This year The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham celebrated its 30th anniversary. ‘The Exhibitionists: 30 Years of The NEC’, on BBC ONE at 7pm on Wednesday 22nd November, goes behind the scenes of Europe’s busiest exhibition centre to see what makes it such a successful venue.
The Exhibitionists: 30 Years of The NEC is a special programme, made by Hotbed Media in Birmingham for the BBC, reflecting on the past, present and future of this culturally and commercially important landmark of the Midlands.
With 200,000 square metres of space, 21 inter-connected halls, around 160 exhibitions staged annually and more than three million people visiting each year, The NEC has been staging the biggest, the best and the most eclectic range of events, exhibitions and concerts for 30 years. These include Crufts, The Clothes Show Live and The BBC Good Food Show, alongside intriguing trade exhibitions like The Ice Cream Alliance Trade Fair..!
The programme follows key members of staff who work at The NEC as they play their part in the organisation and staging of three major events at the exhibition centre during a 24 hour period. Over the course of the programme, a fascinating insight is gained as to how staff from the venue, ranging from chefs to security guards, with contrasting skills and expertise, come together to ensure The NEC stages another top quality show.
Staff featured in the programme include Mike Dolphin, Event Security Manager, Sandra Williams, The NEC’s Event Manager and Paul Gould, Executive Head Chef for The NEC Group. Paul has worked at The NEC since the venue was first opened, 30 years ago, working his way up through the ranks to the position he holds today.
Paul originally thought he would be working for The NEC for a period of three months, but 30 years later he is still an integral part of the team. He began his career at The NEC Group in 1976 responsible for one restaurant at The NEC and has progressed over the years to his current position, catering for four major UK venues; The NEC, The NIA, The ICC and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
Paul’s role is unique to that of any other chef in the country. Working closely with The NEC Group catering director, Paul provides catering for a number of events in a number of locations, for a range of audiences. In any one day Paul can be responsible for preparing a banquet for 2000 people at The ICC, as well as a buffet in an exhibition hall for 1500, a fine dining experience for 500 people before a concert at The NIA or a two-course dinner for members of the public visiting the theatre.
To give an idea of how important The NEC is to Birmingham and the Midlands region as a whole, it has been estimated that during the week when the Horse of the Year show was in town, the impact for Birmingham and the surrounding areas in terms of trade was around £10 million pounds of extra business arriving into the area.
Paul Thandi, chief executive, NEC Group, said, "The Exhibitionists: 30 years of The NEC is a fitting way to end The NEC's anniversary celebrations. This is the first time The NEC or any UK exhibition venue has ever been featured on a BBC documentary in this way, and there is a real sense of excitement throughout the company in the run up to the broadcast on BBC ONE on November 22. It’s a unique opportunity for the people of the West Midlands to take a look behind the scenes of what happens here every day to deliver our fantastic shows and to realise what it takes to run the small town that is The NEC on a daily basis - the programme will clearly illustrate that our success really is down to one key factor and that is the amazing team we have working here."
With BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2006 coming live from The NEC this year, the first time the programme has ventured outside London, the future looks bright for one of Birmingham’s most recognisable landmarks.
The Exhibitionists: 30 Years of The NEC, broadcasts on BBC ONE at 7pm on Wednesday 22 November 2006.
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