With Mareterra, the Grimaldi Forum has more space to breathe

Good news for business tourism in the Principality: with Mareterra, the Grimaldi Forum sees its surface area increase to 85,000 m².

Wood-cutting workshops with machine tools on the new extension of the Grimaldi Forum (GF), reclaimed from the sea...it was as if the Highland Games were being played in the heart of Monaco, complete with hammer and caber tossing! The new space of Monaco's cultural and congress centre started its life with a unique, offbeat exhibition, hosting one of the world's leading suppliers of tools, Milwaukee, for three weeks.
The teams had to work extra hard to be operational, with delivery on 20 December 2024 and not 31 October as initially planned: "Taking charge of such a building is not like an apartment where you simply go in and switch the lights on. There are lots of things to test to make sure everything works: getting used to handling and manipulating the movable partitions, etc," observes, with a smile, Sylvie Biancheri, the Grimaldi Forum's Director, who fought for this extension, designed by architects, Alexandre Giraldi and Patrick Raymond, and which represents a total gain of 50% of new modular spaces, or 6,000m² and 2,000m² of new outdoor spaces, making the most of our 300 days of sunshine per year. "For the Grimaldi Forum, which is already 20 metres under the sea and limited in height, it was now or never to have an extension." It was unthinkable to miss the boat. "If we had failed to convince the government and the Palace of the interest of such an extension, it would have condemned us to limit ourselves to a certain turnover, knowing that some major events were at their maximum potential and we had to support them in their development."

€24 million in 2024
As proof that the GF was cramped, in recent years it was even necessary to build a 2,000 m² marquee to host events of more than 1,200 people and provide a reception area. This was the case for the Aesthetic and Anti-Ageing Medicine World Congress (AMWC), which brings together 15,000 exhibitors and visitors each year. Unsurprisingly, the AMWC has already reserved the extension for 2025. At the convention centre, which posted a record turnover of €24 million in 2024, they know it will do even better in 2025. "We are going to be much more competitive! We have almost filled the GF's reservation book for 2025!” The extension corresponds to 25% of the venue's rental turnover.

Sylvie Biancheri believes in a classic curiosity effect in events. "Novelty sparks imagination - and so much the better. We're going to have new business and some organisers are already wondering how to adapt their events to make them more attractive," explains the manager, confident about the future performance of this new asset, which blends in perfectly with the brand new Mareterra district. "The planets are aligned now. Suddenly, everything is beautiful, everything is clean. The hotels are almost all renovated. There had been works all over Monaco for 10 years. It was an obstacle course for our clients. Many told us they would wait until the work was finished to come back. Now, we are at our best," adds the boss of the Grimaldi Forum, according to whom the new catering offer - 99 Sushi Bar, Marco and Marlow - is an undeniable plus.
All that is missing to complete the attractiveness of the place in the face of competition is a 350-room, four-star hotel, a need that is all the more pressing with the expansion at sea. "Today, when there are large trade fairs, the 2,700 rooms in the Principality are fully occupied. As soon as a hotel closes, capacities are restricted," warns Sylvie Biancheri, who brought the wish for a new establishment to the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), along with the Director of Tourism, Guy Antognelli - an urgent matter at a time when it is said that the 450-room Méridien in Larvotto is to be demolished. "We cannot touch Le Méridien without having planned another solution for an equivalent number of rooms," warns Sylvie Biancheri.

"For our 25th anniversary, let's go crazy!"

Bringing horses onto the Salle des Princes stage for an Indian wedding, building an ice rink on the Salle des Princes stage, tennis or padel courts with stands in the Hall Ravel...Inaugurated in 2000, the Grimaldi Forum has already organised some crazy events. For the next quarter of a century, there is no question of stopping there. After a colourful inauguration, the centre will this summer host the first off-site exhibition of masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou*. "The promise has been fulfilled. These really are only masterpieces by Kandinsky, Picasso, Matisse, Soulages, Dubuffet, Warhol, Dali, Magritte, Basquiat..." assures Sylvie Biancheri, who guarantees "a sensory explosion." An IRCAM engineer will create a specific sound for each room colour, whilst Fragonard will design a dedicated perfume. “It’s going to be very fun, very original and I think quite moving…We said to ourselves, for our 25th anniversary, let’s go crazy!” before Monaco and the Automobile and Magritte take over in 2026 and 2027.
This 25th anniversary will also be marked by the organisation of the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (7-8 June 2025) as part of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3), which will be held in Nice from 9 to 13 June, an event that will be “transmitted in all the countries participating. It’s important for the image of the Grimaldi Forum and the recognition of our know-how,” enthuses the director.

* Exhibition: Colours! Masterpieces of the Centre Pompidou – 8 July to 31 August 2025

25 years in figures

+ 2,700 events including 2,000 in business tourism
7.6 million visitors, equivalent to around 100 events and 300,000 visitors per year!
2024: the best turnover of the GF at €24 million
Surface area increased from 75,000 to 85,000m² between 2000 and 2025 (35,000 to 41,000m² in modular surfaces and 1,800 to 3,800 m² marketable outdoor spaces)
A 1,000m² stage (equivalent to Opéra Bastille)
2,500 m² of solar panels on the roof - Monaco's leading producer of solar energy
99.3% of permanent employees on permanent contracts and 0.7% on fixed-term contracts
62% of employees in their position for more than 10 years, including 37% for more than 20 years
50% of women amongst executives (and 80% amongst members of the Management Committee)
A dozen nationalities represented
Teleworking one day per week and flexible hours
Three-year training commitment for each permanent employee
Fight against food waste and poverty: distribution of nearly three tons of unconsumed food and drinks from events in 2024
One day of working time per employee to support a charitable cause
Value creation in the region estimated at €70 million in indirect economic benefits: 140 permanent employees, 44 professions and more than 300 temporary workers, 700 suppliers and service providers and a pool of 5,000 jobs