Hungexpo Budapest expansion underway

Construction work to expand Hungexpo Budapest Congress and Exhibition Centre is underway, with the first week of October seeing the foundation stone laid. The Hungarian capital’s largest exhibition and event complex is getting a €170m refurbishment thanks to a project co-funded by the government and GL events. It is due for completion by 2021. As part of the expansion, two new exhibition halls, a new reception building, and a congress centre will be built. The foundation stone was laid by Budapest’s Deputy Mayor Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Hungexpo CEO Gábor Ganczer and the state’s representative, MD of Expo Park Ltd, Balázs Denhoffer. Hungexpo has long needed a makeover and Ganczer says: “From 2021 Budapest can benefit and play a well-deserved role in the field of large and mega size events, which was not possible before due to the lack of a proper size congress centre. With the current development, the capital will have the opportunity to host basically any size of international congress, conference or exhibition. New exhibition Hall D1 will be 5,700sqm and Hall D2 7,300sqm. All existing pavilions will also receive a refurbishment, with new flooring, and a facelift on the exterior. All eight of the exhibition halls, ranging from 5,000-20,000sqm and totalling 60,000sqm of space, will be interconnected with a covered passageway. A new congress centre will be over three levels and include a 2,000pax auditorium and two dozen smaller meeting rooms, plus a 2,300sqm rooftop terrace. The new building will be equipped with the recessed Gala seating system, allowing the venue to adapt to all kinds of event demands in a short period of time. The new AV system is also planned to be state of the art. The first major international event to enjoy the new renovated facilities will be the International Eucharistic Congress, scheduled for September 2020, which is set to host 15,000 delegates. Furthermore, in 2021, Hungexpo Budapest will host the World Hunting and Nature Expo. www.event.hungexpo.hu/en