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SMG, already announced as the operator of the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, will also run the existing venue until its closure
By IQ on 03 Apr 2017
An artist's impression of the new AECC
image © AECC
SMG Europe, which will operate the new AECC when it opens in 2019, has also been awarded the contract for the existing venue by Aberdeen City Council.
The news was announced today by John Sharkey, SMG’s executive vice-president of European operations, who says the new operator will “continue to strengthen the AECC brand and prepare for our fantastic purpose-built new home”.
The existing AECC (Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre), which includes the 8,500-cap. GE Oil and Gas Arena, dates from 1985, but was renovated in 2003. The new venue will have a capacity of 12,500 and be located close to Aberdeen International Airport.
The AECC joins the Manchester Arena, the First Direct Arena in Leeds, the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, the König-Pilsener Arena in Obserhausen, Germany, and the new Bristol Arena in SMG’s European arena portfolio.
SMG Europe is a wholly owned subsidiary of SMG, the world’s largest venue operator. It was sold to private-equity firm Ares Capital for US$3.43 billion, or $14.95 per share, last June.
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