G-Mex
Encyclopedia
Manchester Central, formerly known as the GMEX centre and Manchester International Conference Centre (MICC), is an exhibition and conference centre built in and around the former Manchester Central railway station
in Manchester, North West England
. The building was granted Grade I listed building status in 1963, but has since been downgraded to Grade II* status.
express trains to London St Pancras
. The station's large arched roof – a huge wrought-iron single-span arched roof, spanning 210 feet (64 m), 550 feet (168 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) high – was a noted piece of railway engineering and is said to be the widest unsupported iron arch in Britain after London St. Pancras. The former train shed now provides a large multi-purpose exhibition space.
commenced to convert the former railway station into an exhibition centre, and the G-Mex opened in 1986. G-Mex stood for the "Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre".
In 2001 the Manchester International Convention Centre (MICC) was added to the complex, with an 804-seat auditorium plus breakout rooms and Great Northern Hall. During 2005 the company running the G-MEX and MICC was bought by Manchester City Council.
In January 2007 the venue was rebranded as Manchester Central, evoking the memory of the former Manchester Central railway station.
The building is currently undergoing redevelopment. The early-Eighties smoked glass
front foyer has been demolished and is being replaced with an extended glass structure to house a restaurant. An additional entrance foyer and corporate hospitality suites are being constructed on the north side of the building.
Festival Of The Tenth Summer
in July 1986 celebrating the 10th anniversary of Punk (appearances of The Smiths
and New Order
) and Manchester's own James
in a 1990 performance. In June 1992 Irish band U2
played the final indoor show of their elaborate Zoo TV Tour
at the G-MEX Centre. The concert also doubled as an event to close down the Sellafield
Nuclear Plant. G-MEX had a seating capacity
for 9,500 people for end stage concerts. However it was expandable up to 12,500 for standing events. The G-MEX centre stopped hosting concerts in 1997 (the last one being performed by Oasis
in December 1997), due to the popularity and size of the nearby MEN Arena which is Europe's biggest indoor concert venue. After a nine-year break, the venue began to be used as a concert venue in December 2006 with two shows by Snow Patrol
, followed by two homecoming shows by Morrissey
and the Verve. Marilyn Manson
, Manic Street Preachers
, Arctic Monkeys
, Bloc Party
and Hard-Fi
also held gigs there in December 2007. The venue continues to hold occasional concerts, including a recent gig by Placebo
in December 2009, as well as five forthcoming gigs by Arcade Fire, Biffy Clyro
, 30 Seconds To Mars
, The Taste of Chaos
Tour 2010, deadmau5
, Pendulum
respectively in December 2010 and The Eighth Plague Tour
.
The G-Mex was also the venue for gymnastics, weightlifting
, judo
and wrestling
during the 2002 Commonwealth Games
. In September 2006 it was used by the Labour Party
for their Annual Conference, moving away from the traditional seaside venue of Blackpool
, Bournemouth
or Brighton
. In addition to the Labour Party, this venue has hosted such prestigious clients as the CBI
, Ecofin, Lib Dem
Party and, in April 2006, the Conservative Party
. The centre has also hosted the 2008 and 2010 Labour Party Conferences and the 2009 Conservative Party Conference, with October 2011 set for it to host another Conservative Party Conference.
tram services which stop at the nearby Deansgate-Castlefield station (formerly called Gmex but renamed in September 2010)http://rail-news.com/2010/08/20/name-change-for-manchesters-gmex-metrolink-stop/rail-news and by National Rail
local train services from Deansgate railway station
. St Peter's Square Metrolink station is also a short distance away.
Manchester Central railway station
Manchester Central railway station is a former railway station in Manchester City Centre, England. One of Manchester's main railway terminals between 1880 and 1969, it now houses an exhibition and conference centre named Manchester Central.-History:...
in Manchester, North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. The building was granted Grade I listed building status in 1963, but has since been downgraded to Grade II* status.
Manchester Central railway station
The complex started life as Manchester Central railway station, one of the city's main railway terminals. It was built between 1875–80 and closed to passengers on 5 May 1969. The station served as the terminus for Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
express trains to London St Pancras
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
. The station's large arched roof – a huge wrought-iron single-span arched roof, spanning 210 feet (64 m), 550 feet (168 m) long and 90 feet (27 m) high – was a noted piece of railway engineering and is said to be the widest unsupported iron arch in Britain after London St. Pancras. The former train shed now provides a large multi-purpose exhibition space.
The G-Mex Centre
In 1982 construction work undertaken by Alfred McAlpineAlfred McAlpine
Alfred McAlpine plc was a British construction firm headquartered in London. It was a major road builder, and constructed over 10% of Britain's motorways, including the M6 Toll...
commenced to convert the former railway station into an exhibition centre, and the G-Mex opened in 1986. G-Mex stood for the "Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre".
In 2001 the Manchester International Convention Centre (MICC) was added to the complex, with an 804-seat auditorium plus breakout rooms and Great Northern Hall. During 2005 the company running the G-MEX and MICC was bought by Manchester City Council.
In January 2007 the venue was rebranded as Manchester Central, evoking the memory of the former Manchester Central railway station.
