Bournemouth International Centre
The Bournemouth International Centre (commonly known as the BIC /ˈbɪk/) in Bournemouth, Dorset, was opened in September 1984. It is one of the largest venues for conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and events in southern England. Additionally, it is well known for hosting national conferences of major British political parties and trade unions.
| Bournemouth International Centre | |
|---|---|
 Exterior of venue (c.2018) | |
| Address | Exeter Rd Bournemouth BH2 5BH England |
| Coordinates | 50°43′00″N 1°52′41″W |
| Owner | Bournemouth Borough Council |
| Operator | BH Live |
| Built | 1982–84 |
| Inaugurated | 16 August 1984 |
| Opened | 6 September 1984[1] |
| Renovated | 2004 |
| Expanded | 1990 |
Construction cost | £19.5 million (£70.4 million in 2022 pounds[2]) |
Classroom-style seating | 10–50 |
| Banquet/ballroom | 2,500 (Purbeck Hall) 1,300 (Solent Hall) |
Theatre seating | 4,045 (Windsor Hall) 1,100 (Tregonwell Hall) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 6,982 m2 (75,150 sq ft) |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 1,973 m2 (21,240 sq ft) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 1,000 m2 (11,000 sq ft) |
| • Ballroom | 2,748 m2 (29,580 sq ft) |
| Parking | 650 spaces |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
Venues
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At opening, it comprised two halls, the Windsor Hall and the Tregonwell Hall as well as a leisure swimming pool which has since been closed to provide further conference and exhibition space.
The venue's Windsor Hall has a concert capacity of nearly 4,100 and is one of the bigger indoor music venues in the UK, often included on the arena tours of major artists. This hall has the largest tensile grid in Europe – a tensioned mesh comprising 30 miles of steel wire hung above the stage which can suspend approximately 90 tonnes of weight.[3]
In 1990, the circular Purbeck Hall was added at a cost of £6 million.[3]
The Solent Hall can house exhibitions or hold up to 2,000 people for standing music concerts. As part of a refurbishment costing £22 million, this hall controversially replaced the popular swimming pool and wave machine in 2004 after an unsuccessful campaign to save the facility.[3][4]
Managed by social enterprise BH Live in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council, the BIC is operated alongside its sister venue, The Pavilion Theatre and Ballroom.
References
- Adido. "About The BIC · BH Live". www.bic.co.uk. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- "Bournemouth venue marks 25 years". 9 September 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- "Letter to the Editor: Council should never have closed BIC swimming pool". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
External links
Media related to Bournemouth International Centre at Wikimedia Commons
