Palais des Festivals et des Congrès

Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès
Location	Cannes, France
Coordinates	43°33′03.10″N 7°01′02.10″E
Operator	SEMEC
Built	1949
Architect	Sir Hubert Bennett and François Druet (second building)
Opened	1949 (first building); 15 December 1982 (second building)
Expanded	1999
Theatre seating	2,300
Enclosed space
• Exhibit hall floor	35,000 square metres (380,000 sq ft)
Tenants
	Cannes Film Festival; Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity
Website
	www.palaisdesfestivals.com

The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès (Palace of Festivals and Conferences) is a convention center in Cannes, France, the venue for the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the NRJ Music Award. The building opened in 1982.

History

The first Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was built in 1949 to host the Cannes Film Festival. The original building was located on the boulevard of Promenade de la Croisette on the present site of the JW Marriott Cannes. That building hosted the 4th and 6th Eurovision Song Contests in 1959 and 1961.

Palais main entrance (July 2015)

In response to the growing success of the Film Festival and the advent of the first business conventions, such as the MIPTV Media Market since 1965, the City of Cannes decided to build a new Palais in 1979. The new building, a six-story building designed in the Modernist style by the architects Sir Hubert Bennett and François Druet,[1] was constructed on the site of the municipal Casino. It opened in December 1982 and was expanded in 1999 with the construction of the Espace Riviera, a new space of 10,000 square meters.

In January 1992, the Society of Mixed Economy for the Events of the city of Cannes (SEMEC), was created to manage the Palais. SEMEC resulted from the merger of three non-profit organizations: Cannes Tourism, the OMACC and the association Cannes Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

Today

The Palais des Festivals is located at the top of blvd. de la Croisette, east of the port.[2] It has an overall space capacity of 35,000 square meters for exhibitions, as well as numerous rooms and 18 auditoriums, the largest of which has a capacity of 2,300. It is the venue for the annual Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes), and possesses "modern and high-tech facilities" for housing conferences throughout the year.[3]

References

Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes, Emporis
Michelin Travel & Lifestyle (1 April 2012). Michelin Green Guide French Riviera. Michelin Travel & Lifestyle. p. 306. ISBN 978-2-06-718258-5.
Marijke de Valck (2007). Film Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 117–8. ISBN 978-90-5356-192-8.

Media

Institut National de l'Audiovisuel: Construction of the Palais des festivals (1947) (commentary in French)

External links

Media related to Palais des festivals et des congrès de Cannes at Wikimedia Commons

Official website

Preceded by AVRO Studios Hilversum	Eurovision Song Contest Venue 1959	Succeeded by Royal Festival Hall London
Preceded by Royal Festival Hall London	Eurovision Song Contest Venue 1961	Succeeded by Villa Louvigny Luxembourg City

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[1] Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes, Emporis

[Lifestyle2012-2] Michelin Travel & Lifestyle (1 April 2012). Michelin Green Guide French Riviera. Michelin Travel & Lifestyle. p. 306. ISBN 978-2-06-718258-5.

[Valck2007-3] Marijke de Valck (2007). Film Festivals: From European Geopolitics to Global Cinephilia. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 117–8. ISBN 978-90-5356-192-8.