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P&J Live

The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA)
The P&J Live building
Location	Aberdeen, Scotland
Coordinates	57°11′7″N 2°11′35″W / 57.18528°N 2.19306°W / 57.18528; -2.19306
Owner	Aberdeen City Council
Operator	ASM Global
Capacity	12,500–15,000 (with standing) 10,264 (all seated)
Construction
Broke ground	5 July 2016
Opened	10 August 2019
Construction cost	£333 million
Architect	Keppie
Project manager	Turner & Townsend
Structural engineer	Blyth & Blyth
Main contractors	Robertson
Website
www.pandjlive.com

P&J Live (also known as The Event Complex Aberdeen) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Aberdeen, Scotland. Opened in August 2019, it offers a capacity for all types of shows and events from 5,000 to 15,000. Replacing the former Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), the 10,000-seat arena is used for concerts and other events.

It is the largest indoor arena in Scotland, as well as the fifth largest arena in the United Kingdom.

History

In September 2012, talks got underway to replace the 27-year-old AECC Arena with a new £20 million facility on the same site amid claims that the arena was missing out on big acts due its comparatively small 4,750-seat capacity.

On 18 October 2013, Aberdeen City Council announced plans to spend £200 million on a rebuild of the AECC, but also raised the possibility of relocating the venue to a new site. Then on 31 October, it was announced that the go ahead had been given to the relocation, with Henry Boot as the preferred development partner. Artists impressions were released for a new centre and arena to be built at The Rowett Institute, which was owned by the University of Aberdeen and located in the city's Bucksburn area near Aberdeen Airport and close to the Aberdeen International Business Park.

According to Aberdeen City Council, the venue was to be completed by 2019 and would accommodate 10,000 people seated and 12,500 standing. Other facilities would include office and leisure space, plus an adjoining 4-star Hilton Aberdeen TECA hotel with options for two more. An artist's impression of the new AECC was released on 1 November 2013, together with an estimate of the final bill at around £185 million.

In September 2014, public consultations took place prior to the final planning application being submitted in May 2015 for the Bucksburn site and redevelopment of the AECC site at Bridge of Don. Construction began in July 2016, after a ground-breaking ceremony on 5 July and demolition of the old Rowett Institute buildings was completed by early 2017.

The planned spending total of the project was around £333 million and in July 2018, it was announced that the new venue would be named The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA). The official name was changed to P&J Live in May 2019, following a sponsorship deal with the venue’s operator SMG Europe and DC Thomson (owners of The Press and Journal and Evening Express).

Constructed by the Robertson Group, the main arena includes an exclusive 50 person capacity show deck, 16 private hospitality suites and a VIP lounge. The new building also contains seven conference spaces, three 2,000 sqm exhibition halls (each with a seated capacity of 1,700), eleven meeting rooms, 150-seat restaurant and a coffee shop. The development also comprises two on site hotels. The open day was held on 10 August 2019.

Events

The first event at the new arena was Offshore Europe from 3–6 September 2019. On 17 September 2019, it was announced that P&J Live would host the 2019 edition of BBC Sports Personality of the Year on 15 December. On 23 November 2019, Scottish singer Gerry Cinnamon performed a sold-out concert at the venue to a crowd of 15,000 people, making it the largest indoor concert ever held in Scotland.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue was used as a vaccination centre.

Entertainment

See also

• Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre

References

1. ^ "The Event Complex Aberdeen | Robertson". www.robertson.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
2. "Press Archive | Aberdeen City Council". www.aberdeencity.gov.uk.
3. "AECC in talks over new £20m arena to bring top stars to the city | Arts & Culture | Aberdeen | STV". Archived from the original on 18 April 2013.
4. "Plans for new £200m conference venue to replace Aberdeen's AECC". STV News.
5. "Hilton Aberdeen TECA". Hilton.
6. AECC.co.uk (31 October 2013). "New £200 million Venue for AECC Aberdeen Given Go-Ahead by City Council".
7. "AECC to be moved to a new site as part of redevelopment of venue". STV News.
8. "First peek at how new £185m AECC could look - Local / News / Evening Express". Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
9. ^ "Aberdeen's state-of-the-art event complex is opening this Summer!". P&J Live.
10. "Planning and Sustainable Development". Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
11. "Planning and Sustainable Development". Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
12. "Construction Work Begins On Aberdeen's New Exhibition & Conference Centre - Henry Boot Developments". Henry Boot Developments. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2017.
13. "STRATHCONA HOUSE". Donald Douglas. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
14. "New entertainment venue name revealed". BBC. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
15. Reporter. "REVEALED: Aberdeen's new £333 million event complex will officially be named P&J LIVE". Retrieved 15 June 2019.
16. "Aberdeen to host BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC Media Centre. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
17. Leckie, Samantha (1 August 2019). "Gerry Cinnamon's Aberdeen show set to be Scotland's biggest indoor arena gig as P&J Live tickets sell out". Retrieved 22 September 2020.
18. Proctor, David (13 February 2021). "Bus company to provide link to Aberdeen's Covid-19 vaccination centre". Evening Express. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

External links

• Official website

• Buildings and structures in Aberdeen
• Indoor arenas in Scotland
• Exhibition and conference centres in Scotland
• Event venues established in 2019
• 2019 establishments in Scotland