National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, UK

National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

2exhibitions May 13, 2024 Venue 1,266 Views

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham (NEC) : Venue Name
Category: Venue
Location: National Exhibition Centre (NEC), North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 (0) 121 780 4141
Email: feedback[at]necgroup.co.uk
www: www.thenec.co.uk
Timings: 09:00 AM – 17:00 PM

National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham: About

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is an exhibition centre located in Marston Green, Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It was opened by the Queen in 1976.

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“. The building was designed by Edward Mills.

In November 1971, the Secretary of State for the Environment granted outline planning approval for the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. On 16 February 1973, then Prime Minister Edward Heath travelled up from London to cut a white ribbon and initiate its construction. The NEC was opened by the Queen on 2 February 1976.

Expansion of the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham:

The seventh hall of the NEC complex, a multi-purpose indoor arena named the Birmingham International Arena (currently branded Resorts World Arena), opened in December 1980.

On 23 March 1989, the Queen opened three new halls. 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.

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.

The NEC has 20 interconnected halls covering 190,000 m² (2,000,000 sq ft) of floor space. Regular exhibitions in the past have included the British International Motor Show and the international dog show Crufts.

The NEC has 16,500 parking spaces spread around the site, with a shuttle bus service operating to and from the car parks. In 2020 the all-day parking fee for public exhibitions is £16.00.