What was announced
The UK Government will put £6 million towards the first phase of Destination SEC, the expansion plan for the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, confirmed the money in the Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026, and the SEC published its response the same day.
The SEC says the funding will go towards delivering phase one of the plan. The campus, which first opened in 1985, is a 64-acre riverside site and is made up of the OVO Hydro, the SEC Armadillo and the SEC Centre.
What phase one covers
Phase one focuses on redeveloping the car park in front of the OVO Hydro. According to the SEC, it will become the East Plaza and an activation zone, roughly the size of George Square, giving Glasgow a new outdoor events space next to the arena. The SEC first set out the Destination SEC plans in September, and says they have since been backed by Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government.
The announcement does not give a start date, a build programme or a total cost for the wider plan, and it does not say how the first phase will be funded beyond the government’s £6 million.
What the SEC and others said
Dom McKay, chief executive of the SEC, called it “extremely welcome news” and said the SEC generates more than £605 million in economic value, welcomes 2.5 million visitors a year and supports 5,300 jobs. He said the funding “will help deliver the first phase of our plans to develop our Campus for the next generation.”
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said Glasgow “built the stage for COP26 and the Commonwealth Games, and this investment will help build the next one.” Councillor Ricky Bell, leader of Glasgow City Council, pointed to the SEC’s role in this summer’s Commonwealth Games and said other cities are now investing in their venues, so Glasgow “needs to be on the front foot.”
What it means for event organisers
This is Events Review’s reading, not a statement from the SEC. For conference and exhibition organisers the near-term change is outside the halls rather than inside them: a large paved outdoor space by the OVO Hydro could be used for registration overflow, outdoor exhibits, catering, fan zones or evening receptions alongside events in the SEC Centre. Until the SEC publishes a timetable, it is worth asking the venue how any construction on the current car park would affect parking, coach drop-off and load-in for events booked over the next couple of years, and whether the plaza will be available to hire as part of a campus booking.
Related coverage
The venue is listed at Scottish Event Campus, and other Glasgow options are in the Glasgow conference venues directory. For travel planning, see Glasgow’s new air routes still need checking against your event dates.
Sources
- SEC: Scottish Event Campus welcomes confirmation of UK Government’s £6 million vote of confidence in Destination SEC
- Conference News: report of the SEC announcement, 28 October 2026
Sources read on 29 October 2026. The funding figure, the phase one plan, the campus details, the economic figures and all quotes are from the SEC’s own announcement. The suggestions for organisers are Events Review’s analysis.
