It marks the completion of a two-year construction project, as well as the emblem of the vast modernisation project underway at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre. The inauguration of the Paris Convention Centre on 22 November marks the start of a new era for the venue managed by Viparis, an equal subsidiary of Unibail Rodamco and the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIP), and reinforces Paris' position in the global convention market.
Designed by Valode & Pistre, the new convention centre is housed on the third floor of a completely redesigned Hall 7.by respecting the original structure of this Brutalist megastructure while giving it transparency"explains architect Jean Pistre. Thus, enthroned at the end of the central aisle of Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the Paris Convention Centre is sheltered behind an undulating glass roof, while an atrium bathed in light welcomes visitors and rises to all floors.
With its plenary hall seating 5,200, making it the largest in Europe, as well as its 16 permanent meeting rooms - a number that can rise to 50 thanks to a subtle interplay of modular partitions running 1.2 km - the Paris Convention Centre offers a total surface area of 72,000 m², including 44,000 m² of exhibition space. All of this comes with the latest technologies, including high-quality sound thanks to intelligent speakers, perfect acoustics and ideal connectivity with 350 HD WiFi terminals enabling 30,000 simultaneous connections.
Yes, year in, year out, the French capital is in first or second place in the ICCA rankingsThe city still lacks a centre of this capacity. "As the international capital of congresses, Paris could only host the biggest eventsThe Paris Convention Centre is an ideal venue for conferences," explained Christophe Cuvillier, Chairman of the Management Board of Unibail Rodamco, on the occasion of the inauguration. With the Paris Convention Centre, the city will be able to bid for conferences with up to 35,000 participants. "The exhibition area can be extended to 100,000 m² by adding the neighbouring halls."says Michel Dessolain, Managing Director of Viparis. This should enable Paris to compete effectively with other major conference cities such as Vienna, Barcelona, Berlin and Milan.
Delivered on time - "a major gamble, given that the work was carried out without the park ceasing to operate"As Michel Dessolain points out, the PCC will be hosting its first rheumatology conference on 6 and 7 December, and is expecting three medical events in 2018, with between 8,000 and 22,000 visitors. Then it will be the turn of the European Cardiology Congress and its 33,000 participants in 2019. "We are aiming to organise 75 new events, and 15 conventions have already been signed."says Michel Dessolain. In addition, as major professional gatherings often take place at the same time, Paris will be able to host two congresses at the same time, taking advantage of the complementary nature of Paris Expo Porte de Versailles and the Porte Maillot Convention Centre, which is positioned for events of up to 10,000 people.
"Having an infrastructure such as the Paris Convention Centre in the heart of the city is a unique asset in the world.according to Jean-François Martins, deputy mayor of Paris. Its importance is staggering when you consider the economic weight of conferences in the Paris Region.". The spin-offs from the sector are currently estimated at €1.2 billion a year. "The total cost of modernising Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is 500 million euros, with totally private funding. But we know what we can expect in terms of spin-offs", comments Didier Kling.
The unveiling of the Paris Convention Centre marks the end of phase 1 of the transformation, which has already seen the completion of the north façade of pavilion 1, designed by architect Dominique Perrault. But phase 2 is already underway, with the demolition of pavilions 6 and 8 last summer. Other "starchitects" will be at work on the site, with the second phase involving the reconstruction of hall 6, which will feature a spectacular canopy designed by Jean Nouvel. For his part, Jean-Michel Wilmotte has been commissioned to design two Novotel and Mama Shelter hotels with rooftops, which will expand the hotel offering at Porte de Versailles. The restructuring of halls 2 and 3 will come in a third phase, and has been entrusted to another Pritzker Prize winner, Christian de Portzamparc.
The metamorphosis of the exhibition centre is also part of the drive to bring a real sense of neighbourhood to this part of the 15th arrondissement on the edge of the Paris ring road. "We want to turn what used to be an industrial estate into an exhibition centre in the "garden" sense of the word, a place where you can take a walk.It's a real challenge for us," explains Jean Pistre, whose firm is assisting Viparis with the step-by-step transformation of the site. As part of this, the park is planning to add sports trails and tennis courts. While the future roof of Pavilion 6 will be planted with a greenhouse dedicated to urban agriculture, the Paris Convention Centre is covered with 5,000 m² of gardens where conference participants can relax. With a little "plus" that no other city in the world can boast: an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower.
