Liverpool Echo Arena
Encyclopedia
Echo Arena Liverpool is the arena half of ACC (Arena and Convention Centre) Liverpool located on the former King's Dock in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. The BT Convention Centre forms the other half of the complex. Although Echo Arena itself opened in January 2008, ACC Liverpool as a whole was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
and Prince Philip
during their visit to Liverpool on 22 May 2008. The complex's naming rights belong to the Liverpool Echo
and the BT Group
.
The full ACC Liverpool building, designed by Wilkinson Eyre
and Buro Happold
, consists of two main elements either side of a central galleria: an arena
and a convention
centre. The arena has 7,513 permanent seats around three sides of a central floor suitable for indoor sports events. The capacity for 10,000. BT Convention Centre has a 3,725 square metre multipurpose hall on the ground floor, with a 1,350 capacity auditorium and eighteen break out rooms above. It can be possible to use the exhibition hall in conjunction with the arena, giving a total exhibition space of over 7,000 square metres. This unique design being the only one of its kind in Europe.
architects. There are six dressing rooms, five team locker rooms and two promoter offices within the arena. Vehicles weighing up to 38 tonnes can gain access to the basement of the arena.
s on the River Mersey
contributes to its electricity supply. Due to this design, Echo Arena has been awarded a string of environmental and architectural accolades. ACC Liverpool, the home to both Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre has a BREEAM
rating of 'very good'.
, Lady Gaga
, Oasis
, Nickelback
, Queen + Paul Rodgers
, Katy Perry
, KISS
, Rihanna
and Beyoncé have performed at Echo Arena, with the latter on three separate occasions in the space of a year. As well as concerts, the arena has also hosted a number of major international events. Since its completion in 2008 Echo Arena has become home to the annual Liverpool Summer Pops Festival. The festival, which until previous years had operated from a huge big top tent, regularly attracts a number of well known popular artists.
On 6 November 2008 the arena hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, whilst on 14 December 2008 it was the venue for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
show. On 20 October 2010 the arena hosted the 2010 MOBO Awards, this is only the second time that the awards have been held outside of London. January 2011 saw Echo Arena play host to Famous and Fearless
, a reality television game show which was aired live over the period of a week on Channel 4
. In July 2011 Echo Arena hosted the X Factor
auditions.
Below is an incomplete list of acts who have performed at the Echo Arena since its opening in 2008.
tie against Poland in September 2009 and the Britain women's handball team's match against Finland in the same month.
The arena also plays host to many regular sporting events such as, Boxing
, WWE, British Supercross, Premier League Darts
, International Badminton, Basketball, Masters Football
and many others. In 2008, Echo Arena hosted the annual Firefighter Games. Echo Arena was also the starting point for the 2010 Liverpool Half Marathon
.
The arena has hosted WWE Raw SuperShow
on November 7, 2011 and will host WWE SmackDown TV tapings on and November 8, 2011 respectively.
The Arena has played host to a number of boxing events such as the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships
in 2010, a WBO Light-Heavyweight title fight between Tony Bellew
and Nathan Cleverly
, on the same bill was James DeGale
-Piotr Wilczewski
for the European Super-Middleweight title. The Echo Arena also staged Paul Smith's three British Super-Middleweight title fights.
, since its opening has won numerous awards. Most notably the CONFEX Best UK Venue award for the past two years. Among the centre's other awards are Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative award and the ‘Most Effective Team’ prize at the Exhibition News awards.
The flexibility of the centre's facilities makes BT Convention Centre a unique setting for conferences. The impressive main auditorium comfortably seats 1350 delegates using two seating drums (unique in England) which revolve, the space is divided into/up to three separate, self-contained spaces of 250 (x2) and 850 seats.
The complex also houses 18 break-out rooms containing top-of-the-range technology, with capacities ranging from ten to 500. Each room is equipped with the latest telecommunications and data network, cabling infrastructure, wireless LAN, digital audio visual facilities and acoustic panels on the walls for excellent sound clarity. Banqueting functions and exhibitions are also easily accommodated in the centre's versatile Multi-Purpose Hall (3725m2, with space for 1800 dinner guests). This, combined with the Echo Arena, gives event organisers 7000m2 of exhibition space.
