\n A new masterplan which envisages the campus becoming a new riverside \u201cdestination\u201d and \u201ccity quarter\u201d is aimed at boosting its annual economic impact to more than \u00a31 billion.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n Read more:\n<\/p>\n
\n In an exclusive interview with The Herald, SEC chief executive Dominic McKay, who took over the role in May 2025, said the project to \u201creimagine\u201d the site was aimed at ensuring Glasgow can keep pace with the likes of Melbourne, Lisbon, Bilbao, New York and London.\n<\/p>\n
\n He highlighted how the three existing buildings on the site – the original SEC Centre, the Hydro and the Armadillo \u2013 are now \u201ccreaking at the seams\u201d, with a record 2.5 million visitors coming through their doors last year.\n<\/p>\n
\n Scottish Event Campus chief executive Dominic McKay is overseeing expansion plans for the home of the Hydro and Armadillo venues in Glasgow. (Image: Colin Mearns)\n<\/p>\n
\n The new masterplan being drawn up for the 64-acre site is aimed at \u201cunlocking\u201d around 60 per cent of the campus site – which has been largely used for car parking – and attracting at least another 500,000 visitors to the campus each year.\n<\/p>\n
\n It is hoped that private investment can be secured to provide the bulk of the funding for the project, which is planned to be carried out in phases and is expected to take more than a decade to complete.\n<\/p>\n
\n A new outdoor arena and viewing platform will be created opposite the Hydro arena under expansion plans for the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. (Image: Scottish Event Campus)\n<\/p>\n
\n Key elements of the new \u201cDestination SEC\u201d vision include:\n<\/p>\n
Creating a new outdoor venue opposite the Hydro capable of housing crowds of up to 10,000 for open-air concerts, festivals and fan zones for sporting events.<\/p>\n
Creating a new indoor events venue with a capacity of up to 5,000, which would be suitable for the latest \u201cimmersive\u201d shows and exhibitions.<\/p>\n
Boosting the capacity of the SEC\u2019s conference and exhibition facilities by more than a third by either refurbishing or replacing the existing complex.<\/p>\n
Developing the west side of the campus by building its first on-site residential accommodation, a new high-quality hotel and office space to encourage arts organisations and production companies to move to the area.<\/p>\n
Hosting more major sporting events to build on the staging of six Commonwealth Games sports across the campus, the live broadcasts of Scotland\u2019s World Cup matches in the Hydro and forthcoming ice hockey showcases in the same venue.<\/p>\n
Building a new walkway over the Clydeside Expressway to replace the existing \u201cSmartie Tube\u201d bridge, which dates back to the mid-1980s, when the original exhibition and conference centre opened.<\/p>\n
\n Undeveloped land currently used for car parking will be transformed into expansion plans for the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. (Image: Scottish Event Campus)\n<\/p>\n
\n The new vision has been drawn up after previous proposals for an \u00a380 million expansion of the original SEC Centre, which were heavily reliant on public funding, were shelved.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr McKay told The Herald he and his team had been encouraged by the SEC board to take a \u201cclean slate\u201d approach to the whole site \u201cto reimagine what it could be like and where it needs to be for the future\u201d.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n A fan zone was created outside the Armadillo and the Hydro when the Scottish Event Campus hosted the Commonwealth Games this summer. (Image: Colin Mearns\/frame\/Herald Picture Agency)\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: \u201cWe had 2.5 million people come through the campus last year, which was a record number for us. They contributed more than \u00a3600m to the Scottish economy.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThat is a significant return for Glasgow and Scotland. It is something we are proud of but we are really keen to build on it.\n<\/p>\n
\n An overhead view of what the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow currently looks like. (Image: Scottish Event Campus)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe are currently creaking at the seams with our existing buildings. We had 150 events in the Hydro last year, 100 events in the Armadillo, and 100 conferences and exhibitions.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We have been enormously successful over the last 40 years, but we need to think about what the future may hold.\n<\/p>\n
\n The ‘Smartie Tube’ bridge over the Clydeside Expressway is set to be replaced with a new walkway under plans to transform the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. (Image: Colin Mearns)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe have quite a lot of space around our three wonderful buildings. Around 60 per cent of our campus has not been developed. We are having a good think about how to reimagine our whole campus and what that space could look like in future.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr McKay said the intense competition Glasgow faced for events was a key driver of the new masterplan.\n<\/p>\n
\n Scottish Event Campus chief executive Dominic McKay is leading plans for its long-term transformation. (Image: Colin Mearns)\n<\/p>\n
\n He told The Herald: \u201cGlasgow was ahead of the curve when the SEC was built 40 years ago. We want to make sure we remain really competitive in the global market we operate in.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWhile we are based in Glasgow and are very proud to be Glaswegian and Scottish, our days are spent thinking about other countries around the world. Our competition is Melbourne, Paris, London, New York, Lisbon and Bilbao.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe think of ourselves, and we act, on the international stage. We have got to keep investing to make sure we remain competitive.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere is a lot of interest in campuses like ours being developed and modernised for the future. It is happening all around the world right now. They are expanding, developing and creating true destinations.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe need to make sure we have the same offering, or an even better offering, as our competitors. That is why we are so motivated.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr McKay pointed to the success of the retail and leisure facilities around The O2 in London and suggested the SEC aimed to make much more of its riverside location.\n<\/p>\n
\n He added: \u201cWe want to expand our horizons to make sure we attract audiences who may not necessarily be going to a show, exhibition or conference.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIf you look at other cities which have rivers running through them, those rivers are often destinations in themselves.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe see our riverside being opened up more, to welcome people to a safe, secure, fun, exciting and vibrant place by having bars and restaurants along the Clyde.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe definitely see the river coming to life more.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cTo complement that, we also see the need to have places for people to live and work.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe sit directly opposite STV and the BBC. In many respects, this is already a culture, events and entertainment corridor.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe want to work with the creative industries, the cultural sector and TV<\/a>\u00a0production\u00a0companies to see whether we can have some of those facilities down here.\n<\/p>\n \n \u201cAt the far end of our site there is an incredible location with a view straight down the Clyde. It would lend itself really nicely to residential accommodation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n Mr McKay, who was unveiled as the SEC\u2019s new chief executive in January 2025, previously worked for Scottish Rugby for 13 years, including a six-year spell as chief operating officer.\n<\/p>\n \n He told The Herald that the extensive use of the SEC\u2019s site for the Commonwealth Games<\/a> had demonstrated the future potential of the site opposite the Hydro, which is normally used for car parking, but was temporarily transformed into a fan zone.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n