Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre Two Mile Hill St. Michael
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 and 1200 persons (theatre style).
When first constructed the building was considered too large by members of the 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".[2] 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.[3]
Annual events
Laff It Off Productions
Caribbean Consumer Conference
KLOTH Pop Up Event
Past major events
The UN Global Conference on Sustainable Development for Small Island States
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 - The "Caribbean's Leading Conference Centre" - by the World Travel Awards[4]
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.[5]
^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.
