It was 1920 when Lingotto opened its doors as the first huge Fiat factory, breaking new ground in Europe, shaping and progressing the grand idea of the era.

Today there are new ideas in circulation, in science, in economics,in politics and medicine, and at Lingotto, they will find the right environment in which to spread and develop just as they did in the past.

A conference centre as a factory of ideas

At Lingotto, a great challenge was taken up and won. The world-famous Italian architect Renzo Piano was the genius behind this success. Renzo Piano is renowned for his design skills and accustomed to projects of this magnitude. With what now appears to have been a single, decisive move, Renzo Piano has changed Lingotto radically, while managing to leave it as it always was.

The Conference Centre is the true heart of this vast complex, which offers a wealth of opportunities: there is the enormous exhibition space and the business centre, thousands of square metres of offices and luxuriously appointed hotel rooms, a prestigious shopping area and halls for concerts and special events, gardens and vast underground car parks. Crowning it all are two breathtaking surprises: the sparkling dome of the panoramic VIP meeting room, and the one kilometre rooftop test track, a symbolic link with Lingotto's car-making past.

Entrusting the rebirth of Lingotto to a single, talented mind has given it a stylistic unity and consistency that enhances the organisation and efficiency of the organisation and Conference Centre in all its activities. From an architectural point of view, Renzo Piano has developed the recurring theme of the square in innumerable variations. The intrusion of a few curves thus provides a rebellious (yet wonderfully harmonious) break: the futuristic sphere of the VIP meeting room on the roof, the dizzy spirals of the ramp, certain unexpected details and the bends in the track add a touch of romance to the geometric precision.

Piano's design has put conference organisers in a position to choose easily and clearly the best way to obtain the right results. Achieving all this in a pleasant yet practical environment has always been a golden rule of top quality architecture: applied here, this technique has resulted in an avant garde design; a new stylistic leitmotif for decades to come. This is the essence of Lingotto: great design concepts combining to create the ideal ambience in which new ideas can flourish.

Lingotto added value

The centre has top facilities and services, with the most advanced technology in a comfortable and functional setting. There is the history of Lingotto to consider, and also the exceptional features of this post-industrial monument, and a welcoming city set in rare natural beauty. All this is here to stay, because we are determined to make sure it does. Here, professionalism and the work ethic are fully at home both inside and outside Lingotto. No one here 'puts things off until tomorrow' - our organisation's crisp, active and enthusiastic drive helps you to achieve your objectives. These are values that know no borders, and you will recognise them in our highly professional staff, in whom you will discover your own determination to make your conference a success.

Ideas at work

The vast area of the specially designed, purpose-built Conference Centre holds a dominant position in the Lingotto complex. If you think this is merely standard, then consider that this is the first centre in Italy built specifically and solely for conferences. That is why the results of your next conference are guaranteed: Lingotto has the right conditions in its pleasing, functional environment. Thanks to the design, Lingotto can be used for conferences of all kinds and sizes. Fully fitted with the latest audio-visual and electronic aids, simultaneous translation booths for between three and eight different languages and information points, it will make all participants, from the meeting convenor to the speakers and delegates, confident that the event will work for them. Yet in this impressively dynamic conference centre, pride of place must go to the Giovanni Agnelli Auditorium, a real treasure-trove of contemporary communications. A series of sophisticated automatic devices can change the hall in just a few minutes, adapting its capacity, the ceiling height and the stage area to specific conference needs. Comfort and the right acoustics can thus be ensured to suit the number of participants: from 495 right up to 2,099. It is not just the number of seats that change: the auditorium is capable of giving itself a different sound and image. At the touch of a button, it can become a conference hall, a meeting room or a concert hall, suitable for musical events at the highest level.

Next to the auditorium, right in the organisational heart of the Centre, is the 'Sala del 500', another great example of technology meeting comfort and elegance. Leading off from here there are ten other break-out rooms for all needs. This range of rooms includes one for 30 people, three for 50 people, two for 75, one that seats 120, and a further two for 210. All these rooms can be connected to each other via an audio-visual circuit and are fully fitted with state-of-the-art technologies. The adjacent Business Centre adds further accommodation for small working groups, for example. Organisers looking for temporary offices can find one here. Above the roof of the building rises a great sphere of glass and steel, whose aesthetic beauty enhances its conference function: this is a prestige venue for confidential sessions or summit meetings. For meetings of this importance, the adjacent heliport is essential. The dome, known as 'La Bolla' has a magnificent panoramic view, but if you are at work and prefer the light to be a little softer, 'La Bolla' will move its panels automatically to make sure you have the right degree of light and shade at all times.

A city within a city

Lingotto Fiere offers exhibitors a vast area divided into four pavilions totalling 46,000 m², of which one of 7,950 m² is directly connected to the conference centre. This pavilion is ideal for organising conference exhibitions, art exhibitions and other activities. Lingotto Fiere can provide all the necessary support services and facilities to help conference organisers using the exhibition area. Between the central and the northern towers, you will find the Meridien Hotel, with 244 rooms of the highest international accommodation standards. It offers a welcoming environment, excellent cuisine and, most important to the success of a stay at Lingotto, highly professional hotel staff. Renzo Piano's innovative genius has located Lingotto's 'Portici' shopping arcades in an unusual position: on the first floor of the building, designed as an open public area for shops, banks and news kiosks. Lingotto could not be without excellent parking facilities: the automatically controlled underground car park has room for over 3,500 cars.

For further information contact Tiziana Bocchiardi, Turin Expo 2000, Tel +39 11 664 44111 Fax +39 11 66 46 642