Game on: Padel arena opens at Messukeskus Helsinki

The Messukeskus Helsinki, Expo and Convention Centre, in Finland, has opened an arena for the racquet sport padel. Messukeskus has been looking at alternative uses for its premises as the pandemic has affected its ability to host large business and public events. the sporting initiative helps plug the gap of a great shortage of padel courts in the Helsinki metropolitan area, as the popularity of the sport is growing. There are eight courts in the opening phase, and more are under construction. Project leader Ville Palola describes Messukeskus as a top-level game arena in terms of health safety, location and services. Padel Messukeskus is a full-service game arena with high-quality surfaces. The courts are open in Halls 4 and 5 at Messukeskus and are accessed from the venue’s parking lot side. Courts are booked and payed for through the Playtomic booking system. “Messukeskus is a very spacious and corona safe venue. The ceiling height reaches nine metres and the ventilation is dimensioned for large crowds. There is more than a hundred square metres of space per player, says Palola. “We apply strict hygiene practices and have precise instructions for corona safety. Recently, we safely organised the entrance exams of Laurea University of Applied Sciences for several thousand participants, and a corona vaccination point serving Helsinki will soon be opened on our premises,” adds Kristina von Konow, business director at Messukeskus.