The new Milan exhibition system is moving the focus from a local prospect to development on a global scale, and is redefining borders, in terms of structures as well as infrastructures, of north-west Milan’s geography, society and economy.
At the helm of the project is Fondazione Fiera Milano, a private entity and the controlling shareholder in Fiera Milano Group and in Sviluppo Sistema Fiera, an engineering and contracting company for large-scale projects that is overseeing the transformation of the entire Milan exhibition system.

This work was launched with the intent of achieving three objectives:

• increasing the volume of business brought to Lombardy. Currently, Milan Fair’s activities generate direct spin-offs of more than two billion euros a year;
• making the area of Milan that has always hosted the exhibition complex, a better place to live;
• maintaining the leadership of Milan Fair in the international exhibition market.

The project includes two complexes: the New Complex in Rho-Pero, and the City Complex, the area that remains the property of Milan Fair after the redevelopment of the former exhibition grounds.

The first step in this regeneration process has been the construction of Milan Fair’s New Complex in the area that formerly hosted the Agip refinery in Rho-Pero.
An imposing structure, with a gross floorspace of 530,000 square meters on a 2 million square meter site.

It  has been designed to host more than one exhibition at the same time and to provide more comfort and facilities to organizers, exhibitors, visitors and personnel moving in, setting up and dismantling show furniture and fittings.

The project for the New Complex is entirely self-funded by Fondazione Fiera Milano using its own assets. The financing was granted by a pool of banks headed by Banca Intesa.

Parallel to the construction of the New Complex, the international call for tenders organized by Fondazione Fiera Milano for  the sale of part of the current exhibition grounds and its urban redevelopment has come to an end. The remaining part will be requalified and will form the future Milan Fair’s City Complex, a venue that will continue to host shows and conferences in the city.

Workin together, on 710,000 square meters of gross floor space, the two exhibition complexes - the New Complex and the City Complex – will be soon one of the largest exhibition systems in the world.