Palazzo dei Congressi
Città di Lugano
Piazza Indipendenza 4
CH-6900 Lugano
Phone +41 (0)58 866 66 30
Lugano is a beautiful, vibrant and innovative city located on the shores of beautiful Lake Ceresio, in the southern part of Switzerland, offering a unique blend of natural beauty and modern services. With its stunning alpine surroundings and mild Mediterranean climate, Lugano is the ideal location to combine business with pleasure and host events for more than 1’000 people.
Lugano Convention & Exhibition manages several meeting and conference venues which are all very central, easily accessible and close to hotels of every size and category, as well as a great variety of restaurants and local attractions. Furthermore, thanks to the Ticino Ticket, all delegates staying overnight can use the public transportation network of Lugano and the whole Canton of Ticino for free throughout their stay.
Ideal convention location
The Lugano Convention Centre “Palazzo dei Congressi” is located in the heart of Lugano within walking distance from the city centre, right next to the splendid Parco Ciani and its homonymous villa, directly on the lake shore. The venue just celebrated its 50th anniversary and it is equipped with the most modern audio-visual equipment, wireless internet access and full air conditioning and therefore exceptionally suitable for events of all kinds.
Thanks to its large auditorium for 1,130 people, seven modular conference and banquet rooms, up to 11 break-out rooms, a multimedia studio, spacious foyers as well as a large exhibition area, the Palazzo dei Congressi offers the ideal location for conventions, workshops, banquets and exhibitions. One of its most appealing aspects are the spacious hallways, wide stairways and outdoor terraces, which are ideal for networking.
Villa Ciani and Asilo Ciani, for private events
The luxurious and prestigious Villa Ciani, one of the City’s most magnificent locations, offers 30 fully air-conditioned rooms on three levels with frescoed ceilings and wooden floors. Ideal for banquets and standing dinners for up to 400 guests, during the summer season it is also possible to organize cocktail receptions in the park around the villa and overlooking the lake. The neoclassical Villa has a direct indoor connection to the Convention Centre and accordingly it can be rented together or independently.
On the other side of the Convention Centre, the recently renovated historic building, Asilo Ciani, expands the meeting and banquet options. This venue offers an exclusive 280 sqm covered patio surmounted by a splendid early 20th century skylight, surrounded by 7 air-conditioned rooms and can be rented for receptions, banquets or exhibitions up to 300 people.
Sustainability at 360°
Lugano Convention & Exhibition manages all these meeting and conference venues and is committed to sustainability together with the City of Lugano. The team works in collaboration with local partners, catering companies, security, hotels and other services to help providing sustainable solutions and organizing events with a positive impact on the destination.
With a sustainability strategy and many current and future initiatives, Lugano Convention & Exhibition has been recently certified ISO 20121. Accordingly it has reached the third and last level of Swisstainable, the Swiss sustainability programme created by tourism for tourism.
Lugano: Swiss quality, Mediterranean flair
Monica Besomi
Business Development Manager
at Lugano Convention & Exhibition
What is Lugano Convention & Exhibition and what is its role?
Lugano Convention & Exhibition is the official organisation responsible for promoting Lugano as a destination for congresses, corporate events and exhibitions. Our role is twofold: on one hand, we manage and coordinate the city’s main event venues, including the Palazzo dei Congressi and Villa Ciani; on the other, we actively work on business development and congress acquisition, supporting organisers from the very first idea through to the realisation of their event. We act as a single point of contact, connecting organisers with local partners, institutions and service providers, and ensuring that events held in Lugano meet high standards of quality, sustainability and professionalism.
Venue names like Palazzo dei Congressi conjure up images of grandeur. Can you describe the Palazzo and tell us what makes it special?
The Palazzo dei Congressi is truly a landmark for Lugano. Opened in 1975, it has been at the heart of the city’s cultural and congress life for 50 years. What makes it special is its unique location: directly on the lakeshore, next to Parco Ciani and just a short walk from the city centre. It combines architectural character with functional versatility, offering an amphitheatre for up to 1,130 delegates, multiple breakout rooms and exhibition areas. Beyond the infrastructure, the Palazzo is deeply embedded in the city’s identity — it is both a congress centre and a civic space, a place where international events and local life naturally intersect.
Lugano is undoubtedly a wonderful city nestled between the mountains and the lake, but is there an ideal season for events?
Thanks to our mild climate, excellent infrastructure and cultural offer, Lugano works very well all year-round. That said, we actively promote off-peak and shoulder seasons (November to March) because hosting events outside peak tourist periods supports sustain ability and allows organizers to benefit from greater availability and flexibility.
With strong competition from cities like Zurich, Basel or Geneva, why should organisers choose Ticino – and Lugano in particular?
Lugano offers a distinctive combination that sets it apart from larger Swiss cities. First of all, it provides Swiss quality and efficiency with a Mediterranean flair — a mix that international delegates really appreciate. Secondly, Lugano is compact and walkable: venues, hotels, restaurants and cultural attractions are all close by, creating a seamless delegate experience. From a strategic point of view, we also work very closely with local Ambassadors — respected professionals who help bring national and international congresses to Lugano — and we actively promote the destination at major international B2B trade fairs. Finally, Ticino offers something increasingly important today: a sense of authenticity, quality of life and human scale, without compromising on professionalism.
Sustainability is an essential topic today. What initiatives are in place?
Sustainability is a core pillar of our strategy. Lugano Convention & Exhibition is ISO 20121 certified, which means we apply an internationally recognised standard for sustainable event management. We are also proud partners of Swisstainable, Level III – Leading, reflect ing our commitment to continuous improvement. Concrete measures include renewable source of electricity, waste reduction, local sourcing, sustainable mobility solutions and food waste. At the same time, we created a Sustainability guide (available for free online) which is a practical guideline to help organisers plan more responsible events giving tips and sustainable solutions. For us, sustainability is not a trend, but a shared journey with our partners — and a way to leave a positive legacy for the destination.
On a personal note, tell us a little about yourself and your personal ambitions to make Lugano the go to MICE destination.
In my role as Business Development Manager, my ambition is to contribute concretely to the long-term positioning of Lugano as a competitive and sustainable congress destination. My focus is on strengthening the collaboration among all the stakeholders, working hand in hand with our local Ambassadors and communicating actively the importance of the congress sector for the City of Lugano and the destination as a whole. What makes it even more exciting is the strategic project for the construction of a new Congress Centre in Lugano which is designed to respond to the current and future needs of international congresses and eventually host more than one congress at the same time. The new project represents a key opportunity to overcome existing constraints, strengthen Lugano’s international competitiveness and fully unlock the city’s potential in the global MICE market.