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Palma's mayor confident that convention centre will be completed on time
Work on Palma's proposed convention centre, the Palau de Congressos, has in recent months, ground to a halt because of funding issues. After the management company Barcelo pulled out of the project, financing the completion of the centre has proven to be somewhat of a challenge. Palma's mayor, Aina Calvo, has given her full backing to the project, saying that she is confident that the centre will be completed on schedule at the end of 2011.
The addition of a conference centre to Palma is seen as vital to the local economy, as it will attract business tourism to complement the established seasonal tourism. The convention sector is seen as a highly lucrative market, as it attracts high-end visitors who combine their business trips with leisure time. Palma is ideally set up for the city break market, with its excellent choice of accommodation, and cultural & sporting opportunities.
The Palau de Congressos has been designed by architect Francisco Mangado, and it is hoped that the centre will become one of the iconic buildings of the Mediterranean. Mangado intends to make the best use of Palma 's natural light, creating a system of reflections and highlighted shadows. His vision for the southern part of the building is to create the image of a large fish, beached on the shore.
The conference centre (capacity of 2,400 people) will contain convention rooms and an impressive restaurant surrounded by a hanging garden on the top floor, that will have unrestricted sea views. These facilities will be directly connected to the main hotel by a bridge. Members of the public will also be welcome to use the centres facilities. The hotel will contain gymnasiums, a swimming pool and thermal baths, and another restaurant.
