Press release

2009 was Bella Centre's best congress year ever with 20 major international events.

"This impressive result has not happened by itself. The record year is the culmination of a decade where Bella Center has realised its visionary plans for targeted investments of half a billion kroner," says Bella Center's Managing Director, Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

"It is thanks to our investments in expansions and modernisations that Bella Center can now match its closest competitors in Europe in terms of size and layout. This means that we are an attractive choice for large international congresses," says Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

Bella Center was the venue for, among others, the medical congresses EULAR and EASL, with 13,000 and 7,000 delegates, respectively. And then Bella Center and Copenhagen were really put on the world map with the successful holding of the IOC Session and Olympic Congress and the COP15 climate change summit.

"As host for the two events, Bella Center has shown the world and our business partners that we can fully live up to the very high requirements and expectations regarding service and logistics for even the biggest and most demanding events," says Arne Bang Mikkelsen.

In all, Bella Center last year held 54 large congresses and large public exhibitions such as the international travel exhibition 'Ferie i Bella' as well as a range of large trade fairs such as the TEMA food fair and the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair, CIFF.

Bella Sky hotel

In future, Bella Center's growth will largely be founded on the forthcoming four-star, 814-room Bella Sky - Comwell Hotel Copenhagen. With Scandinavia's biggest hotel on its doorstep, Bella Center will significantly boost its competitiveness on the European congress market.

The plans will be summarised in the strategy and action plan Vision 2015/2010, which also includes a further expansion of Bella Center. For example, the rebuilding of the East hall, which neighbours the Bella Center metro station. Or a brand new multihall.

In the long term, Bella Center will, together with the City of Copenhagen, take a closer look at the unified plan for the area around Bella Center. In light of the increased investment activities and the completion of the hotel, Bella Center A/S has launched a process for strengthening the future capital resources to thereby support its strategy and action plan Vision 2015/2020. This will be published before the summer holidays.

Forum doing fine

Bella Center's subsidiary, Forum Copenhagen, also had a record year in 2009 with revenue of DKK 92 million and 467,947 guests. Forum hosted 17 concerts, 33 theatre and TV events and a large number of corporate events and parties. From the musical MAMA MIA, Walking with Dinosaurs and Cirque du Soleil to concerts with, for example, Oasis, Bob Dylan, D-A-D, Cliff Richard, Pink and, in particular, Metallica, which performed five nights in a row.

Exhibitions and fairs are influenced by the economic climate. In 2010, a moderate development is expected in the number of exhibitors. With the prospect of fewer large international congresses compared with 2009, the outlook for the group for 2010 is a profit before tax and valuation adjustment of property of approx. DKK 45-50 million.