In 2011, the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre attracted a total of 1,006,892 visitors to fairs, meetings, congresses and other events. More than 80 exhibitions, covering various areas and interests, were organised at the Centre.
 
‘The fairs, many of which broke attendance records, demonstrated their power as a true social media’, says Marketing and Communications Director Maria Mroue.
 
The largest fairs of the year included the Matka 2011 Nordic Travel Fair and Caravan in January (83,280 visitors), the Book, Music, Wine, Food and Good Living exhibitions in October (80,851 visitors), the Helsinki International Boat Show in February (78,130 visitors), the Habitare, Salon Helsinki, ArtHelsinki and Light exhibitions in September (69,365 visitors) and the Skiexpo, Boardexpo, DigiExpo, Hifi and the Latka&Saba ice hockey and floorball exhibitions in November (68,149 visitors).
 
The Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre hosted 1,706 meetings and other events. The largest international congress of the year was ECP, the European Congress of Pathology, which brought 2,400 top medical professionals and exhibitors to the Centre.
 
Successful opening of the new Hall 7
In early autumn, the grand opening of our newest exhibition space, the light-filled and spacious Hall 7 was celebrated in Helsinki. With the introduction of the new hall, the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre increased its exhibition space by the equivalent of two football fields. In terms of versatility, Hall 7 is in a league of its own: in addition to fair and meeting use, it can be transformed to an arena for indoor sports competitions.
 
The public programme of the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre kicks off in January with the Matka Nordic Travel Fair and Caravan fairs, and the MP12 Motorcycle Show. In February, sailing aficionados cast anchor at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre to attend the largest boat fair in Northern Europe.