Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie is launching a procedure to select a partner for a project involving the construction of a multifunctional hall with a hotel as part of the expansion of the AMBEREXPO facility, together with the lease and operation of the hotel. Construction is expected to be completed in Q2 2026. The investment will enrich AMBEREXPO's offering, extending both the functionality and the range of services of the complex.
2023 brought around 250,000 visitors to AMBEREXPO for events organised by Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie, as well as by the company's partners and clients. Following TRAKO 2023, the International Railway Fair, a study was commissioned entitled "An attempt to estimate the impact of the fair on the Tri-City's tourism sector". The study was carried out by representatives of the Pomeranian Science Institute and the Gdańsk Tourism Organisation. Areas examined included the cost of accommodation, catering and fuel purchases. These were estimated to account for spending of PLN 20 million, which flowed into the accounts of local businesses.
The facility managed by MTG does, however, have its limitations, which the new investment is meant to address, while at the same time creating a space in which key matters for Poland, Pomerania and Gdańsk can be discussed. This will allow MTG to continue developing as an economic platform connecting businesses on both the domestic and international markets.
– We are launching another investment that will allow the city and the whole region to develop economically. On the site where the new hall and hotel will be built, temporary infrastructure has often been erected to support various events, such as last year's TRAKO fair or EuroSkills. That's why for many years we have been observing the company's activities and analysing whether a fourth hall was really needed. The decision has now been made. The investment is an additional boost not only for economic development, but also for attracting new events to Gdańsk that, precisely because of a lack of space, could not be accommodated at AMBEREXPO – says Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk.
At present, the largest conference room at AMBEREXPO can hold a maximum of 546 people. Having the aforementioned room equipped with a mobile auditorium system is a frequent requirement raised by event organisers, cited as a prerequisite for hosting a congress. Fitting the new hall with this system will make it possible to create a comprehensive offer in line with clients' ever-growing expectations.
– We can see that people are returning to the meetings industry, returning to face-to-face meetings, to presenting their ideas and products – in person, too. The expansion of the AMBEREXPO complex will meet the standards we know from Western Europe. It's worth adding that Gdańsk currently has no venue where an event for around 1,000 people can be held in auditorium format. Academic and medical circles have been calling for one. The meetings, congress and medical conference industry, which operates worldwide, also needs such venues. On many occasions, precisely because of the lack of a suitable facility, we have been unable to host these events – adds the Mayor of Gdańsk
Scientific, medical, security, media and finance congresses have to a large extent bypassed not only Gdańsk but the whole of Pomerania until now. The prospect of the new hall has already opened the door to securing the 35th annual meeting of hypertension specialists from around the world – the European Meeting on Hypertension, which will take place at AMBEREXPO at the end of May 2026. Details of another international medical congress are also being finalised.
The new part of AMBEREXPO will be significant for Gdańsk's universities and academic circles, particularly for the Fahrenheit Universities Union, which, due to a lack of suitable infrastructure, has been unable to fully demonstrate its potential in terms of research and to build relationships with the wider socio-economic environment. These circles have likewise expressed the need for congress infrastructure to be built in Gdańsk.
– In Pomerania we have no venue in which we could hold large congress events for 1,000-1,500 people. We have repeatedly been approached with requests to organise medical congresses dedicated to specific specialisations. The successes of Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie in organising the TRAKO, EuroSkills and BALTEXPO fairs pointed us towards the location where a facility meeting these requirements should be built. Last year alone, MTG organised more than 110 events. We would like AMBEREXPO, with its new facilities and hotel, to rise to the challenges of the modern world, hosting major events concerning development issues, particularly the economy of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. I'm thinking here of wind farms, and no doubt a nuclear power plant too. We are delighted that MTG's management board has taken the initiative to expand the infrastructure. We will support this undertaking with all our strength – says Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
As mentioned by the Mayor of Gdańsk and the Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, the new space will significantly boost two major titles in MTG's portfolio – TRAKO and BALTEXPO – as well as the creation and expansion of opportunities for new events, such as the Power Connect energy fair, which will have its premiere in March 2025. The event is set to bring the weight of the discussion on Poland's energy sector to Pomerania, covering topics including nuclear power and the offshore industry.
The fourth hall will also boost the appeal of the Inside Seaside music festival and of Infoshare, the largest conference in Central and Eastern Europe combining business, technology and start-ups. These events are examples of balancing tourist traffic and promoting visits to Gdańsk outside the summer season.
Modern multimedia equipment and ease of space arrangement will also allow the events offer to be developed further. Importantly, thanks to these facilities, no additional financial outlay on decor and staging will be required. The fourth hall will expand the range of event possibilities across the entertainment, business, culture, esports and immersive exhibition sectors. It will also broaden exhibition possibilities for large, complex events. The expansion of the complex will make it possible to hold several events of different kinds at the same time, for example a gala with a concert in the new hall, a conference in the neighbouring halls, and a fair in the remaining halls.
The fourth hall will also have a new function – adaptation for television and film production. All this thanks to special facilities and acoustic isolation. This is linked to the growing need for content for television and streaming platforms – including foreign productions. The new functionality will be a forward-looking addition to the hall's primary purpose, which will of course also serve an exhibition function
The new hall will be located on the AMBEREXPO site, between the existing Hall C and the Gdańsk Stadion Expo SKM stop. The hall will cover an area of 3,890 m2 – similar to each of the other three halls – with the storage sections covering 1,514 m2. The facility, like the rest of the complex, will also serve as critical infrastructure – we saw how important this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when a temporary hospital operated on the AMBEREXPO site.
– We are launching the competition procedure for the contractor of the new part of the AMBEREXPO complex. We are looking for a capital group or a consortium of companies willing to take on the risk associated with construction, and subsequently with leasing and operating the hotel. We estimate that construction costs will amount to around PLN 140 million. We have confirmation of the merit of this undertaking from Gdańsk City Hall and the Marshal's Office of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, our two main shareholders, reflected in long-term financial forecasts. We have a decision from Bank PKO SA on financing the project, and we are also negotiating capital involvement with PFR. In addition, we will expect the lessee to pay a lease rent that will allow the hotel's financing to be serviced – says Andrzej Bojanowski, president of Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie.
Floors 3 to 7 will be added to the front of the hall. These will house the aforementioned three-star hotel, covering an area of 7,131 m2. Plans call for 160 rooms with 290 beds, a restaurant open to the public, and a breakfast room located on the sixth floor. Creating such a facility will make it possible to accommodate congress guests who come only for a talk, but above all to accommodate organisers and the entire exhibition staff. In many cases, having a hotel on-site or in the immediate vicinity of an event is a prerequisite for organising a congress, particularly an international one. The facility will also complement the hotel market, while at the same time, together with the new events, it should generate footfall for other accommodation providers in Gdańsk and Pomerania.
– We lack such a facility in our immediate vicinity, which blocks the organisation of certain events. That's why we want to change this, although we know we will again have to face various challenges. Anyone who was involved in MTG's move from Beniowskiego Street to AMBEREXPO knows how much work goes into developing a new facility. I think that, much as we did more than 10 years ago, we will rise to the challenges, to the company's benefit – adds the President of MTG.
Applications concerning the partnership for the project involving the construction of a multifunctional hall with a hotel as part of the expansion of the AMBEREXPO facility, together with the lease and operation of the hotel, may be submitted until 9 August 2024, 3:00 pm. The terms of participation in the competition can be found on the MTG website: https://amberexpo.pl/ogloszenia-hala_i_hotel/. Questions can be addressed to: hala.hotel@amberexpo.pl.
