Largest Investment in Decades: Prague Congress Centre Builds New Exhibition Hall

With an investment of CZK 1.35 billion, Prague Congress Centre is expanding its capacity with a new exhibition hall. The project is expected to enable Prague to host additional major international congresses in the future.

Prague Congress Centre (PCC) has officially begun construction of a new exhibition hall. The ceremonial groundbreaking marks the start of one of the largest investment projects in the 45-year history of the congress centre. The new hall will increase exhibition space by 5,000 square metres and enable Prague to host additional major international congresses in the future.

The foundation stone for the project was laid by PCC CEO Lenka Žlebková, Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda, Councillor for Finance Zdeněk Kovářík, and representatives of construction company GEMO and the architectural firms involved. The total investment amounts to approximately CZK 1.35 billion.

Foto: Prague Congress Centre

Upon completion in 2028, the new hall will expand the existing congress centre with a modern, multifunctional exhibition space that can be divided into up to five independent sections. Together with the existing 70 halls and conference rooms, it will create an integrated congress campus capable of hosting major international events under one roof – from scientific congresses and trade exhibitions to gala events for up to 1,500 guests.

Video: Rendering of the new PCC Hall

This will increase the total exhibition space of the complex to 21,000 square metres. According to Žlebková, enquiries have already been received from around 15 leading international congresses, particularly in the medical sector. Hosting these events in Prague is directly linked to the completion of the new hall.

Financing Largely from Own Resources

The majority of the investment costs will be covered by Prague Congress Centre itself. More than CZK 1 billion will come from its own resources. The City of Prague, as the sole owner, approved an additional capital injection of CZK 600 million at the end of last year.

Foto: Prague Congress Centre

In addition to the new exhibition hall, these funds will finance several other projects. These include the renovation of the southern car park, measures to further reduce energy consumption at Vyšehrad Business Centre, the modernisation of stage technology, and improvements to public areas surrounding the congress centre.

Completion Scheduled for 2028

Construction work is due to begin in July. The structural framework is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Final completion and handover are scheduled for September 2028. The contract was awarded to construction company GEMO, which won the tender process in 2023.

Foto: Prague Congress Centre

Architecturally, the project features a distinctive concept. The approximately 177-metre-long hall will be built in the form of a floating tubular structure. The design was created by OCA Architects of Barcelona together with the Czech firm CMC Architects. It emerged from an international architectural competition and is intended to complement the existing architecture of the congress centre in a respectful manner.

According to the latest ranking by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Prague remains among the world's leading congress cities. In the 2025 ranking, the Czech capital placed sixth, ahead of cities such as London, Copenhagen and Tokyo.

Foto: Prague Congress Centre

The expansion of the congress centre is expected to further strengthen this position. According to PCC, requests to host international congresses currently have to be declined on a regular basis due to insufficient capacity. Congress visitors are also considered particularly valuable to the local economy, as they spend on average around three times more money in the city than traditional leisure tourists.