With the expansion of its facilities, the Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre has consolidated its position in the business tourism market, becoming one of the most competitive centres in Spain as regards the hosting of major cultural productions.
The Seville Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES) has entered a new expansion phase with the enlargement of its existing facilities. Characterised by its spacious, luminous and flexible facilities, the new building is all set to become a social meeting point.
This emblematic building, planned and developed by the architect Guillermo Vazquez Consuegra, has three main features: a 3,000sqm covered footbridge linking the existing building with the new one; an all-purpose building with a catering area of more than 2,000sqm, a 2,500sqm exhibition area, and a registration area of about 700sqm; and an auditorium holding up to 3,557 persons, including a 670sqm stage with a 23m front, opening up a wide range of possibilities not only for conferences and congresses, but also for large-scale musical productions and shows.
A special feature of this new building, making it one of the most competitive centres in the national meetings and event market, is the number of breakout rooms available. The covered footbridge incorporates a total of 13 breakout rooms and two all-purpose function rooms, in addition to indoor and outdoor exhibition areas. The all-purpose building houses 20 flexible function rooms, all equipped with new technologies and a mobile panel system, thus increasing their versatility and offering clients a full range of options, in addition to four offices, a left luggage office, an information and registration area, a lobby, an exhibition area, etc.
The main feature of FIBES' enlargement project is the superb auditorium, the largest roofed building in Spain and one of the largest in Europe, allowing Seville to continue to host major conferences and conventions, as well as shows and cultural productions.
The auditorium has a central arena with 1,950 seats, in addition to side stalls and balconies, covering a full range of setups: 390, 453, 843, 1,950 and 3,557 (maximum capacity), as well as the possibility of holding several events simultaneously by means of a mobile panel system. All three levels are equipped with translation booths, cafeteria, cloakroom, three VIP rooms, press room, TV room, videoconference room, rehearsal room and dressing rooms. The auditorium is not only perfectly equipped for conferences, conventions and meetings, but also for major cultural productions, such as concerts, musicals, plays, recitals, galas, shows, opera, ballet, etc.
New conference centre increases FIBES' competitiveness
Another noteworthy feature of the new building is its patio, with a surface area of over 6,000sqm, which, thanks to Seville's excellent climate, makes for an unrivalled, designer venue for outdoor events.
Its profile and design making it a landmark in Seville, the new auditorium stands out for its sustainability and energy efficiency. In this regard, the aim has been to implement a number of measures which can be summarized as follows:
- Use of two solar energy systems, one for SHW by means of low-temperature solar collectors, and a PV system, generating energy via solar collectors. Both systems reduce the building's energy needs produced by conventional sources, thus contributing to its sustainability. Connected to the power grid, the system's 4,000 odd PV modules are expected to generate in the region of 1,400 MWh/year, which will prevent the emission of 520 tons of CO2 per year.
- Planning of green areas.
- The choice of appropriate orientations and isolation systems, taking into account natural light in the design of the building.
- Re-use of natural resources: water, light, air, etc.
- Natural ventilation replaces, in some cases, mechanically controlled ventilation (as is the case of the underground car park), hence cutting down energy consumption.
FIBES' new facilities will undoubtedly help Seville to consolidate its position in the global meetings and event market and become one of the most competitive international destinations for world-class events.
