Its construction started in 1979, based on the design documentation produced by the Institute of Architecture, Urbanism and Spatial Planning, at the University of Sarajevo.

The authors of the original, competition-winning design were Prof. Zivorad Jankovic, Prof. Branko Bulic and Eng.

[2] As of 2019, SPENS is operated by the state-owned company JP "Sportski i poslovni centar Vojvodina", which in addition to SPENS also has Sports Center Sajmište (Serbian: Спортски центар Сајмиште, romanized: Sportski centar Sajmište) under its umbrella.

[3] For this occasion, SPENS underwent major renovation that included improvements to building's technological capabilities, overhaul of its media center and addition of two video boards – one on each end of the main hall.

The first ever concert held at SPENS was of pop-rock band Sedmorica mladih, drawing a crowd of 5,000 people.