EUROPE – France is building a new venue in the south-western city of Toulouse.
The Parc des Expositions de Toulouse will be a new 100,000sqm venue expected to open in 2015 and bring the city into the upper echelons of European exhibition and congress destinations.
The venue has been designed as a modular exhibition hall able to accommodate up to 12,000 people, 40,000sqm of additional halls, a 15,000sqm reception area, food and beverage areas, an outdoor space of more than 40,000sqm, a 500m walking mall long and parking for 4,500 visitors.
According to its spec sheet, the venue will also have the capacity to welcome 5,000 people for congress and 8,000 for live performances.
There are currently two conference centres in Toulouse, the Centre de Congrès Pierre Baudis offering 2,400sqm of exhibition space and Diagora, a 2,200sqm venue in the city’s industrial south-western corner.
A spokesman for Toulouse Convention Bureau told EW that while the majority of international events taking place in Toulouse were European, it received 120 requests for proposals from the American continent for congresses in 2011. This is partly responsible for the decision to build a major international venue and embark on a promotional campaign that includes attendance at tradeshows such as EIBTM Barcelona, IMEX Frankfurt and Las Vegas.
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