by Nina Vaclavikova
interview: Roberto Morelli, President of Trieste Convention Center (TCC), the company managing the Generali Convention Center Trieste (GCC); Everest Bertoli, Councilor for Finance and Budget
The Generali Convention Center Trieste hosted a meeting of the city council’s Third Commission on Wednesday, where Roberto Morelli, president of Trieste Convention Center, presented the venue’s results since 2022 and plans to expand its facilities.
From May 2022 through September 2026, the center hosted 358 events, recording about 326,500 attendances and 1,610 event days. The company reported that revenue increased from €1.5 million in 2022 to €4.8 million in 2025, when it recorded a net profit of €458,000.
The center’s occupancy rate reached 65 percent in 2025, compared with a reported national average of 31.7 percent among comparable convention and exhibition venues. GCC expects occupancy to reach 69 percent in 2026.
According to estimates based on spending data from Federcongressi and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, events held at the center generated an estimated €102.5 million in economic activity in Trieste between 2022 and 2026, including spending on hotels, restaurants, transportation, retail and event services.
The commission also examined plans to restore the nearby Magazzino 27 bis, a historic 1,640-square-meter building in Trieste’s Porto Vecchio. The proposed project would add about 17 percent to the center’s existing event space and connect the building to Magazzino 27 through a glass structure.
The planned facility would include three modular halls, each initially accommodating about 180 people, with larger configurations possible. Combined, the spaces could create an auditorium for roughly 750 to 800 people and could also be adapted for trade fairs and exhibitions.
GCC said it turned down about 40 event requests in 2025 because of space limitations and said similar constraints have continued in 2026.
The proposed expansion has an estimated cost of €7.45 million, excluding VAT. The financing plan calls for €3.75 million from the company and €3.7 million in requested funding from the Municipality of Trieste, subject to approval. The proposal also includes extending the current concession, which expires in 2040, to 2050.
Morelli said the center is currently handling six international congress inquiries scheduled between 2029 and 2032 that, according to GCC, would require the additional space.
The project remains subject to the city’s administrative approval process.
