The new structure, built by the Fiera Milano Foundation with an investment of 64 million Euro and managed by Fiera Milano Congressi, will inaugurate its activity with a medical-scientific event of international importance, to be held 7th-10th May, and for which about 9 thousand delegates are expected – the 21st international congress of ESCMID – European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the 27th of ISC – International Society of Chemotherapy.
At this first important event there will, of course, be an official inauguration, with a visit of Mayor Letizia Moratti scheduled for the morning of Sunday 8th. The name and logo of the congress centre will also be announced, following an innovative online competition for ideas from creative young people over 13 years of age.
The “operative” presentation, to principal organisers of international congresses, will be held on 20th May, with a B2B event that will bring to Milan sector operators from Europe (Germany, Spain, France, Benelux, England, Switzerland and Scandinavia), Russia, USA, Canada, South Africa, China and India.
This new congress centre places Milan firmly in the exclusive circle of the most prestigious congress destinations in Europe.
And it allows Fiera Milano Congressi, which runs the business, to compete on equal terms with its most formidable competitors in the valuable market of big international conventions. This is largest congress location in Europe, as well as being also the first privately-funded work already in place for Expo 2015: seating for up to 18,000 people, a 1500-seat auditorium, a meeting space with 4500 seats, 64 modular meeting rooms from 20 to 2000 seats, backed up by 54,000 square meters of exhibition area.
All with maximum attention to comfort, supported by congress services of absolute excellence and with an amazing functionality and flexibility of the spaces.
The project, by architects Mario Bellini, for the exterior and Pierluigi Nicolin for the interior, repurposes for congresses some exhibition space downtown no longer used by Fiera Milano, integrating it with the already existing Milano Convention Center (MIC), which was already the largest congress centre in Italy.
Special attention has been paid to harmonious insertion of the complex into the surrounding urban context, part of a huge reconversion area, as well as to energy sustainability and to the excellence of its highly original and strongly moving architecture: a stunning roof of 15 thousand square metres – named the “Comet” – covers and unites the various buildings below.
As for the interior, the meeting rooms will be flexible, fitted out with the latest technology and with unified design. Detailed study has gone into the complex’s lighting and the Auditorium’s acoustics. The latter has fixed seating, while seats in the large meeting room can be removed if wished, in order to obtain one single space.
The centre completes Fiera Milano Congressi’s offer, which comprises the Stella Polare congress centre in Fiera Milano’s exhibition area in Rho, Villa Erba on Lake Como and the MoMeC – Montecitorio Meeting Centre – in the heart of Rome.
“The decision to triplicate the MIC”, explains Francesco Conci, executive director of Fiera Milano Congressi, “came in response to market requirements. There are international conferences of more than 10,000 delegates taking place, for which we are now – with the new complex – able to compete. And the extension project has immediately been successful, as we already have international events booked in the new centre up until 2017, for between 5 and 20 thousand delegates. In effect, we thought immediately of international congresses with large numbers, but we have also had strong interest from the corporate sector, which likes its design and the high standard of technology available.”
“This important structure”, says Enrico Pazzali, CEO of Fiera Milano Spa, which controls Fiera Milano Congressi, “is destined to power Milan’s growth and consolidate our city’s international prestige and centrality – thereby that of Italy – on the global market for large conventions, first and foremost, for medical-scientific ones. The new congress structure also completes Fiera Milano’s exhibition offer – we now run one of the largest and most strategic trade fair locations in the world.”
