NOVEMBER 2006

 


Bella Center Expansion Continues

On the same day Bella Center opened the doors for yet another international event in November, twenty completely new conference rooms was put to use for the first time. Bella Center has just invested over DKK 10 million in improving Copenhagen's ability to attract international convention events to the city.

Flexibility is the key word when attempting to attract international conventions - that is something Scandinavia's largest convention and exhibition centre, Bella Center, knows as well as anyone.

Even though Bella Center's Congress and Events department broke all records in 2005 with 39 large convention events - 21 of which were international - they are not simply resting on their laurels. Bella Center has just invested over DKK 10 million on an expansion of its convention facilities; the new semi-permanent conference rooms in the B halls opened in November.

In all, there are 20 flexible conference rooms that can be combined in size, with capacities ranging from 72-450 people. And no matter how the walls are set up, the rooms are sound-proof.

'With this expansion, we can continue to boast of being one of Europe's most flexible congress and convention centres. The increase in meeting capacity in rooms from 43 to 63 gives us the possibility of holding two simultaneous events with up to 2,500 participants,' said Managing Director Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

It is precisely convention events with up to 2,000 participants that comprise the largest share of the market - according to ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association), these events comprise 93.7% of the convention market.

The fact that Bella Center can now host two simultaneous convention events with up to 2,500 participants will make an impact on Copenhagen.

In 2005, no fewer than 386,000 convention attendees visited Bella Center, contributing over 189,500 overnight stays at hotels in the Copenhagen region.

Aside from the great publicity value for Copenhagen, the many conventions also made an economic impact - the thousands of international guests purchased goods and services for over DKK 100 million, creating many new jobs primarily within the service sector.

For more information, contact:

Managing Director Arne Bang Mikkelsen, Bella Center
Tel. (+45) 32 47 20 01 or (+45) 40 38 88 11