Liverpool Echo Arena

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Echo Arena Liverpool
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Facility statistics
Location	Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool 16 Monarchs Quay Liverpool L3 4FP England
Opened	January 2008
Owner	Liverpool City Council
Architect	Wilkinson Eyre architect, Buro Happold engineers
Former names
ACC Liverpool
Tenants
None (concerts likely to be main use)
Seating capacity
10,600

Echo Arena Liverpool is the Arena half of ACC Liverpool situated on the Liverpool waterfront which opened January 25 2008.^[1] The BT Convention Centre is the other half of the complex and will open fully by April 2008.

The full ACC Liverpool building, designed by Wilkinson Eyre and Buro Happold, consists of two main elements either side of a central entrance: an arena and a convention centre. The arena has 7,513 permanent seats around three sides of a central floor suitable for indoor sports events. The capacity for end-stage or in-the-round concerts is 10,600 including floor seating. The convention centre will have a 3,725 square metre multipurpose hall on the ground floor, with a 1,350 capacity auditorium and eighteen break out rooms above. It can be possible to use the exhibition hall in conjunction with the arena, giving a total exhibition space of over 7,000 square metres.

The arena and convention centre complex will be capable of hosting a whole range of events including music concerts, conventions, sporting events, children's entertainment and more. It is believed that the long-term ambition of the city's only professional basketball team, the Everton Tigers, is to one day use the arena for home games. The Tigers, who were established in 2007, currently play at Greenbank Sports Academy.^[2]

A multi-storey car park has been built next to the arena.

It was announced on 31 October 2007 that Liverpool will be the host of the 2008 MTV European Music Awards to be held at the Echo Arena in November 2008.

On 4 January 2008, the arena held its first event for the Liverpool 08 Ambassadors, this event enabled the arena to gain its safety certificate. The Farm headlined the event, and were supported by local up and coming band Major Major plus 4Saken and SweetXX. The Echo Arena officially opened on 12 January 2008 with 'Liverpool - The Musical', which included Ringo Starr among the performers.

On 10 April 2008, the White & Mackay Premier League darts was held at the Echo arena, in what was stated teh greatest night of darts. Phil Taylor matched up against Raymond Van Barneveld on that night.

On 11 April 2008, WWE presented its annual RAW WrestleMania Revenge Tour at the Echo. This was the first time WWE had ever been in the city of Liverpool.