National Exhibition Centre

Template:Short description Template:Redirect-distinguish Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox convention center

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an exhibition centre located in Marston Green, England, near to Birmingham and Solihull.<ref name="All About NEC">Template:Cite web</ref> It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976.

History

The NEC was originally going to be built adjacent to the M1 motorway (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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In November 1971, the Secretary of State for the Environment granted outline planning approval for the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 16 February 1973, then Prime Minister Edward Heath travelled up from London to cut a white ribbon and initiate its construction,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was carried out by RM Douglas (known today as Tilbury Douglas),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to a design by Edward Mills.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The NEC was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 2 February 1976.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Expansion of the complex

The seventh hall of the NEC complex, a multi-purpose indoor arena named the Birmingham International Arena (currently branded BP Pulse Live), opened in December 1980.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 23 March 1989, Queen Elizabeth II opened three new halls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Four more halls were added in 1993, and another four new halls, designed by Seymour Harris and built by John Laing, were completed in January 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A five-year, £40 million venue improvement programme which saw improvements made to everything from the car parking to signage, seating and catering was carried out between 2006 and 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Exhibitions

The NEC has 18 interconnected halls covering Template:Convert of floor space, 32 purpose-built conference suites and 440 acres of flexible space.<ref name=NEC>Template:Cite web</ref> Regular exhibitions in the past have included the British International Motor Show and the international dog show Crufts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The NEC has 16,500 parking spaces spread around the site, with a free shuttle bus service operating to and from the car parks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

NEC Group

Parent company the NEC Group also owns and operates the Arena Birmingham and ICC Birmingham, both in central Birmingham, and bp pulse LIVE, based on The NEC site.<ref name="BM15">Template:Cite news</ref> Birmingham City Council placed the NEC Group up for sale in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After short-listing three contenders to purchase the company, the sale to Lloyds Development Capital, the private equity unit of Lloyds Banking Group, was completed in January 2015 for £307 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In October 2018, Blackstone acquired NEC Group from Lloyds Development Capital,<ref name="blackstone">Template:Cite press release</ref> paying around £800 million for the group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Emergency hospital

Template:Main From early April 2020 the NEC housed NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham, an emergency hospital scheduled to open on 10 April, and receive its first patients on 12 April,<ref name="ES">Template:Cite news</ref> as part of a network of NHS Nightingale Hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name="BBC-2020-03-27">Template:Cite web</ref> On 1 April 2021 the hospital was closed without ever treating a patient.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Gallery

Preparations for an exhibition in Hall 3a
View from inside the atrium
Atrium roof structure
The atrium showing an upper level called the Gallery
Moving walkway
NEC Pavilion (2008)
NEC Atrium entrance 2 (2005)
NEC Atrium entrance 3 (2007)
An NEC Plaxton Pointer 1 bodied Dennis Dart SLF shuttle bus outside atrium entrance 2