SSE Hydro
The SSE Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor, energy company Scottish & Southern Energy subsidiary Scottish Hydro. The company then re-branded itself and its subsidiary companies as SSE, however the Hydro name was retained despite it no longer being a trading name. The arena was designed by the London-based architects Foster + Partners and officially opened on 30 September 2013, with a concert by Rod Stewart.
In 2016 the arena handled 751,487 ticket sales; making it the eighth-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales. It also hosted the UFC's first event in Scotland – an event which was impossible to hold in any other arena in the country.
Background
The new SSE Hydro arena is located adjacent to the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo and hosts international musical stars, global entertainment and sporting events; with a capacity of 14,300 and aims to attract one million visitors each year.| Venue | 2018 Ticket sales for concerts/shows |
| Madison Square Garden Arena, New York, USA | 1,155,480 |
| The Forum, Inglewood, USA | 1,119,313 |
| WiZink Center, Madrid, Spain | 1,118,706 |
| The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | 1,040,956 |
| AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France | 938,771 |
| Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, USA | 845,651 |
| Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | 822,155 |
| Barclays Center, Brooklyn, USA | 816,980 |
| Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, U.S. | 807,370 |
| Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia | 790,798 |
Construction
Planning for the SSE Hydro began some time in 2001 as the second redevelopment of the Queens Dock in Glasgow. By 2003, a plan had been unveiled for a £125,000,000 entertainment arena, holding 12,000 seated audience members and 1,000 standing. London-based architects Foster and Partners were appointed as the design team for the Hydro by 2004 with Glasgow-based Elphinsone additionally appointed as the preferred developer for the site. The design of the arena was finally released to the press by 2005, and the SECC gained full planning consent for the arena by 2006. Construction for the arena finally began in February 2011 by construction company Lend Lease. By November 2011, building work for the roof of the arena had begun, which was completed by April 2013. The arena's signature translucent outer cushions were installed in May 2013, along with the seating inside of the arena, marking construction of the arena completed, taking two years to complete.Fire
At approximately 15:20 on Sunday 8 June 2013, flames were reported to be coming from the domed roof of the partially completed building. 40 firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended the blaze. It was determined that the fire was caused by ongoing welding work on the building's roof. On 18 June, the venue's operator revealed that despite additional challenges, work on the venue was still on track for completion.Entertainment
Sports
On 14 December 2014 the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony was held at the venue. During the 2014 Commonwealth Games the SSE Hydro was home to the netball and gymnastic events. On 18 July 2015 the UFC held their inaugural Scottish event at the Hydro. From 23 October to 1 November 2015 the SSE Hydro hosted the Artistic gymnastics world championships.In 2016, the venue hosted a heavyweight boxing fight between Dillian Whyte and Ian Lewison. Later it has hosted four boxing fights headlined by Scottish light welterweight boxer Josh Taylor. It also hosted two rounds of the 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series.