The Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) presented details about its project to upgrade and expand the city's exhibition centre (Fiera di Vicenza), Vicenza, 16 May.
The Hall 2 project, which will involve an investment of €35m (US$41.4m), was originally outlined in the Industrial Plan approved last December by the IEG SpA board of directors.
The programming and timing of this latest investment comes on the eve of another decisive step forward in IEG's development, in the group establishment of the team of advisors, preceding the company’s anticipated public listing on the Italian Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana.
Designed by architect Volkwin Marg, a partner at the GMP Von Gerkan, Mark & Partners Studio in Hamburg, it will cover a total surface area of 26,000sqm.
IEG and the German architectural studio have created a number of landmark structures, such as the new Rimini Expo Centre, which opened in 2001, and Rimini's new Palacongressi Conference Building, inaugurated in 2011.
The Rimini Expo Centre was the German studio's first important undertaking in Italy. GMP is renowned for projects that include: the Leipzig expo centre; the Pavilion of Christian Religions at the Expo 2000 in Hanover; the reconstruction and roofing of the Olympic Stadium; and the design of the Central Railway Station, both in Berlin.
The aim of the Hall 2 project is to develop a new exhibition area as well as to streamline and modernise the spaces, pathways and accessory services throughout the Vicenza exhibition centre.
The reconstructed Hall 2, which will be built on two levels instead of the current five, will be equipped with functional and sustainable technologies that will allow IEG expand its current portfolio by hosting various types of events.
The project will place particular attention on meeting the needs and development of shows linked to the gold and jewellery industry.
IEG’s on-going policy of upgrading and developing both the event spaces and associated services at its trade show and congress facilities is considered a critical factor in supporting the growth of the shows it hosts and organises.
GMP's Hall 2 design flows in harmony with this principle, showing careful attention to its environmental impact and functional sustainability.
The Hall 2 upgrade at the Vicenza exhibition centre follows a massive investment in the facility, which resulted in the opening of the new Hall 7 in 2015. The development was undertaken to serve the growing needs of the jewellery sector as well as those of other sectors served by IEG, and played a key role in the strengthening of the company and Vicenza’s position in the trade show market.
