Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre
| Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre | |
|---|---|
|
Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre along Highway 5 | |
| Address |
Highway 5, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, BB11093, Barbados, West Indies |
| Coordinates | 13°06′14″N 59°34′59″W / 13.104°N 59.583°WCoordinates: 13°06′14″N 59°34′59″W / 13.104°N 59.583°W |
| Owner | Government of Barbados |
| Operator | Barbados Conference Services Ltd. (BCSL) |
| Opened | 1994 |
Former names | Sherbourne Conference Centre |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 164,000 sq ft (15,200 m2) |
| Website |
www |
The Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (formerly known as the Sherbourne Conference Centre) is a conference centre facility on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Owned by the Government of Barbados, and managed by the government agency Barbados Conference Services Limited (BCSL), the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre is just outside the capital city of Bridgetown, in St. Michael.
Facility
First opened in 1994, the building contains a total of over 164,000 sq ft (15,200 m2) [1] of meeting space and is made up of space which may be subdivided for smaller events of between 50-1200 persons (theatre style). The building is also serviced by one of the most advanced telecommunication services on the island including direct fibre optic cable access, a microwave receiving and transmitting link, a hospitality lounge with teleconferencing, internet access, audio and visual recording and editing suites, a business centre, and a multi-purpose outdoor gazebo. The Conference Centre is equipped with the latest technology in Building security.
When first constructed the building was considered too large by members of the HM Loyal Opposition and construction on back portion of the facility halted just after a change in government. Many Calypsonians sung about the side of the facility (which contained a planned performing arts centre) as being "unfinished" or stating the facility had its "backside exposed". After a change in government in 2008, the semi-completed ~15-year-old auditorium was torn down to make way for office space and a carpark instead. This action was much to the condemnation of the former Prime Minister that spearheaded it, Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford.[2]
Features
- Computer Workstations
- Offices for Secretarial Staff
- A Media Centre and fully equipped Simultaneous Interpretation Booths
- Postal, Banking and Travel Agency facilities
Events and event planning
The Barbados government also boasts having a bilateral taxation agreement with the United States where conference events held in Barbados are eligible for the Caribbean Basin Initiative-Convention Tourism Tax Credit. Applicable events held in Barbados can be treated as tax write-offs similar to when such events are held within the continental United States.[3]
Annual events
- Barbados Manufacturers' Exhibition (BMEX)[4]
- Caribbean Consumer Conference
- Home Show
Past major events
- The UN Global Conference on Sustainable Development for Small Island States
- The Caribbean Tourism Conference (CTC-20)
- The CARICOM Heads of Government Conference
- The US-CARICOM Summit between US President Bill Clinton and the CARICOM Heads of Government
- Organization of American States (OAS)
- The UN World Conference Against Racism - African and African Descendants World Conference Against Racism.
Awards
- 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 - The "Caribbean's Leading Conference Centre" - by the World Travel Awards[5]
Transportation
Due to its prime location near the ABC Highway the facility is roughly a fifteen-minute drive away from the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), and minutes away from the hotels on the south and west coasts. A number of public buses also serve the immediate area.
Naming
On 24 October 2008, the facility's original name of Sherbourne Conference Centre was changed to its present name in honour of Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, a former prime minister of Barbados.[6]
Notes
- ↑ "Barbados Conference Services Limited: Facilities". Barbados Conference Services Limited. October 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ↑ Carter, Gercine (14 November 2012). "Sir Lloyd vex". Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford is “very disappointed” that the performing arts centre he conceptualised for Sherbourne Conference Centre has been abandoned for a car park instead. And he charges that while “the Barbados Labour Party boarded it up, it was my own party that decided to knock that out of the plan altogether and to build office space and car park instead. “Could they not find anywhere else to put up car park?” Sir Lloyd asked.
- ↑ "CBI Convention Tourism Tax Credit". Guide To The Caribbean Basin Initiative. DIANE Publishing Company. May 1994. p. 6. ISBN 0-7881-1490-5. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ BMEX
- ↑ Staff writer (2009). "The Caribbean's Leading Conference Centre 2009". World Travel Awards. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- ↑ A., C. (24 October 2008). "Sherbourne gets new name tonight". Nation Newspaper. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
References
- Read, Peter (16 December 1999). "The Washington Times - Barbados Profile 1999 news feature". Advertising Department. The Washington Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- "Sherbourne – born into controversy". Nation Newspaper. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- "Tribute to Sir Lloyd". Nation Newspaper. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
- "Sherbourne Conference Centre scores a hat trick". Barbados Advocate. 26 January 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2010.