On this day, 70 years ago, on 20 March 1954, the GR
– Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre was founded. It was created on
the initiative of the Slovenian economy and the Chamber of Commerce as a
professional organisation for holding fairs and exhibitions. Over the past
seven decades, the GR has developed into the leading event centre in Slovenia,
hosting a variety of events from fairs and exhibitions, congresses, corporate gatherings
to concerts, proms and other events. With its state-of-the-art facilities, equipment
for all types of events and a team committed to service excellence, it has
become a popular location for organisers and participants alike.
About the history of the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and
Convention Centre
The construction of the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and
Convention Centre, as we know it today, took place in stages. First, between
1957 and 1958, the Kupola (Dome) Hall (A) was built, then in 1960 the Jurček
Pavilion (E), a year later the Marmorno (Marble)
Hall (B) and in 1967 the Steklena (Glass) Hall (C). In 1957, Batic's Urška and
the Water Man danced in the fountain in the courtyard of the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition
and Convention Centre as the first mobile sculpture in Slovenia. The GR was marked
by prominent names of post-war urban architecture: Ilija Arnautovic, Branko Simcic,
Marko Slajmer and Milan Mihelic. Most of the halls are protected as architectural
heritage.
As early as June 1955, the International Exhibition of
Wood Processing and Use was organised at a new venue on the then Tito Street,
now Dunajska Street. In the same year, the 1st Yugoslav Wine
Exhibition was organised in Ljubljana, the forerunner of the International Wine
Fair and the international evaluation of wine samples.
A milestone in congress activity was certainly the 7th Congress of the
League of Communists of Yugoslavia in April 1958 in the Kupola Hall, which had
been built for it. In its remembrance, a 45-metre-high reinforced concrete
obelisk was erected in the courtyard, the work of architects Marko Slajmer and
Vladimir Braco Music. International congresses, symposia and fairs in science,
technology, medicine, electronics, culture and other fields followed. Until the
construction of the Tivoli Hall (1963-65), numerous world sports championships
were held here. In 1956, national television had its first studio at the GR,
where the famous Frane Milcinski Jezek also performed. In 1959, the legendary
King of Jazz Louis Armstrong played and sang in the Kupola Hall, and in 1964, Marjana
Derzaj sang the unforgettable Summer Night at the Slovenian Song Festival.
Events at the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention
Centre
Fairs are still the most important activity of the GR
– Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre. This year has already seen the Alpe-Adria
Tourism Fair and the largest fair organised by the GR, the Home Fair, a
construction fair, which was attended by over 40,000 visitors. In the autumn,
the Nature-Health Fair will be held, which will be joined by BIOEXO, an exotic
animal exhibition, and the Ambient Fair and Home Plus Fair, an interior design
and construction fair. There will also be fairs organised by other organisers:
Informativa, GASTexpo, IFAM international trade fairs, INTRONIKA, ROBOTICS, and
by the end of the year the Game Gang Show, the Cosmetics, Beauty and
Hairdressing Fair, the Days of Intergenerational Coexistence, the Children's
Bazaar, 40th Slovenian Book Fair and others.
International congresses host more than 2,000 participants
at a time and are usually accompanied by a rich exhibition. The most important congress
event this year will certainly be the Ecsite conference, a gathering of experts
in the field of popularising and communicating science, culture and projects
related to sustainable development, research and technology. The event brings
together participants from more than 323 European and global institutions from
over 50
countries.
In recent years, the GR stage has hosted many
well-known names, such as Freddy Corsten, Tiesto, DJ Umek, Magnifico, Avicii,
Calvin Harris, David Morales, Afrojack, Ceca, Halid Beslic, Željko Joksimovic
and Fehtarji, among many others.
GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre
continues to take sustainable steps
Solar power plants are a milestone for the GR –
Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre and its sustainable transformation
Sustainable transformation is key to driving the
development of the meetings industry. Venues play a key role and are pioneers
in the adoption of sustainable initiatives. Sustainable development and concern
for the environment are important principles of the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and
Convention Centre.
The entire roof of the Kocka (Cube) Hall, the largest
hall of the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, is covered with
solar panels. An additional solar power plant with a capacity of 100 MWh of
electricity will be connected to the grid in the coming days. Together, they
will generate an average of 462 MWh of electricity per year.
With the new acquisitions, the GR – Ljubljana
Exhibition and Convention Centre will reduce annual CO2 emissions by 460
tonnes, burn 38 tonnes less coal and help save 25,150 trees.
The installation of photovoltaic modules on the roof
surfaces respected and preserved the basic architectural features and the
appearance of the buildings themselves.
In thoughts and actions with nature
A number of other sustainability measures
have also been implemented at the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre
to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, including waste management (16
different types of waste are separated), energy saving measures and the
elimination of plastics at almost all events. Visitors are also being directed
towards a sustainable approach and, together with the Ljubljana Passenger
Transport, encouraged to use public transport to attend events.
7 seedlings for 70 years
At the GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention
Centre, the extent of green spaces is maintained and new areas are planted. To
celebrate its jubilee, the GR will be dressed in green to make it even more
attractive to visitors and to the city it is home to. More than 70 seedlings will
be planted. The entire GR team has been involved in the planting, with the help
of Dobrovita - a company for training and employment of people with
disabilities. With this effort, the GR wants to contribute to the greening of the
whole of Ljubljana.