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.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013)

Bournemouth International Centre
Exterior of venue (c.2018)
Address	Exeter Rd Bournemouth BH2 5BH England
Coordinates	50°43′00″N 1°52′41″W
Owner	Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
Operator	BH Live
Built	1982–84
Inaugurated	16 August 1984
Opened	6 September 1984 (1984-09-06)[1]
Renovated	2004
Expanded	1990
Construction cost	£19.5 million (£73.2 million in 2022 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
Venue Website

In June 2022, it was announced that the building would undergo a £1.8 million refurbishment.[3]

Conferences

The BIC has hosted national conferences of political parties and trade unions. Neil Kinnock attacked the militant tendency in 1985 and Margaret Thatcher made her last conference speech in 1990.[4] In 2019, the BIC hosted the Liberal Democrats conference.[5]

Venues

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.

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 above the stage which can suspend approximately 90 tonnes of weight.[6]

In 1990, the circular Purbeck Hall was added at a cost of £6 million.[6]

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.[6][7]

Managed by social enterprise BH Live in partnership with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, the BIC is operated alongside its sister venue, The Pavilion Theatre and Ballroom.

See also

• Pavilion Theatre and Ballroom
• List of venues in the United Kingdom

References

External links

Media related to Bournemouth International Centre at Wikimedia Commons

• Bournemouth International Conference Bureau

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