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. 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.
| Bournemouth International Centre | |
|---|---|
 Exterior of the BIC, April 2008 | |
| |
| Location | Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
| Coordinates | 50°43′00″N 1°52′41″W |
| Owner | Bournemouth Borough Council |
| Operator | BH Live |
| Built | 1982–1984 |
| Inaugurated | 16 August 1984 |
| Opened | 6 September 1984[1] |
| Renovated | 2004 |
Construction cost | £19.5 million (£66.3 million in 2021 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 | |
| www | |
Venues
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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 40 metres 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.
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.
Notable events
Between 1998 and 2000 the BIC hosted snooker's UK Championship. Since 2006 the BIC has hosted the Premier League Darts on several occasions.[5][6][7][8]
References
- Adido. "About The BIC · BH Live". www.bic.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
- 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 February 2, 2020.
- "Bournemouth venue marks 25 years". 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
- "Letter to the Editor: Council should never have closed BIC swimming pool". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
- "Darts: Historic achievement can help Taylor bounce back in Bournemouth". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
- "Darts: Tickets still available for BIC Premier League show". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
- "2015 BETWAY PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS". BH Live Tickets. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- "Premier League darts: Anderson to savour BIC atmosphere". Bournemouth Echo. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
- "Louise Redknapp Setlists". setlists.fm. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
External links
Media related to Bournemouth International Centre at Wikimedia Commons