Prague Congress Centre: Design, Sustainability and Innovation under one roof

Are you planning a memorable event and seek combination of high-quality service, modern facilities, interior design, and a strategic location? The romantic city of Prague and its Prague Congress Centre is the ideal option. Its continuous innovation and sustainable operations make it an ideal choice for international congresses and conferences. In 2023, a record number of attendees of prestigious events visited the Prague Congress Centre, a place where history meets the future. Why not go with the trend? Prague is full of historical monuments, contemporary art, unique gastronomy and sustainable tourism. The capital of the Czech Republic was ranked sixth in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) international rankings for 2023, also maintaining its TOP5 ranking among European countries. Credit for this achievement is also due to the Prague Congress Centre, which won the fourth Czech Business Superbrands award in the Exhibition Grounds & Congress Venues category. The attractiveness of the Centre is underlined by its panoramic views of historic Prague, the neighbourhood of medieval Vyšehrad, its location right next to the metro and its own hotel, Holiday Inn Prague. The Prague Congress Centre welcomes more visitors every year – 230,000 people in 2023, roughly 30,000 more than in 2022. At the same time, revenues are growing by 15% year on year. In 2023, the Centre achieved record revenues of CZK 609.6 million. “The business results of the PCC, especially the increase in revenues from short-term rentals, testify to the return of the trend of face-to-face meetings, both for small corporate events and prestigious international conferences and congresses. Over the past two years, the number of scientific, medical and technological events has been increasing. Thanks to this, we surpassed pre-pandemic numbers already in 2022, which is unique worldwide,” comments Roman Sovják, Sales and Marketing Director of PCC. Returning profits to clients: investing in sustainability and the latest technologies

The prosperity of the PCC enables further investment in the development of the Centre. Organisers of conferences or cultural events can now use a frame projection screen measuring 19.5 x 8.1 metres, with a total height of 30 metres. The screen is not installed in a fixed position, so it can be placed at different stage depths in the largest Congress Hall. It also covers the entire space and therefore ensures 100% visibility of the image for all 2,766 viewers, even those seated in the balconies. In addition to the projection screen, the PCC also offers event organisers a variable LED wall consisting of 0.5 x 0.5 metre panels. The panels can be assembled into a total area of 150 square metres. The advantage of this lies in the variability of the content, which can be changed and combined to utilise the total screen area. It is possible to display an effective background for speakers, presentation content or any multimedia content tailored to the client’s needs. Beyond adopting the latest technologies that make every congress a premium experience, the PCC has undergone a major energy management transformation in recent years. The Centre in many ways exceeds the demands placed on it regarding the environment – from heating with waste heat from the kitchen, obtaining electricity from a rooftop solar power plant the size of a football pitch, minimising the use of disposable materials, to applying sustainable catering in the form of a one bowl system. “We also motivate visitors to be sustainable, for example, by encouraging them to use public transport, which, thanks to the support of the city, is free of charge for congress participants if specific conditions are met,” explains Lenka Žlebková, Managing Director of PCC. An iconic building visited by history and world figures The Centre’s brutalist building houses more than two hundred works of art by leading Czechoslovak artists. Visitors can immerse themselves in works from some of the world’s most important artists of their time, such as Stanislav Libenský, Jaroslava Brychtová and František Vízner, whose glass chandelier has been admired by such personalities as the Dalai Lama. He met the first President of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel, at the Prague Congress Centre. It was Havel who decided the democratic direction of the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 at the Centre with representatives of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Today, not only global celebrities from the world of show business meet here, but also political leaders such as the representatives of NATO and the European Union headed by Ursula von der Leyen. The convention lounges are where discussions took place about changes to the definition of the Solar System, when on 24 August 2006, astronomers in the Congress Hall excluded Pluto from the system of planets. Thanks to its interior design, the PCC is also often visited by advertising and film makers. The Swedish biographical sports film Borg/McEnroe (2017) by Janus Metz and the science fiction film Spaceman by Johan Renck (2024) starring Adam Sandler are worthy of mention. And it is thanks to their timeless design that some PCC lounges are also nicknamed. Due to its frequent use for making science fiction films, the Conference Hall is nicknamed the Star Trek room. Before the Velvet Revolution, the Centre hosted the first Elton John concert in Prague in 1984. Since then, it has also been the proud host to other musical greats such as The Beach Boys and Bob Dylan. The PCC continues to lend its space to culture today. Among the expected future cultural events is the famous musical The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose technological production demands the Centre, as one of only a few, is able to satisfy. Security, flexibility and strong technical know-how are not only the provisos of top politicians The Prague Congress Centre can satisfy all the space, capacity, technological and security requirements of event organisers. The biggest security challenge in the second half of 2022 was a series of meetings of the most important representatives of the European Union states during the Czech Republic’s EU presidency of the Council of the EU. “Hosting an event related to the Council meeting was both a great honour and a challenge. More than 2,400 prominent figures from European politics and economics walked through the Centre during 65 events. In addition to strict security requirements, we also had to deliver higher resolution, faster data transfer and more air to the interpreting booths. The strict requirements were a great test of our abilities and helped us move forward,” says Lenka Žlebková. The Centre also cooperated with the Czech Olympic Committee in 2024, when it was chosen as the location where Czech athletes should pick up their Olympic jerseys and clothing for the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. Since the Czechoslovak Olympic Academy was established 37 years ago in the premises of the PCC and athletes met there, this year’s return of the Olympic athletes to the Centre represented a symbolic return to their roots. The Prague Congress Centre also hosted the world’s largest meeting of road transport experts: 27. The World Road Congress moved to the Centre ahead of Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Mexico City and Paris. The candidacy of the host countries traditionally places very high demands on the destination. In this case, Prague won with twice the number of points over capital cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. The victory brought together more than 3,500 delegates from all over the world. Combining modern design with historical heritage In the near future, the Centre plans to revitalise the northern terrace, turning it into a space that will offer visitors, as well as residents of Prague, a suitable space for relaxation and sports: a new café, skate park and water features are planned, as well as a small retractable stage that will make it possible to organise smaller outdoor events. The modern space of the PCC is adjacent to the historically important location of medieval Vyšehrad, from which visitors are enchanted by the view of Prague Castle. The parks in Vyšehrad are a pleasant environment to run or picnic together under the treetops, in medieval settings. And if event attendees would like to get to know more romantic corners of Prague or enjoy its nightlife, they can get to the city centre within ten minutes thanks to the location of the PCC right next to the metro. Everything that happens in the PCC is expressed in the new visual identity that the Centre introduced at the beginning of 2024. “The Centre creates unique experiences, plants the seeds of scientific and professional cooperation, instils emotions, generates personal contacts and often results in friendships.  The Centre doesn’t just rent out space, but offers unique moments that matter. The Centre is where the action happens, it is the point at which, like the big bang, the unprecedented is born. That is why we placed a dot at the heart of our new identity. It is a symbol of the great potential that can be unlocked at the Centre,” concludes Roman Sovják.