An exhibition centre is a central focus of a city’s economic life, and in many cases a unique expression of its image. For this reason, as well as offering adequate space and infrastructure, it must make a strong, clearly recognizable architectural statement. Over the past couple of decades, new technology and globalization have transformed trade fairs: today they are not so much markets as forums for the exchange of information and contacts. This new volume in the Construction and Design Manual series spotlights twenty-two exemplary European buildings that have overcome the resulting architectural challenges. It also includes an overview of the cultural history of European trade fairs, and an interview on successful exhibitioncentre design with Volkwin Marg of gmp Architekten, one of the world s leading specialists in this area of architecture.