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IFEMA Exhibition Centre

The IFEMA Trade Fair Centre or Juan Carlos I Trade Fair Centre () is a permanent trade fair facility in the Barajas district of Madrid, Spain. It is operated by Spanish commercial fair organiser IFEMA.

The building has 200,000 m<sup>2</sup> of covered exhibition space distributed across twelve pavilions, a convention center of more than 10,000 m<sup>2</sup>, and the necessary spaces and facilities for the optimal development of the activities held there, such as a meeting area, an auditorium for 600 attendees, numerous restaurants, and 14,000 parking spaces.

History

It began operating in 1980. For a time, IFEMA-organized events were held in the pavilions of the Casa de Campo peri-urban park. In 1991, King Juan Carlos inaugurated a new fairground in a developing area called . Over time, pavilions were added to the complex. In the same Campo de las Naciones, next to the fairgrounds, is the , formerly managed by municipal company Madridec (acronym for Madrid Espacios y Congresos), which also managed other event spaces in the city. Madridec went bankrupt in 2013, dissolving as a company, with its assets and debts transferring directly to the City Council.

Other uses

Following the Spanair accident, which occurred on August 20, 2008, a makeshift funeral home was set up in pavilion number six of the IFEMA exhibition center, where the bodies of the deceased were taken.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the joint construction of a was announced on March 20, 2020, by the Community of Madrid administration, the Ministry of Health, and the Military Emergency Unit, with a maximum capacity of 5,000 beds and another 500 in the Intensive Care Unit. Pavilion 14 had previously been converted into a shelter to accommodate homeless people during the pandemic. Two days later the first patients began to arrive, and by March 28 there were already 581. By this date, pavilions 5 and 9 were operational, 7 would be soon, and 1 and 3 are reserved in case they are needed. Pavilion 10 is used as a warehouse.

References

External links