The Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), ( ) is a

convention center A convention center (American and British English spelling differences, American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a Convention (meeting), convention, where individuals and groups ...

located in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Built between 1970 and 1973, the convention centre was a gift from the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in memory of Solomon Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike,

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

(1956–1959). The construction of the hall was carried out by a joint Sri Lankan and Chinese workforce with a considerable portion of the building materials being imported from China. In 1998 a small Exhibition Centre, the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre, was built on the grounds as a gift from China.

Management

The day-to-day operations of the BMICH is overseen by its director, who is appointed by the board of management of the S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation (BNMF), which was established by the S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation Act No. 2 of 1975. By law, at its formation BNMF is exempted from all tax and duties of the Government of Sri Lanka and the local government.

Board of management

The board of management of the BNMF maintains the BMICH complex. Its board is specified by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation Act and includes the ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' members the

President of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...

as the chairperson, the Leader of the Opposition of Sri Lanka, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Auditor General of Sri Lanka. Non ex officio members included Sirima Bandaranaike during her lifetime (if not holding an ex officio member) and thereafter, the eldest surviving descendant of S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike willing and able to serve; and two distinguished persons in the fields of foreign affairs, law, education or the arts; nominated by Sirima Bandaranaike during her lifetime, and thereafter, by the Bandaranaike descendant.

Facilities

The building has over of floorspace, and is located in the Cinnamon Gardens area of

. An up-to-date library with volumes of literature on almost all subjects is available for the use of research for delegates visiting the BMICH. To facilitate with banking needs, a bank is located near the main hall. Due to the high-profile events taking place within the venue the Sri Lanka Police maintains a permanent detachment and the Mount Lavinia Hotel has a restaurant. The Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre has floor area covering . The building consists of two exhibition halls, lobby, dining room, lounge, kitchen and other VIP amenities.

Bandaranaike Museum

Located in a area within the main hall of the BMICH complex, is the Bandaranaike Museum containing personal artifacts of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Sirima Bandaranaike. Originally commissioned in 1973 following the completion of the BMICH, it was expanded in 2005 to include artifacts of Sirima Bandaranaike, who died in 2000.

Events

Several high-profile events and exhibitions have been held in the venue, including the Non-Aligned Movement Summit 16–19 August 1976, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013. It is host to the annual EDEX Expo. It has become a popular venue for

convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...

s ceremonies.

Local Events

There have been some local events and exhibitions held in Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre (SBMEC) such as *BMICH Life Style Shopping Expo (April and December) * Colombo International Book Fair *Colombo Shopping Festival *Medicare *Wedding Show *Bridal show *Home & You *Pro Food *Facets Gem *Colombo Motor show *Build SL (Housing & construction expo) *Kedella (Architectural and furniture) *Architect

Organisations

Found within the large grounds are several government and private organisations. These include: * Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute *Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) *Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership & Public Policy (BALPP) * LankaCert - Computer Emergency Response Team of the Sri Lankan Government * National Police Commission
Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Security Ltd.

External links

Official Website

* ttp://www.bcis.edu.lk Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS)br>Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership & Public Policy (BALPP)

References

{{Reflist Convention centres in Sri Lanka Cultural buildings in Colombo Government buildings in Sri Lanka