Printable version



  Who are we?
  Facts and figures
  History
  Sustainable development
  Contact
  Careers
  Access

History

Although Geneva’s reputation as a “trade fair centre” dates back to ancient times, it owes its modern history to the Geneva Motor Show: The original Exhibition Centre in Plainpalais was built for the 3rd international edition of the Motor Show (1926), where the event remained almost exclusively until the war. It was then the first international motor show to re-open after the war (1947).

"Ancien Palais des Expositions"
(Plainpalais - 1979)

 hist_ancienpalais

New events were organized there from the fifties onwards, including, for example, the Ideal Home Exhibition, the Commercial Vehicle Show, the Boat Show and the Inventions Exhibition and of course Telecom from 1971 onwards.

Thanks to this expansion, the work on the construction of Palexpo was able to begin in 1978. Three enlargements have been necessary since it was officially inaugurated on December 18th 1981: Hall 5, which was inaugurated in January 1987, Hall 7 (February 1995), and finally Hall 6 (February 2003).

Its surface area has thus virtually doubled since it was opened, increasing from 58,000 to 108,000 sq. m.

In dates
hist_ancienpalais
Sustainable development at Palexpo Facebook twitter