Full Circle: Forty Years of the SEC
The Building That Shaped My Life
As we continue to celebrate SEC40, we asked our Head of Marketing, Sean Murray, for his memories of the Scottish Event Campus as part of our SEC40 & Me series.
In 1985, 40 years ago, I went to my first gig. UB40 headlined, Simply Red supported, and Glasgow had a new kind of venue. The Scottish Exhibition Centre had just opened, all glass and ambition, a vision of what the city could become. I didn’t quite understand it then, but something was happening. Glasgow was becoming miles better.
I was born a short stroll from here, long before this stretch of the Clyde found its second life. I couldn’t have known that night that the building would go on to shape mine. That I’d spend most of my career here, meet my wife here, and one day watch my daughter come through the same doors to see her own heroes on stage.
My working life has been about helping to position Glasgow on the world stage, showing what we can do when we work together and back ourselves. From launching the OVO Hydro to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid and beyond, the SEC has been at the centre of many of the city’s proudest moments. Each one proves what is possible when Glasgow leans in with belief and a bit of style.
The SEC mirrors the city that built it: resilient, inventive and proud of its people. Every handshake at a conference, every roar from a crowd, every shared moment adds to Glasgow’s rhythm. It is part of the city’s heartbeat, powered by people and possibility.
I’ve seen icons perform here: Bowie, Whitney, Prince, George Michael. Irreplaceable artists who left their mark. But time moves on, and with it comes new voices and new energy. That reinvention keeps our industry alive, and it has been a privilege to see it up close.
I’ve also had the good fortune to work with an exceptional team at the SEC. Talented, grounded people who care deeply about what they do. One cog in a larger wheel that keeps this Campus and this city moving. From exhibitions and conferences to live entertainment, Glasgow has become a key player in the global events world, respected, capable and welcoming in equal measure.
I’m a bit of a hoarder, though what I’ve gathered isn’t things. It’s people, friendships, memories and moments. Forty years of them, woven into the life of a venue and a city that still inspires me.
As the SEC turns forty, I think back to that first gig and the quiet sense that something was beginning. Perhaps it was my own independence taking shape, or a city rediscovering its confidence. The years since have been full of change, progress and possibility. I feel proud of that evolution; of the skyline transformed, the people who make it live, and the part I’ve been able to play. The story of the SEC is the story of Glasgow: confident, generous and always moving forward. And the best part is that it still feels like the beginning.