Scandinavia's largest exhibition and convention centre

Not long ago, Scandinavia's largest exhibition and conference centre was located in the middle of an open field. Nobody was in doubt about how to get there, because Bella Center could be seen from afar.

This certainly is not the case anymore. Copenhagen's new borough is now a reality. Just a few minutes from Copenhagen's historic centre, a modern counterpart is developing at record speed. Located in the middle of the Oresund region, the 310 hectare Ørestad is shooting up with a world class standard of urban planning and architecture.

Bella Center is located in "Downtown Scandinavia", functioning as an integrated part of an area that is being created by the people and companies moving in right now. All of these parties share a drive and courage to make their mark on a neighbourhood with room for big ambitions. 

The giant of Amager
Bella Center's more than 40 year history has been a true Danish success story marked by development and growth. From an exhibition centre that opened in 1965 in the Bellahøj neighbourhood of Copenhagen, Bella Center is now a multifunctional centre with a comprehensive array of exhibition, convention and meeting facilities with a capacity suited to international events such as EU and NATO summits, Microsoft and Oracle conventions, etc.

The need for a new exhibition centre in Copenhagen arose in the early 1960s, when an international food convention and exhibition, AIDA, was being organised. Bella Center became the city's first centre for exhibitions of this scale. In 1965, Copenhagen Trade Fair and AIDA marked the start of Bella Center in Bellahøj.

The location in Bellahøj lasted for 10 years before activities were moved to the West Amager neighbourhood, where the possibilities for expansion to keep up with developments and rising demands were bigger and better.

On 5 September 1975, HRH Queen Margrete opened the new Bella Centre, paving the way for the international centre that we know today.

The architect behind Bella Center's main building is Ole Meyer, who created a glass complex with an aesthetic quality that still lives up to the standard of international exhibition centres. When the main building was completed, numerous additional buildings were added to meet the new and expanded demands of Bella Center's users.

Architect Ole Meyer was also behind the establishment of the International House in 1978, which is located in the West Wing. International House today houses 41 Danish and international office tenants. In 1988, Bella Center expanded by over 11,000 m² in the new East Hall, complete with its own entrance and access road. In the meantime, Scandinavian Trade Mart established itself on the Scandinavian market as a professional display window for fashion, shoes, leather good and the furniture industry. Today, Scandinavian Trade Mart is home to several hundred fashion and furniture companies who have their showrooms located at Bella Center.

Architect Ole Meyer was succeeded by K.H.R. Architects, who gave Bella Center its wave-like appearance at the West Entrance in connection with the foyer expansion in 1995. Five years later, in 2000, Bella Center opened Copenhagen Congress Center, a building designed by the architectural firm Dissing + Weitling.

In 2004, space had once again become limited and a warehouse measuring nearly 3,000m² was built for the storage of chairs, tables and other equipment.
The total number of square metres was expanded once again in 2007 with the construction of a 4,000 square metre pavilion in the internal car park, providing the large professional and public fairs with the option of a much-needed expansion. 

Bella Center today has over 122,000 square metres of indoor space.

Congresses enter the Danish market.
Copenhagen is one of the most common sites for congresses in the world. This position is undoubtedly supported by Copenhagen Congress Centre with its approximately 1,400 meetings and congresses per year that draw many business tourists to the Danish capital city.

Back in the 1960s, congress facilities were not in demand as they are today. When the cornerstone of Bella Center was set in Bellahøj, the plan was that Copenhagen's new centre was to be used exclusively for exhibitions. However, during the course of the 1970s the need for better meeting and congress facilities grew, which was a contributing factor in Bella Center's move to Amager.

Flexibility is certainly also the key concept at today's Bella Center. Here, 63 flexible meeting rooms and 4 auditoriums provide the opportunity to conduct multiple and large-scale congress events simultaneously. And there is more to come.

Gigantic new construction project - Bella Hotel
Shortly after the 2008 summer holiday, it was announced that Bella Center is building the largest hotel in Scandinavia: two impressive 76.5 metre towers will soon begin rising up towards the skies.

The hotel is expected to open during the first quarter of 2011.

Bella Center has long desired a hotel and is now building the largest and most aesthetic of its kind, featuring design by the renowned architectural firm 3xNielsen.
With the hotel as an integrated part of Bella Center, the centre will be in a league of its own and compete with cities such as Paris, Vienna, Barcelona and Amsterdam.
Bella Center has always held a very strong position due to its unique location in the middle of a metropolis and only five minutes from an international airport and a bridge to the rest of Scandinavia and Europe, as well as a motorway, metro and buses that lead right to its doors.

Now Bella Center is playing its trump card and is thereby ready for the future.