10 of the best global convention centres

1. ExCeL London, United Kingdom Every year the venue hosts over 400 events, welcoming 40,000 exhibiting companies and over 4 million people from across the globe. The hosted events deliver £4.5 billion in economic impact to London. It has a waterfront location and offers views of the Royal Victoria Dock. It offers 100,000m2 of flexible event space. It is a multi-use events centre, the platinum suite is a self- contained conference centre spanning three levels with a number of meeting rooms, lounges, and a dedicated lobby area. The ICC Auditorium provides adaptable seating configurations to create event formats for up to 4,200 delegates, a banqueting hall (3,000 guests) and a multi-function conference suite (2,000 delegates). ExCeL London has seven on-site hotels, offering 1,400 rooms.2. Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE Purpose built to host events, the Dubai World Trade Centre offers flexible spaces to suit size and event type. Halls 1-8 and The Pavilion are interconnected spaces covering over 31,000 sqm and lend themselves to large shows. Sheikh Saeed Halls, The Plaza, Trade Centre Arena, Za’abeel Halls, Al Multaqua Ballroom, Sheikh Maktoum Hall and Sheikh Rashid Hall are further meeting spaces that cater for various sizes. The venue has played a key part in developing the region’s MICE industry. In 2023, it hosted 53,000 plus exhibiting companies with around 600 events per year, representing 193 countries with 2.4 million plus visitors. The centre opened in 1979 and today, Dubai is a gateway into fast-growing economies in the Middle East and Africa, as well as a preferred location for businesses from Europe and the West.3. Tokyo Big Sight, Japan This is the largest convention centre in Japan. It hosts 300 events per year, has 16 exhibition halls and 24 conference rooms. Located in Odaiba, it hosts annual and world-famous events including Comiket (Comic Market) and Tokyo International Anime Fair. Its architecture is an added interest, it boasts a 58-meter-high, eight storey conference tower, making it distinctive from other global convention centres. The sixth floor houses ten conference rooms of small to medium sizes while the seventh floor houses the 1000-seat International Conference Room as well as three smaller conference rooms. Floor eight houses five conference rooms. The East Exhibition Hall is 600 metres while the West Exhibition Hall consists of four internal halls surrounding a central two-tiered Atrium. Halls one and two occupy the first floor, and are each equipped with a single meeting room, two show offices and seven meeting rooms.4. Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Australia The ICC Sydney is Australia’s harbourside convention, exhibition, and entertainment venue. It offers 250,000 sqm of event space in Darling Harbour. It comprises three award-winning buildings, an exhibition space, and the ICC Sydney Theatre. There are over 70 meeting rooms, three theatres and two formal ballrooms. The ICC’s commitment to corporate social responsibility sees it contribute 3,000kg of food as well as a further 3,000kg of repurposed goods to charities that support people in need every year.5. McCormick Place, Chicago, USA This is the largest convention centre in North America. It has over 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space and is located on Chicago’s lakefront. In 2023 it hosted 3 million visitors. It stands on the shores of Lake Michigan. There are 173 meeting rooms, 600,000 square feet of meeting room space, 6 ballrooms, 2 of which are the largest in the city. There is assembly seating for 18,000 people too. The largest regular events are the Chicago Auto Show, the International Home and Housewares Show, the National Restaurant Association and the International Manufacturing Technology Show. The centre comprises four buildings, the North, South, West and Lakeside Centre which includes the Arie Crown Theatre.6. Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), China This is a prime venue for trade shows in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s the leading international exhibition venue in the heart of Shanghai and is the commercial hub and gateway of China. There are 17 exhibition halls totalling 200,000 sqm of column-free, ground- level space and outdoor exhibit space of more than 100,000 sqm (1 million square feet). There are 3 entrance halls of flexible space and 51 meeting rooms. There are also over 40 F&B outlets and restaurants. Over 100 exhibitions take place at SNIEC annually, attracting more than 4 million visitors.7. Paris Nord Villepinte, France This is the largest exhibition centre in France, it is located 15 minutes from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and 30 minutes from the centre of Paris and less than 3 hours from all European capitals. It has 200,000 sqm of green spaces and is an adaptable centre with 7 halls. Every year, the centre hosts 12 events with over 800 trade and consumer events and more than 10 million visitors. They will be providing four venues that make up the major hubs of the Paris 2024 Games.8. Scandinavian XPO Midway between Stockholm and Uppsala and Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the Scandinavian XPO. There are three large exhibition halls, a variety of flexible meetings spaces, named after Nordic animals and conference rooms. It’s suitable for hosting up to 8,400 guests. Hall 1 is the venue for all kinds of events with soundproof moveable walls that divide the hall into three, each approximately 550 sqm. Hall 2 sits between the two larger halls, 1 and 3 and is a more relaxed space of 530 sqm. Hall 3 is a rectangular floor space and is more easily customisable. With slightly lower ceilings than Hall 1, it’s most suitable for fairs and exhibitions. In the same building complex is a hotel, lounges, co-workers’ spaces, restaurants, a doctor’s office, and a golf studio. During 2021-2023, several large meetings took place at the venue, including the historic NATO-Industry Forum 2023.9. Kuala Lumpa Convention Centre This purpose-built facility for international, regional, and local conventions spans five levels and offers 22,659sqm of flexible function space. Level 3 features a foyer with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, offering views of the KLCC Park. This space is ideal for standing events including receptions and networking sessions. The auditorium has capacity for 2991 delegates. For international visitors there are a majority of attractions within a 5 to 10-minute walk.This is Asia’s first AIPC gold standard venue and hosts 28.6 million visitors per year. On its doorstep is Traders Hotel, which offers accommodation for conference visitors with 571 rooms. The hotel additionally offers private meeting facilities for small conferences.10. ICC Berlin, Germany The Internationales Congress Centrum (ICC) Berlin is one of Europe’s primary venues for international congresses. It is one of the largest conference centres in the world. It opened in 1979 and many say it is reminiscent of a spaceship with its more than 300-metre-long aluminium façade. The 8,000 chairs are equipped with interpretation equipment for up to eight languages. Slightly more than 20,000 participants can be accommodated at major events at the ICC. It has a total of 80 conference rooms, ranging from seven to 6,000 sqm each. Hall 2 can accommodate around 4000 visitors. It received many awards in the 1980s and 2000s, such as the World Travel Awards.

10 of the best global convention centres

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