In its first year alone, BT Convention Centre hosted more than 200 events, welcomed 71,000 delegates, and saw conferences and events from the British Council of Shopping Centres Annual Conference to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers
. BT Convention Centre has also played host to a Labour Party
Cabinet meeting in 2009, as well as the annual Trades Union Congress
in the same year. The Liberal Democrats
also staged their autumn conference in the centre in 2010.
located next to the Echo Arena which opened February 14, 2010. Contrary to belief, it is not the same wheel that was originally situated in Chavasse Park
. The wheel is only a temporary addition to the city's list of attractions, and is advertised on the Echo Arena's website as remaining until February 2012.
. The station is two stops away from mainline station.
The arena is situated opposite the portal of the now disused Wapping Tunnel
which runs from Edge Hill in the east of the city. There have been calls to reuse the 1.26 miles (2 km) tunnel with a station serving the arena and immediate docks on the site of the demolished Park Lane
station which was at the end of the tunnel.
In August 2009, the Liverpool Daily Post
reported that a new tram-train
link from Edge Hill in the east of the city to the Echo Arena at Kings Dock is being considered.
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
during their visit to Liverpool on 22 May 2008. The complex's naming rights belong to the Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
and the BT Group
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
.
The full ACC Liverpool building, designed by Wilkinson Eyre
Wilkinson Eyre
Wilkinson Eyre Architects is an international architecture firm based in London, England. The firm won the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize two years in a row...
and Buro Happold
Buro Happold
Buro Happold is a professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment, with its head office in Bath, Somerset...
, consists of two main elements either side of a central galleria: an arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
and a convention
Conference hall
A conference hall or conference room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even hospitals, have one. Sometimes other rooms are modified for large...
centre. The arena has 7,513 permanent seats around three sides of a central floor suitable for indoor sports events. The capacity for 10,000. BT Convention Centre has a 3,725 square metre multipurpose hall on the ground floor, with a 1,350 capacity auditorium and eighteen break out rooms above. It can be possible to use the exhibition hall in conjunction with the arena, giving a total exhibition space of over 7,000 square metres. This unique design being the only one of its kind in Europe.
Architecture and design
In terms of capacity, Echo Arena Liverpool is the eleventh largest arena in the United Kingdom. ACC Liverpool as a whole was designed by Wilkinson EyreWilkinson Eyre
Wilkinson Eyre Architects is an international architecture firm based in London, England. The firm won the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize two years in a row...
architects. There are six dressing rooms, five team locker rooms and two promoter offices within the arena. Vehicles weighing up to 38 tonnes can gain access to the basement of the arena.
Environmental sustainability
Echo Arena Liverpool is one of the most sustainable venues in Europe, designed to reduce half of its CO2 emissions. Features across the complex control light, temperature and electricity usage and harvest rainwater for toilet flushing, while a crop of turbineTurbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
s on the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
contributes to its electricity supply. Due to this design, Echo Arena has been awarded a string of environmental and architectural accolades. ACC Liverpool, the home to both Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre has a BREEAM
BREEAM
BRE Environmental Assessment Method is a voluntary measurement rating for green buildings that was established in the UK by the Building Research Establishment . Since its inception it has since grown in scope and geographically, being exported in various guises across the globe...
rating of 'very good'.
Notable events
The Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool complex is capable of hosting a whole range of events including music concerts, conventions, sporting events, children's entertainment and more. Since the arena's opening in 2008, it has regularly played host to many of the world's top musical acts. Many world famous artists including MuseMuse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
, Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
and Beyoncé have performed at Echo Arena, with the latter on three separate occasions in the space of a year. As well as concerts, the arena has also hosted a number of major international events. Since its completion in 2008 Echo Arena has become home to the annual Liverpool Summer Pops Festival. The festival, which until previous years had operated from a huge big top tent, regularly attracts a number of well known popular artists.
On 6 November 2008 the arena hosted the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards, whilst on 14 December 2008 it was the venue for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
show. On 20 October 2010 the arena hosted the 2010 MOBO Awards, this is only the second time that the awards have been held outside of London. January 2011 saw Echo Arena play host to Famous and Fearless
Famous and Fearless
Famous and Fearless is a reality television game show series in which 8 celebrities competed in extreme sporting events to win money for their respective chosen charity. It aired in January 2011 on Channel 4 and was presented by Chris Evans and Clare Balding with Jack Osbourne appearing alongside...
, a reality television game show which was aired live over the period of a week on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. In July 2011 Echo Arena hosted the X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
auditions.
