THE CONFERENCE CENTRE: Lucerne is a festival city so KKL – the Culture & Convention Centre – was a fabulous replacement for the old facility and stunning landmark to the city skyline a decade ago. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and acoustician Russell Johnson, it’s perfectly placed on the water’s edge in the centre of the city, next door to the railway station and lake cruise pick-up points. KKL keeps spare dry clothes for those who can’t detect water from floor.
THE FACILITIES: KKL has multiple entrances and tight security was in evidence at the formal entryway of the building the evening
I attended a concert. The venue hosts everything from concerts and car launches to exhibitions and trade fairs. State-of-the-art audiovisual technology and world-class acoustics are common to all facilities. The shoebox-shaped Concert Hall is its centrepiece. It has five interpreter booths and 1,840 seats or 1,300 theatre-style. There is a fabulously decadent auditorium on the first floor, with 270 comfy leather chairs each with pull-out tables and gold embroidered number, wireless headphones and two interpreter booths. Best for meetings, seminars, lectures and readings. The multi-functional Lucerne Hall on the ground floor has movable partitions and can host banquets for 900, with standing room for 1,600 or 450 for a seminar. There's an open-air terrace with a monolithic copper and reflective steel cantilevered roof the size of two football fields above, which frames the entire city. It is an amazing space for receptions and meetings, punctuated with white leather sofas. On a much smaller scale, there are six Club Rooms on the second floor which can accommodate up to 220 and, one floor up, three rooms for between ten and 50, plus a VIP Crystal Lounge.
THE RESTAURANT: For elegant dining the Gault Millau-accredited Red Restaurant on the first floor impresses, with cool grey leather tables to sit at and a backdrop of fine wines. Healthy salads and superb desserts are on offer at the deli-style World Café on the ground floor and more hearty fare at the open-air Waterfront on the side of the building. There is also the stylish Seebar.
THE VERDICT: This is a sleek looking and slick operation in the heart of the city, geared up to the MICE industry for half its 600 annual events.
