The ACC Liverpool Group is proud to mark the 10th anniversary of Exhibition Centre Liverpool, which opened in September 2015 as the latest addition to Liverpool’s world-class waterfront events campus.
Purpose-built and directly connected to M&S Bank Arena, ACC Liverpool – both of which opened in 2008 – and the four-star Pullman Hotel, Exhibition Centre Liverpool was conceived in response to growing demand for large-scale exhibitions, trade shows and consumer events. Its creation was a significant milestone that not only expanded the physical footprint of the campus but also signalled Liverpool’s success as an international destination for business and cultural events.
Since its opening, Exhibition Centre Liverpool has welcomed more than 2.2 million visitors, hosted more than 500 events and generated an estimated £320 million in economic impact for the Liverpool City Region. The venue has played host to iconic events including Comic Con Liverpool, FIFAe, Beyond Van Gogh and Monet, The Labour Party Conference, and served as the Eurovision Song Contest’s press and hospitality headquarters in 2023.
The venue’s excellence has been recognised throughout the industry, with Exhibition Centre Liverpool winning ‘Best Venue Under 8,000 sqm’ at the Exhibition News Awards for two consecutive years, and ‘Venue of the Year’ at the AEO Excellence Awards in 2023 and 2025.
This decade of success adds to the achievements of the wider campus, which since 2008 has staged approximately 4,500 events, attracted more than 8.3 million visitors, and contributed over £2.1 billion to the local economy. Together, these results underline Liverpool’s rise as one of the UK’s most dynamic event destinations.
The decision to expand with Exhibition Centre Liverpool was driven by the rapid growth and success of the arena and convention centre in their early years. Demand from organisers and clients had outgrown the existing facilities, and the new exhibition centre gave Liverpool the flexibility and scale to host larger and more complex events. Ten years on, the venue stands as proof of the city’s growth in the global events market and a symbol of its ambition to compete on an international stage.
Faye Dyer, Chief Executive of The ACC Liverpool Group, said: “When Exhibition Centre Liverpool opened in 2015, it was a bold statement about our city’s ambition. The arena and convention centre had already proven Liverpool’s ability to host major events, but demand was growing and the new exhibition space allowed us to scale up, diversify, and compete internationally. Ten years on, the results speak for themselves: millions of visitors, hundreds of events, and hundreds of millions in economic impact. It shows how far Liverpool has come, and how much further we can go.”
As Exhibition Centre Liverpool enters its second decade, The ACC Liverpool Group is looking to the future, with a focus on expanding Liverpool’s international reach, strengthening community impact and driving sustainability and innovation to ensure the campus remains competitive for decades to come.
Timeline: A Campus Transformed
2008 – Purpose built convention centre and arena open on the waterfront during the city’s Capital of Culture year, placing the city on the global map for major events.
2015 – Exhibition Centre Liverpool launches, completing the events campus and adding 8,100m² of purpose-built exhibition space.
2016 – Interconnected four-star Pullman Hotel opens, adding 216 bedrooms to the campus. Exhibition Centre Liverpool hosts its first major consumer exhibition, The Liverpool Wedding Show, and welcomes the Labour Party Conference.
2017 – Can You Dance? Super Convention, a major UK touring dance event, began regular shows and later signed a multi‑year extension.
2018 – Hosted the inaugural Comic Con Liverpool under Monopoly Events, which quickly expanded across multiple halls and from 2021 included adjacent ACC Liverpool.
2019 – Welcomed key trade exhibitions including RenewableUK, Allergy & Free From Show, Wound Expo, and the International Festival for Business.
2020 – Acted as a Covid test centre during the pandemic.
2021 – Hosted Indoor Funfair over 12 days with 60,000+ visitors, as well as Gin to My Tonic Show, FIT XPO, Outdoor Trade Show, Can You Dance?, Pulse Live, Foot & Ankle Show, Kidz to Adultz North, and North West Wedding Show.
2022 – Hosted a broad mix of consumer and trade events, welcoming 262,000 visitors and generating approximately £24 million in economic benefit.
2023 – The exhibition centre was transformed into the media hub and hospitality area for the Eurovision Song Contest.
2024 – Hosted biggest ever Comic Con Liverpool, taking over the full campus and welcoming over 40,000 fans.
2025 – The campus celebrates the 10th anniversary of Exhibition Centre Liverpool, having welcomed millions of visitors and generated billions for the economy.