Musical events
- Alexandra BurkeAlexandra BurkeAlexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
- The Pussycat Dolls
- RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
- Bryan AdamsBryan AdamsBryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
- Arctic MonkeysArctic MonkeysArctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
- Australian Pink Floyd ShowAustralian Pink Floyd ShowThe Australian Pink Floyd Show, more frequently referred to as the Australian Pink Floyd, are a Pink Floyd tribute band formed in 1988 in Adelaide, South Australia. Their live shows attempt to recreate the look, feel, and sound of Pink Floyd's later world tours, employing visual aids such as...
- Backstreet BoysBackstreet BoysThe Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
- BeyoncéBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
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- Brit Floyd: The Pink Floyd Tribute ShowBrit Floyd: The Pink Floyd Tribute ShowBrit Floyd is a UK based Pink Floyd tribute band formed in 2010 by Chas Cole, Managing Director of CMP Entertainment, and Damian Darlington, the band's Musical Director. Brit Floyd has toured in the UK and several European countries...
- Andrea BocelliAndrea BocelliAndrea Bocelli, is an Italian tenor, multi-instrumentalist and classical crossover artist. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a soccer accident....
- Michael BubléMichael BubléMichael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
- Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
- Kelly ClarksonKelly ClarksonKelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
- ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
- Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
- Def LeppardDef LeppardDef Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
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- Duran DuranDuran DuranDuran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
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- Evermore
- Girls AloudGirls AloudGirls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
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- Kasabian
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- The Killers
- KISSKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
- Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
- Leona LewisLeona LewisLeona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
- Pixie LottPixie LottVictoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
- MuseMuse (band)Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
- Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
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- McFlyMcFlyMcFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
- N-DubzN-DubzN-Dubz are a British hip hop group from Camden Town, London. The group consists of members Dappy, Tulisa Contostavlos and Fazer.N-Dubz were previously signed to Polydor Records before joining All Around the World Records...
- NickelbackNickelbackNickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
- OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
- Katy PerryKaty PerryKaty Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
- ParamoreParamoreParamore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
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- Queen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul RodgersQueen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...
- REO SpeedwagonREO SpeedwagonREO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
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- The Script
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Sporting events
Echo Arena has managed to host numerous sporting events in the limited time it has been open, despite a busy concert schedule. The arena plays host to the Mersey Tigers, Liverpool's only professional basketball team. A number of international sporting events have also been held inside the arena, such as Britain's Davis CupDavis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
tie against Poland in September 2009 and the Britain women's handball team's match against Finland in the same month.
The arena also plays host to many regular sporting events such as, Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, WWE, British Supercross, Premier League Darts
Premier League Darts
The 888.com Premier League Darts is a darts tournament which launched on January 20, 2005 on Sky Sports, and is currently the world's largest indoor sports event. The league is now played weekly from February to May, having originally started as a fortnightly fixture...
, International Badminton, Basketball, Masters Football
Masters Football
Masters football is a 6 a-side indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 are chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a senior club which they played for. Regional heats are held, and the winners of each go forward to a national...
and many others. In 2008, Echo Arena hosted the annual Firefighter Games. Echo Arena was also the starting point for the 2010 Liverpool Half Marathon
Liverpool Half Marathon
The Liverpool Half Marathon is an annual road running event held on the streets of Liverpool, UK. The event is partly sponsored by JJB Sports. It has previously been sponsored by the Japanese Mizuno Corporation....
.
The arena has hosted WWE Raw SuperShow
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
on November 7, 2011 and will host WWE SmackDown TV tapings on and November 8, 2011 respectively.
The Arena has played host to a number of boxing events such as the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships
GB Amateur Boxing Championships
The Great Britain Amateur Boxing Championships is an amateur boxing tournament, founded in 2010, in which boxers from England, Scotland and Wales compete over a two day period.- 2010 GB Boxing Championships :...
in 2010, a WBO Light-Heavyweight title fight between Tony Bellew
Tony Bellew
Tony Bellew is a British professional boxer and a former three time ABA Heavyweight Champion. He is promoted by Frank Warren, trains out of Arnie's gym in Manchester and is the reigning Commonwealth light heavyweight champion.-Amateur career:...
and Nathan Cleverly
Nathan Cleverly
Nathan Cleverly is a British professional boxer from Wales and current WBO light heavyweight world champion. He is also the former European, British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion...
, on the same bill was James DeGale
James DeGale
He is European super middleweight championJames Frederick DeGale MBE is an English boxer and Olympic gold medalist. He was born in Harlesden, London. He started amateur boxing at the Trojan club at the age of 10 before moving to Dale Youth boxing club...
