Prague Congress Centre Expands to Bid for Larger Events
Photo Credit: Rendering of New Prague Congress Centre Exhibition Hall planned to open in 2029 Prague Congress Centre
Skift Take
The Czech capital is investing $65 million to solve a problem many cities face: turning away lucrative large events due to lack of meeting space.
The Prague Congress Centre (PCC) has broken ground on a new exhibition hall designed to capture larger events that the venue has previously been forced to decline.
The architectural design takes the form of a "levitating tube" nearly 177 meters long. It was created by Barcelona-based OCA Architects in collaboration with Czech studio CMC Architects, and is targeting LEED Gold certification.
CEO Lenka Žlebková called the groundbreaking a "small miracle" eight years in the making and noted that Prague has not built a public building of comparable significance in a decade.
The $65 million (CZK 1.35 billion) project will add a hall with 53,820 square feet (5,000 square meters) of net exhibition space, divisible into up to five sections, and lift the campus's total exhibition capacity to 226,000 square feet (21,000 square meters). Combined with the existing 70 halls and meeting rooms, PCC says the addition will let it run an entire event in parallel, including the main program, exhibition, and a gala dinner for 1,500.
PCC says it already has inquiries from roughly 15 large congresses, particularly in medicine, whose bookings hinge on the new capacity. "The demand is not hypothetical," said Žlebková. She expects the expansion to lift conference-segment revenue by as much as $5.8 million (CZK 120 million) annually.
Prague placed sixth in the 2025 ICCA ranking of cities hosting international association meetings, ahead of London, Copenhagen, and Tokyo. In total, the city reports hosting more than 5,000 events and 850,000 attendees in 2025.
The expansion lands amid intensifying competition for major events. "Not only the quality of infrastructure, but also the ability of cities to actively acquire major international events plays an increasingly important role," said Roman Muška, director of the Prague Convention Bureau, pointing to the heavy investment destinations worldwide are making in congress acquisition.
PCC will fund the development with more than $48 million (CZK 1 billion) from its own resources, with the City of Prague, its sole shareholder, contributing $28.8 million (CZK 600 million) toward the hall and a wider development program.
General contractor GEMO a.s will start construction in July, with the shell and core due by the end of 2027. A handover is planned for September 2028, anticipating a public opening in 2029.
