Palexpo | |
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![]() Palexpo in March 2011 | |
Location | Geneva, Switzerland |
Coordinates | 46°14′06″N6°07′06″E / 46.2349°N 6.1182°E |
Operator | Palexpo SA |
Built | 1978–1981 |
Opened | December 18, 1981 |
Renovated | 2009 |
Expanded | 1987, 1995, 2003 |
Enclosed space | |
• Exhibit hall floor | 106,000 m2 (1,140,000 sq ft) |
Website | |
Official website |
Palexpo is a convention center in Geneva, Switzerland. The buildings are owned by the canton of Geneva while the company is a semi-private foundation. The center is located close to Geneva International Airport. There are seven halls, and 102,000 square metres of exhibition space. The Geneva International Motor Show is held at Palexpo. [1]
Palexpo is the successor to the old Palais des Expositions in the downtown Plainpalais district which was built in 1926 for the Geneva Motor Show. After the Second World War, other fairs were also organized there, such as the Salon des arts ménagers and, from 1971, Telecom.
The construction of the Palexpo began in 1978, and the four first halls with 58,000 m2 were inaugurated on 18 December 1981. The Palexpo was then expanded three times: in 1987 with Hall 5, in 1995 with a multi-purpose indoor arena connected to the 7th hall of the complex, and in 2003 with Hall 6 built above the A1 motorway. Under Halls 1 and 2 there is a congress center with a hall with 2,200 seats and seven smaller halls. Villa Sarasin, a 19th century mansion located right next to Hall 1, offers exclusive reception rooms and seminar rooms.
Until June 2008, almost all of the buildings were owned by the Fondation du Palais des Expositions, the public foundation that already managed the old Palais des Expositions in Plainpalais. The exception was the most recently built Hall 6, which was owned by the public law foundation Fondation pour la halle 6. Since 1957, the old Palais des Expositions and then the Palexpo were operated by the Orgexpo Foundation (Organization d'expositions). The two foundations were merged in June 2008 to form the public limited company Palexpo SA, which is majority owned by the Canton of Geneva. [2] Since 1 January 2009, Palexpo SA has also taken over the operation of Palexpo from the Orgexpo Foundation.
In early 2009, the Palexpo underwent a renovation project to enhance and improve the convention center's architecture, furnishings, and technology. During this renovation, the Palexpo Wi-Fi network was upgraded using Xirrus wi-fi arrays to provide wireless internet for all employees and guests.
Palexpo hosts a variety of convention and sporting events, including the 2014 Davis Cup semifinals between Switzerland and Italy. It is scheduled to host the final weekend of the 2028 European Men's Handball Championship in which Switzerland will act as co-host alongside Portugal and Spain.
In 2001, the European Automotive Hall of Fame opened and inducted its first class of 13 members. Permanent plaques of honor will be emplaced at Palexpo. This is a European analog to the Automotive Hall of Fame which is now located in Dearborn, Michigan, and which has been in operation since 1936.
In 2019, it hosted the third edition of the Laver Cup. [3]
Depeche Mode performed at the convention centre on November 10, 2009, during their Tour of the Universe.
In 2022, the FIRST Global Challenge was held in Geneva, Switzerland with the main venue and arena being Palexpo. It saw people from more than 190 countries in attendance and featured guests such as Dean Kamen, founder of the FIRST Robotics Competition, as well as musician Will.i.am.
In May 2024, the venue expressed interest in hosting the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, following Swiss representative Nemo's victory in 2024.
Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous of the French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and a centre for international diplomacy. Geneva hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world.
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The Geneva tramway network is a network of tramways forming the core element of the public transport system in Geneva, Switzerland. It is operated by Transports Publics Genevois (TPG), and is supplemented by the Geneva trolleybus system and the Geneva bus system.
Edmond Maximilien Berthout van Berchem commonly known as Max van Berchem, was a Swiss philologist, epigraphist and historian. Best known as the founder of Arabic epigraphy in the Western world, he was the mastermind of the Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum, an international collaboration among eminent scholars to collect and publish Arabic inscriptions from the Middle East.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Geneva:
On 9 November 1932, elements of the Swiss Army under Major Perret fired live rounds into a crowd of anti-fascist protesters in Plainpalais in Geneva, killing 13 and wounding 65.
Emma Kammacher was a Swiss human rights lawyer, activist and politician. She was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland and served as a member of the Grand Council of Geneva. In 1965 she became the first woman to serve as president of a Swiss cantonal council.
The 2019 Laver Cup was the third edition of the Laver Cup, a men's tennis tournament between teams from Europe and the rest of the world. It was held on indoor hard courts at the Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland from 20 until 22 September.
Gérald Ducimetière was a Swiss-born French artist. In 1994, he changed his name to John Aldus when he became a French national.
The 2028 European Men's Handball Championship bidding process entails the bids for the 2028 European Men's Handball Championship. The winners were Spain, Portugal and Switzerland.
Europe's greatest automotive innovators and empire builders have long needed a permanent place of honor.
Media related to Palexpo at Wikimedia Commons