partner designed arena, situated on site next to the SECC’s iconic Clyde Auditorium (Armadillo), and the SECC exhibition halls in Glasgow.
BARCELONA – EIBTM 2012 – REPORT: The Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) launched The Hydro to the global meetings and events industry at EIBTM, Barcelona. The Hydro is the largest stadia venue in Europe launched to accommodate large-scale live entertainment and experiential events.
The Hydro is a 12,000 seat Foster + Partner designed arena, situated on site next to the SECC’s iconic Clyde Auditorium (Armadillo), and the SECC exhibition halls in Glasgow. Sponsored by Scottish Hydro, the building will be state of the art; a stunning amphitheatre-style arena, all under a spectacular 123m span tilted domed roof and with every seat aimed at the entertainment.
The Hydro will have a distinctive facade composed of pillows of a transparent space-age fabric known as ETFE covering the exterior of the 40m high building. Video projectors combined with LED lights capable of creating 12.8 million different colours will light each pillow. 1.5 million people are expected to visit The Hydro each year, making it one of the most popular indoor entertainment arenas in Europe.
“The Hydro is, first and foremost, a live experience venue, designed and built for organisers of concerts, live entertainment, experiential events and brand activations,” comments Ben Goedegebuure, Sales Director of the SECC. “The tiered seating, hospitality, internal and external technology will be great news for creative event organisers looking to activate truly memorable and visual experiences; it will be a great venue to work with.”
Scott Taylor, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “When The Hydro opens at the SECC in September next year, it will boost the city’s major event and conference credentials even further. Not only will it have the potential to inject more than £130 million into Glasgow’s economy every year, it will also ensure that the city is recognised alongside such iconic venues as Madison Square Gardens in New York and London’s O2 arena for having one of the busiest and best indoor arenas in the world.”
The Hydro will also complete the SECC campus to provide purpose built venues for conferences, exhibitions, and live experiences, all linked together and complemented by two on site hotels, car parking, bars, restaurants and a train station, all within a ten-minute walk of Glasgow City Centre or a 15 minute cab to Glasgow Airport.
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