Exhibition & Congress Centre

EXHIBITION AND CONGRESS CENTRE

Oviedo has had an Exhibition and Congress Centre (PEC) since 2011. It was built in Buenavista based on a project by the architect Santiago Calatrava, Prince of Asturias Prize for the Arts 1999. The Conference Centre has been run by the municipality since 2014. It is a spectacular 15,640 square metre white building made of concrete, steel and glass in the shape of a shell, with the characteristic giant ribs that are typical of this architect and that can be accessed via a glazed surface.

Inside, the lobby provides 2,750 square metres of open plan space and tall ceilings to install stands. The floor features embedded electrical panels every two metres. It is also suitable for catering services, for which the Centre has a support kitchen.

At the back of the lobby is the “Sala de Cristal” (Glass Room), with capacity for 300 people in terraced seats and with audiovisual equipment. Its name comes from its characteristic curved panelled glass wall that can be opened or closed, together with a curtain that changes the lighting and sound conditions of the room.

The Main Hall of the Convention Centre, accessed from the sides of the lobby, has a capacity of 2,152 people, with the possibility of reducing the seating area to 1,050 seats and hiding the entire upper half of the hall. It is also possible to limit the area available to the central section. Among the main technical resources of this Hall is the giant LED screen and the very high image quality to ensure that the clarity of the projection does not change due to the input of natural light, as the room cannot be darkened.

Visita virtual al Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos Ciudad de Oviedo (pinche en la foto)

White or coloured

The striking architecture of the Congress Centre and its Main Hall is further enhanced by the whiteness of the whole facility, a typical feature of buildings designed by Santiago Calatrava, highlighting any temporary installation, element or posters that an event requires. However, the Exhibition Centre also has a lighting system known as “Spectacular”, which is much appreciated by conventions organisers as it can illuminate the entire space in the necessary corporate colours on demand. This lighting system can provide fixed colours, various combinations or rotations.

An administrative, commercial and hotel complex

The Palacio de Expositions y Congresos (PEC) is located in Buenavista, in the heart of the city, which makes it easy for guests and participants to reach the venue on foot from local hotels, which is good for a congress, as it saves money on transport, and for the city, as hotels, cafés and restaurants will benefit. The Conference Centre belongs to a complex that includes administrative buildings of the Principality of Asturias, a shopping centre and a hotel, as well as an underground car park for 1,800 vehicles. The Llamaquique train station is also nearby.

Up to 14 simultaneous events

The Palacio de Expositions y Congresos (PEC) allows Oviedo to attract congresses with large numbers of attendees and those that need large, designer stands. It also makes it possible to adapt to new formats of professional meetings.

The Centre can easily cater to any specialisation and the need to include a wide range of topics in conference programmes, while the participants try to shorten the time they spend at face-to-face meetings.

This is because the building allows for up to 14 simultaneous events as it has up to 12 conference halls available in addition to those mentioned above.

These conference hall, each with a capacity of between 80 and 99 participants on terraced seating, are distributed in two similar wings; the east wing and the west wing, along corridors on the first floor of the Centre. Each wing has 6 halls per corridor, of which 4 can be merged:

East Wing: Halls 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6: 3+4+5+6 can be merged. Halls 1 and 2 are independent.
West Wing: Halls 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12: 9+10+11+12 can be merged. Rooms 7 and 8 are independent.

The Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos (Exhibition and Congress Centre) also provides the organisers of events with other spaces, such as a Technical Secretariat, VIP Room, Board Room, Kitchen, Warehouse and First Aid.

The Centre has free WIFI and a defibrillator (SAED).

Information