Upgrade and expansion of MECC Maastricht to start

The upgrade and expansion of MECC Maastricht will begin in June. The total investment involved is €49 million. The Province of Limburg and the municipality of Maastricht will each contribute an additional €6.8 million to finance the upgrade and expansion of MECC Maastricht and to give an added boost to the local development of the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus.

Larger spin-off

The upgrade and expansion will lead to more conferences and a larger spin-off for the city. The annual economic value will rise from an estimated €70 million to €80 million for the region. Maastricht’s image as the capital of Limburg and as a conference city will be further enhanced. Finally, this development will provide a boost to the local development of the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus. Deputy for Tourism and Urban Development, Eric Geurts, explains. ‘The development of MECC Maastricht is extremely important for tourism in Limburg. After the completion of the upgrade and expansion, MECC Maastricht will become even more appealing as an international exhibition and conference centre. Together with the municipality and various partners, we have made major investments in the urban development and accessibility of the city in recent years. This is also really important since tourism is one of the mainstays underpinning our economy.’

Future-proof

The costs of making MECC Maastricht future-proof were initially budgeted at over €35 million. After a European-wide call for tenders, the winning bid was ultimately more expensive than the budget made available for the project, a result of the currently overheated construction sector and a risk that was acknowledged earlier in the process. This is the reason the Province and municipality of Maastricht have now each offered to invest over €6.8 million in addition to the amount previously made available, and to prevent the project from suffering delays. According to Deputy Joost van den Akker, the investment will pay for itself in the long run. ‘The Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus has been experiencing dynamic local development for over five years now. The renovation of the MECC will give the area yet another boost which will not only provide us with a more attractive conference centre, but the entire Brightlands philosophy about the area will take on substantially more added value,’ according to Van den Akker.

Municipality of Maastricht

Alderman John Aarts of Maastricht is happy that the renovation works can begin. ‘We are grateful that the province is once again helping with the financing. This proves how important MECC Maastricht is for our city and for Limburg, particularly now that the municipality of Maastricht has regained control over the conference centre, we are seeing that the MECC is working hard on the future. This upgrade and renovation project fits in perfectly with these plans, and will help make MECC Maastricht an even stronger player on the conference market. This is naturally very crucial to the economy of our city.’ The work for the upgrade and expansion of MECC Maastricht has been awarded to Mertens Bouwbedrijf BV in Weert.

International allure

‘Maastricht is famous for its international allure and has been high on the wish-list of many international conference organisers for years. Thanks to the upgrade and expansion of MECC Maastricht, starting in 2021 the city of Maastricht and the MECC Maastricht will be able to be of even better service to organisers of international conferences lasting several days. We will be able to accommodate events for up to 5,000 guests, whereas our current capacity is being able to host a maximum of 3,000 people simultaneously. This will help us to play an even larger role in the international conference world,’ according to Rob van de Wiel, Director of MECC Maastricht.

Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus

MECC Maastricht is part of the Brightlands Maastricht Health Campus, where even more major investments are due to be made in the coming years. One of these is the new building for MUMC+, Mosae Vita, opposite MECC Maastricht. The public spaces at the campus will also be undergoing a facelift, offering more space to cyclists and hikers in a park-like setting.