History
The AEC was established by the Government of South Australia in response to demand from the people of South Australia for a suitable venue for international and local popular entertainment. The 3,500 capacity Apollo Stadium, which had been Adelaide's primary venue for indoor attractions since 1969, was increasingly considered to be too small to meet this need. The AEC was built at a cost of $44 million, and was officially opened on 20 July 1991 by John Bannon, the then Premier of South Australia.
Before the AEC was built it was generally believed by the people of Adelaide that it would also be the new home of the Adelaide 36ers who played in the National Basketball League as they played their home games at Apollo and a move there when it opened seemed natural as ticket demand for the 36ers was more than twice what the old stadium could hold (this speculation was also fueled by the success the 36ers rivals Brisbane and Perth, as well as Sydney, who had moved all into their cities larger entertainment centres and were attracting record crowds). However, both Basketball SA and the 36ers wanted their own venue and thus the 8,000 seat Clipsal Powerhouse (now Adelaide Arena) was opened in 1992.
The South Australian Government assigned responsibility for the management of the AEC to the Grand Prix Board in 1989. In August 1998, the Government established the Adelaide Entertainments Corporation. The first Board of Directors for the AEC was formally appointed on 9 February 1999. The current Board consists of seven Directors.
In 2007, the Rann Government announced plans to renovate the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. The State Government released the statement: "The State Government is committed to the vision of creating a vibrant entertainment and media precinct on the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Site". On 6 August 2007, the renovation plans were passed and construction began on the $52 million upgrade. Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith said: "the upgrade comes on the back of a record-breaking last 12 months, with more than 370,000 passing through the centre's doors, and record profits recorded."
The renovation included: major upgrades of the foyer, backstage area and corporate facilities; creation of additional car parking; new staging and curtains; renovation of administration areas; and restoration of the heritage-listed Revelations Chapel for use as a wedding and function venue. 8000 new seats were also installed.
The centre not only holds music and cultural events, but hosts the occasional sporting event also.
On 7 November 2010, the centre played host to the ANZ Championship grand final between local team the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic team from New Zealand. The Thunderbirds won the grand final 52-42 in front of 9,300 fans. The Entertainment Centre was chosen over the Thunderbirds usual alternate venue, the Adelaide Arena, due to its ability to hold more spectators and because ticket demand was more than the Adelaide Arena's 7,800 capacity.
The centre also hosted the opening two games of the 2012 Holden Netball Quad-Series in a double header with Australia taking on England and New Zealand taking on South Africa.
Read more about this topic: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
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