-Piotr Wilczewski
Piotr Wilczewski
Piotr Wilczewski is a Polish professional boxer. He was EBU champion.In March 2011, he defeated Amin Asikainen by TKO in round 11 and in doing so he became the EBU European super-middleweight champion....
for the European Super-Middleweight title. The Echo Arena also staged Paul Smith's three British Super-Middleweight title fights.
BT Convention Centre
The BT Convention Centre located adjacent to Echo Arena, was opened in April 2008. Boasting to accommodate some of the most modern facilities in Europe and luxury conference rooms with stunning riverside views the convention centreConvention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
, since its opening has won numerous awards. Most notably the CONFEX Best UK Venue award for the past two years. Among the centre's other awards are Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative award and the ‘Most Effective Team’ prize at the Exhibition News awards.
The flexibility of the centre's facilities makes BT Convention Centre a unique setting for conferences. The impressive main auditorium comfortably seats 1350 delegates using two seating drums (unique in England) which revolve, the space is divided into/up to three separate, self-contained spaces of 250 (x2) and 850 seats.
The complex also houses 18 break-out rooms containing top-of-the-range technology, with capacities ranging from ten to 500. Each room is equipped with the latest telecommunications and data network, cabling infrastructure, wireless LAN, digital audio visual facilities and acoustic panels on the walls for excellent sound clarity. Banqueting functions and exhibitions are also easily accommodated in the centre's versatile Multi-Purpose Hall (3725m2, with space for 1800 dinner guests). This, combined with the Echo Arena, gives event organisers 7000m2 of exhibition space.
In its first year alone, BT Convention Centre hosted more than 200 events, welcomed 71,000 delegates, and saw conferences and events from the British Council of Shopping Centres Annual Conference to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers
Association of Teachers and Lecturers
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is a trade union, teachers' union and professional association, affiliated to the Trades Union Congress, in the United Kingdom representing educators from nursery and primary education to further education...
. BT Convention Centre has also played host to a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Cabinet meeting in 2009, as well as the annual Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
in the same year. The Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
also staged their autumn conference in the centre in 2010.
Wheel of Liverpool
The Wheel of Liverpool is a 60 metres (196.9 ft) tall observation wheelFerris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
located next to the Echo Arena which opened February 14, 2010. Contrary to belief, it is not the same wheel that was originally situated in Chavasse Park
Chavasse Park
Chavasse park is an open space in the city centre of Liverpool, England, United Kingdom. It was named in commemoration of the Chavasse family; Francis and his twin sons Christopher Maude Chavasse , and Noel Godfrey Chavasse Chavasse park is an open space in the city centre of Liverpool, England,...
. The wheel is only a temporary addition to the city's list of attractions, and is advertised on the Echo Arena's website as remaining until February 2012.
Transportation links
Direct public transport to Echo Arena is by bus. James Street railway station is a short walk away and is served by the Merseyrail Wirral LineWirral Line
The Wirral Line is one of the two commuter railway lines operated by Merseyrail that are centred around Merseyside, England, the other being the Northern Line...
. The station is two stops away from mainline station.
The arena is situated opposite the portal of the now disused Wapping Tunnel
Wapping Tunnel
Wapping or Edge Hill Tunnel in Liverpool, England, was constructed to enable goods services to operate between Liverpool docks and Manchester, and all points between, as part of the planned Liverpool and Manchester Railway. It was the first tunnel in the world to be bored under a metropolis...
which runs from Edge Hill in the east of the city. There have been calls to reuse the 1.26 miles (2 km) tunnel with a station serving the arena and immediate docks on the site of the demolished Park Lane
Park Lane railway goods station
Park Lane was the world's first goods terminus on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway serving the south end Liverpool Docks. The station was opened in 1830. Its initial name was Wapping Station...
station which was at the end of the tunnel.
In August 2009, the Liverpool Daily Post
Liverpool Daily Post
The Liverpool Daily Post is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Friday and is published in Merseyside, Cheshire, and North Wales editions, and is a morning paper...
reported that a new tram-train
Tram-train
A tram-train is a light-rail public transport system where trams run both on an urban tramway network and on main-line railways to combine the tram's flexibility and availability and the train's greater speed...
link from Edge Hill in the east of the city to the Echo Arena at Kings Dock is being considered.