Prague Congress Centre: Unique in Many Ways!

The Prague Congress Centre (PCC) is not just a building, but a renowned institution with a long history and prosperous for the Czech Republic. The venue’s long-term vision is to remain among the top ten congress centres in Europe and to be a gateway for large-scale events in the country.

Since the date of its foundation, the PCC has undergone significant changes until it reached its final form as a tradeshow and congress centre of excellence. With great attention to sustainability and environmental responsibility, they have been successful in demonstrating smart long-term energy-saving projects. Most importantly, the PCC has hosted several prestigious international events, such as the World Bank and IMF summits, the NATO summit and, most recently, the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU − which will run throughout the second half of this year. A modern venue to inspire scientific, medical, commercial and political meetings, the PCC has kept pace with technological, ecological and socially responsible innovations to host large-scale international events for the betterment of society.

The COVID-19 pandemic broke out just a few weeks after the appointment of Lenka Žlebková as CEO of the congress centre. Her role immediately changed from business development manager to crisis manager, responsible for large savings and new sources of income. “Most of the planned events, including international congresses, were cancelled and, like all players in the European MICE industry, we were forced to quickly look for new solutions. If there was anything positive about the pandemic, it was the acceleration of the digitalisation process within the industry.” According to the CEO, it was clear to everyone the need to adapt to new conditions and exible solutions for clients. “I believe the requirement for constant innovation and rapid implementation of new features is here to stay for the long term. Without innovation, we wouldn’t be able to move our business forward.”

On the savings side, Lenka did not want to introduce only cuts and redundancies but wanted to keep the core team together, knowing how difficult it is to find such experienced professionals. On the revenue side, PCC was able to quickly develop a fully hybrid conferencing solution. At the same time, the board used this period to deepen renovation and reconstruction works that would not have been possible in normal operations. “The pandemic also presented us with an opportunity as we offered a new type of hotel services that were necessary under the circumstances. In retrospect, I am quite proud of the way the team managed this crisis period,” says Žlebková.

"I believe that in the future, hybrid conferences and congresses will become the global standard, and we are technologically at the top for hosting these event."

The pandemic has certainly brought about a great development in technology and demand for continuous improvement. PCC entered the 21st century modernisation path several years ago with the implementation of new technologies, cutting-edge solutions and, more recently, environmentally sustainable events. “An interesting project within this framework is also the Vyšehrad Art District, whose aim is to connect and cooperate with businesses, cultural and educational institutions in the vicinity of Vyšehrad for the purpose of organising events that combine entertainment, culture and community connection.” However, Lenka doesn’t think this will change traditional delegate meeting habits much. “I am quite sceptical about any demand for purely digital conferences apart from the IT segment. They were a great success at the beginning of the pandemic, but in the end, professionals and scientists felt the need to meet in person again,” she says.

Hybrid events could be held at the centre long before the pandemic as a fringe option for organisers, but are now available as a standard service for most international conferences. “In cooperation with our AV partner, we are able to offer various forms of hybrid meetings right up to an online TV studio.” International congresses are about continuous learning and experience for their hosts, and that principle drives the venue towards new technologies. “We use them now in areas where we wouldn’t have thought of it a few years ago. For example, our convention centre is constantly developing smart technologies to help increase its energy efficiency, and in the near future we are expected to own the largest photovoltaic plant in Prague. You have to be prepared to innovate constantly − technology in areas like cybersecurity or audiovisual is a never-ending battle against time,” Žlebkov adds.

Congress Hall - ICCA 2017

PCC has also become a baseline for community building in Prague. During the pandemic, their premises were converted into a Metropolitan Vaccination Centre and within a year, over 100,000 people were vaccinated there. And just when they expected a boom in international conventions, war broke out in Ukraine with the space hosting the registration centre for tens of thousands of war refugees. Thanks to these developments, Lenka is convinced that the centre “is a vital part of the critical infrastructure of the capital Prague and the local community recognises our institutional role.” Not to mention the sustainability projects that the PCC has been involved in.

“All our decisions already have sustainability in mind. Initially it was a challenge for me to convince colleagues that sustainability had to be taken into account, but with the context of global changes, rising energy prices and also the demands of customers, everyone is starting now to understand it.”Since 2016, when various energy-saving measures were implemented as part of the centre’s modernisation, energy costs have been reduced by around €850K per year. As part of the sustainability project, the central boiler room is now equipped with 4 new boilers and the new CHP unit can generate a large surplus of electricity and heat capable of keeping the venue running in the event of an energy collapse. The reconstructed AC is controlled by dozens of CO2 sensors distributed throughout the building and the speed of the fans only increases depending on the amount of CO2 in the exhaust air. LED luminaires have replaced the old fluorescent lamps, allowing smooth dimming, and this is only a small part of the savings they generate in their sustainability scheme.