Edmonton Convention Centre

The Edmonton Convention Centre (ECC, formerly the Shaw Conference Centre), is a meeting, entertainment, and convention venue located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Opened in 1983, it is managed by the Explore Edmonton, a not-for-profit enterprise owned by the City of Edmonton.

This article is about the conference centre in Edmonton. For the conference centre in Ottawa, see Shaw Centre (Ottawa).
Edmonton Convention Centre
Edmonton Convention Centre
Address9797 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 1N9
Coordinates53°32′29″N 113°29′9″W
OwnerCity of Edmonton
Opened1983
Expanded2006
Construction cost
C$81.8 million[1]
($188 million in 2018 dollars[2])
Enclosed space
 • Total space144,406 sq ft (13,415.8 m2)
Public transit access Central station

It is located on Jasper Avenue and built into a hill, emerging onto Grierson Hill Road and into the Louise McKinney Riverfront Park. The riverside site allows for approximately 70 per cent of the building space to be located underground, burrowed into the cliff face, concealing the fact that the building is over 10 stories high.

It is reported by EEDC that the ECC boosts Edmonton's economy by an estimated $44 million a year.[3]

History

Plans for a city owned trade and convention centre, originally combined with sports (arena, stadium) facilities, had been considered for a number of years. A plebiscite asking if the city should spend $14 million ($116 million today) on land and construction of a downtown sports and convention complex was rejected by voters in 1963. Edmonton citizens voted in favour of a $23 million proposal ($163 million today) in the 1968 Convention and Sports Complex plebiscite, but voted against the revised $34 million ($223 million today) funding request in the 1970 Omniplex project plebiscite.[4] The area on Grierson Hill where the Centre now resides had a coal mine operation from 1892 to 1893, one of a number along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River near the turn of the century.[5]

While voters had rejected the funding for the project, a municipal bylaw allowing the city to build was still on the books. The scope of the project was reduced when the Northlands Coliseum ice hockey arena opened in 1974, followed by the Commonwealth Stadium football facility in 1978. Edmonton City Council received support from the electorate to move forward with a more focused trade and convention centre in a special plebiscite in 1979. James Wensley was awarded the Alberta Association of Architects Citation in 1983 for his work on the facility.

In 1998, the facility was renamed the Shaw Conference Centre under a 20-year naming rights deal with Shaw Communications. The facility was renamed Edmonton Convention Centre in 2019 following the expiration of Shaw's naming rights.[6][7]

On August 29, 2017, Edmonton's city council approved a plan for the EEDC to take ownership of the Edmonton Expo Centre from Northlands, effective January 1, 2018, as a condition of relieving debt owed to the city over its renovations.[8]

In June 2019, it was announced that the ECC's glass atrium would be fitted with transparent solar panels as part of a $10.8 million project. The renovation was stated to be the largest building-integrated array of solar panels in the country, and it was estimated that the panels would produce 227,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy per-year.[9] Installation was formally completed in June 2020; as an artistic component, the south roof was inscribed with the text of the poem "Gift of a river" by E. D. Blodgett, rendered in morse code.[10]

Location
Edmonton Convention Centre on the North Saskatchewan River valley

The Edmonton Convention Centre is located on Jasper Avenue and 97th street in Downtown Edmonton and can be seen in the city's skyline. The Jasper Avenue entrance opens onto the centre's glass atrium, which in turn serves as the entrance to the multiple conference levels. [11]

The long outer walls on the centre's assembly and meeting levels offer a view of the North Saskatchewan River valley parks system; a view which stretches from the downtown core to the north campus of the University of Alberta. The centre is linked via pedway to Edmonton's Canada Place, which is the main property for federal government offices in Edmonton. Canada Place is linked, in turn, to many other buildings by way of Edmonton's pedway system, including, the Citadel Theatre, the Westin Hotel, the City Hall, the Sutton Place Hotel, and the Edmonton City Centre mall.

Function

The facility has been used for corporate functions, banquets, conventions, as well as entertainment events such as concerts.[12][13]

Edmonton's anime convention Animethon moved to the Edmonton Convention Centre in 2018, replacing the MacEwan University City Centre Campus.[14]

Notable concerts

The ECC has been particularly known for hosting electronic dance music events, having hosted acts such as Tiesto.[15][16]

Amon Amarth performed at the Edmonton Convention Centre on September 30, 2019 as part of their Berserker tour. This show gained notoriety when, after Amon Amarth finished their set, an unidentified man stabbed a concertgoer, a 34-year old David Cox, who was involved in altercation and stabbed, and then died while hospitalized.[17][18]

Notes
  1. "Shaw centre needs to grow or lose out: report". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. February 7, 2011. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  2. Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020. and 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  3. Page 23 of “Forward” Edmonton Economic Development’s 2008 Annual Report "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2010-04-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Dr. Russell Cobb (2015-01-26). "Retrofutures: Edmonton's Omniplex". Edmonton Heritage Council. Retrieved 2017-05-18.
  5. Small mine in operation 1892 - 1893 (Real Estate & Housing, pg 12, 1978)
  6. Romero, Diego (2018-12-17). "Shaw Conference Centre to be renamed in 2019". Edmonton. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  7. Wong, Julia (2 May 2018). "Naming rights on downtown Edmonton convention centre up for grabs". Global News. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  8. "Council approves merging Edmonton Expo Centre with Shaw Conference Centre". CBC News. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  9. "Largest 'building-integrated' solar cell installation in country coming to Edmonton Convention Centre". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  10. Rosove, Jay (2020-06-08). "Edmonton Convention Centre's new power generating roof features poetic nod to the river valley". CTV News Edmonton. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-04-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. Simons, Paula (2017-04-08). "Edmonton needs one plan, one vision, for its two convention centres". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  13. Graney, Juris (2018-04-30). "Shaw Conference Centre might be in for a new name". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  14. "Animethon kicks off its 25th year starting Friday". Edmonton Journal. 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-08-28.
  15. Staples, David (2012-01-27). "Rave On, Edmonton (even if I'm too old to join the fun)!". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  16. O'Connor, Colin. "DJ Tiesto headlines the big electronic dance party at Edmonton's Shaw Conference Centre on New Year's Eve". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  17. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/man-stabbed-after-attending-amon-amarth-concert-in-edmonton/
  18. https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/man-charged-in-fatal-stabbing-after-amon-amarth-concert-in-edmonton/

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