The building is currently undergoing redevelopment. The early-Eighties smoked glass
Smoked glass
The term smoked glass refers to two different types of glass. It can be either of the following: Smoked glass is a flat sheet of glass held in the smoke of a candle flame such that one surface of the sheet of glass is covered in a layer of smoke residue...
front foyer has been demolished and is being replaced with an extended glass structure to house a restaurant. An additional entrance foyer and corporate hospitality suites are being constructed on the north side of the building.
Notable events
The G-MEX Centre used to host high profile rock concerts, e.g. Factory RecordsFactory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
Festival Of The Tenth Summer
Festival of the Tenth Summer
The Festival of the Tenth Summer was a music and art festival that took place in Manchester in July 1986. The festival was organised by Factory Records to 'celebrate Manchester' specifically with reference to the first performance by the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 4...
in July 1986 celebrating the 10th anniversary of Punk (appearances of The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
) and Manchester's own James
James (band)
James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...
in a 1990 performance. In June 1992 Irish band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
played the final indoor show of their elaborate Zoo TV Tour
Zoo TV Tour
The Zoo TV Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of their 1991 album Achtung Baby, the tour visited arenas and stadiums from 1992 through 1993...
at the G-MEX Centre. The concert also doubled as an event to close down the Sellafield
Sellafield
Sellafield is a nuclear reprocessing site, close to the village of Seascale on the coast of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, England. The site is served by Sellafield railway station. Sellafield is an off-shoot from the original nuclear reactor site at Windscale which is currently undergoing...
Nuclear Plant. G-MEX had a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
for 9,500 people for end stage concerts. However it was expandable up to 12,500 for standing events. The G-MEX centre stopped hosting concerts in 1997 (the last one being performed by Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
in December 1997), due to the popularity and size of the nearby MEN Arena which is Europe's biggest indoor concert venue. After a nine-year break, the venue began to be used as a concert venue in December 2006 with two shows by Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
, followed by two homecoming shows by Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
and the Verve. Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson (band)
Marilyn Manson is an American metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Formed in 1989 by Brian Warner and Scott Putesky, the group was originally named Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids with their uniquely theatrical performances gathering a local cult following in the early '90s. This attention...
, Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
, Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
, Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
and Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
also held gigs there in December 2007. The venue continues to hold occasional concerts, including a recent gig by Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
in December 2009, as well as five forthcoming gigs by Arcade Fire, Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
, 30 Seconds To Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, The Taste of Chaos
Taste of Chaos
Taste of Chaos is a hardcore tour that was started in the winter of 2005 by Kevin Lyman, the creator of the successful Warped Tour along with friend and business partner, John Reese. The Taste Of Chaos tour caters for fans of the post-hardcore, screamo, and metal genres, while offering the same...
Tour 2010, deadmau5
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman , better known by his stage name deadmau5 , is a Canadian progressive, electro, and house producer based in Toronto...
, Pendulum
Pendulum (band)
Pendulum is an Australian drum and bass and electronic rock band founded in 2002 in Perth by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen, and Paul Harding.Swire and McGrillen were members of the rock band known as Xygen. After hearing Konflict's "Messiah" at a club, they were inspired to enter into the drum and...
respectively in December 2010 and The Eighth Plague Tour
The Eighth Plague Tour
The Eighth Plague Tour is a current concert tour by American Heavy Metal band Machine Head.Support will come from the bands Bring Me the Horizon, Devildriver and Darkest Hour. Robb Flynn made a statement saying that: "This will no doubt be the heaviest show you're going to see this year...
.
The G-Mex was also the venue for gymnastics, weightlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
, judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
and wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
during the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
. In September 2006 it was used by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
for their Annual Conference, moving away from the traditional seaside venue of Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
or Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. In addition to the Labour Party, this venue has hosted such prestigious clients as the CBI
Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
, Ecofin, Lib Dem
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Party and, in April 2006, the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. The centre has also hosted the 2008 and 2010 Labour Party Conferences and the 2009 Conservative Party Conference, with October 2011 set for it to host another Conservative Party Conference.
Transport
The centre is served by MetrolinkManchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
tram services which stop at the nearby Deansgate-Castlefield station (formerly called Gmex but renamed in September 2010)http://rail-news.com/2010/08/20/name-change-for-manchesters-gmex-metrolink-stop/rail-news and by National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
local train services from Deansgate railway station
Deansgate railway station
Deansgate is a railway station in Manchester city centre, England. It is situated approximately west of Manchester Piccadilly in the Castlefield area, at the junction of Deansgate and Whitworth Street West....
. St Peter's Square Metrolink station is also a short distance away.
See also
- The Great Northern WarehouseThe Great Northern WarehouseThe Great Northern Warehouse is a former railway goods warehouse building of the Great Northern Railway, which has been redeveloped as a car park and leisure complex. The building is located at the junction of Deansgate and Peter Street in Manchester city centre, England...
– Neighbouring leisure complex that is also a former railway building - Manchester Conference CentreManchester Conference CentreThe Manchester Conference Centre is a conference centre in Manchester, England that is owned and managed by the Opal Property Group. It has several locations, distributed over the campus of Manchester University...
– also known as MCC
External links
- Manchester Central
- Manchester Conferences – The official tourism venue finder of Greater Manchester.