K 2019 will see a revamped and expanded Messe Düsseldorf Hall 1

Düsseldorf, Germany -- Two years and 140 million euros later, the home of the K show is unveiling some big changes.

Not long after the completion of the last K show in 2016, Messe Düsseldorf unveiled plans for a modernization project aimed at the south entrance and reconstruction of two halls.

The project, now complete, is part of a larger master plan that will see the investment of about 636 million euros until 2030.

Messe Düsseldorf is a busy place, hosting dozens of trade fairs each year. But not all of them are as large as the K show.

Waiting until after the last K show to start construction — and wrapping it up before this year's version — allowed organizers to avoid any unnecessary impact on the triennal show.

Construction took more than two years and saw the demolition of both Hall 1 and 2 to create a more modern and slightly larger meeting and exhibition space.

It opened in late September that the new Hall 1 just in time for Expopharm, an event for the European pharmacy business.

Messe Düsseldorf scheduled the construction work during a time where it could afford to lose some exhibition space. But the facility will be in steady use between now and late June, during what is described as an "extremely busy exhibition period," Messe Düsseldorf CEO Werner Matthias Dornscheidt said in a statement.

"Our plans have worked out. We capitalized on the less busy trade fair cycle since summer 2017 for the construction work and now have the new hall ready to be used," he said.

The project creates a singular Hall 1 with 12,027 square meters, or 129,457 square feet, of floor space with no pillars.

That's enough room to play a game of football, known as soccer in the United States, and still have enough room for another half of a field.

Of course, you could also play a game of U.S. football, known as American football in the rest of the world, as the field sizes are similar in size. There are no plans to play football or American football in the exhibition space, however.

The new hall is a nearly 158 meters long and nearly 78 meters wide. At 20 meters high, the building provides 15 meters of clearance space for exhibitors.

More than 4,500 truckloads of soil were excavated during the construction — a total of 120,000 tons or 65,000 square meters. And 28,000 square meters of new concrete, which equals about 4,000 truckloads, were used to create the new building.

The building's foyer features a glass facade measuring 1,808 square meters, or about 19,500 square feet.

Creation of the new Hall 1, where the old Hall 1 and Hall 2 previously stood, now means there is no Hall 2 on the fairgrounds, which has maintained the existing numbering system for the remaining buildings.

Messe Düsseldorf gains 558 square meters, or 6,006 square feet, of additional space compared with the size of the old halls that were replaced.

The new hall includes six conference rooms, each measuring 200 square meters, large enough to accommodate 198 people.

Each of these rooms also can be partitioned in the middle to accommodate meeting needs.

While the new space will be ready to host plastics people from around the world, Messe Düsseldorf said Hall 1 also will be available for events not associated with exhibitions. Up to 10,000 people can be accommodated through row seating.

"With this move, Messe Düsseldorf considerably increases the utilization possibilities of the hall in response to current developments in the trade fair and event business," the company said in announcing completion of the project.

"Our leading trade fairs are places for the international knowledge transfer of all players — from science and startups to global players," Dornscheidt said in a statement.

"The accompanying conferences are therefore becoming increasingly important. The new Hall 1 and the new South entrance also open up completely new opportunities for Messe Düsseldorf and our subsidiary Düsseldorf Congress in terms of renting our exhibition center to partners, for the city's appeal as a congress and convention destination, and hence, the development of the international congress business," he continued.

Messe Düsseldorf Group saw about 1.14 million visitors and 26,800 exhibitors in 2018. The company organizes its own trade fairs as well as hosts events organized by others.

The company's Düsseldorf Congress subsidiary hosts about 2,200 conventions, corporate events, conferences and meetings each year that attract another 1.6 million people. Messe Düsseldorf Group is also involved in another 70 events held in other countries. Revenue, last year, was 294 million euros.

The construction project provides Messe Düsseldorf with "a contemporary presence directly on the banks of the Rhine River with a view towards Düsseldorf," according to a description by the trade fair.

The entrance includes a lighted, translucent awning rising 20 meters above the ground.

The 140 million-euro project is worth about $152.7 million.

"The awning gives the Düsseldorf exhibition center a new face and a distinctive address in a unique position," Jurek Slapa, managing partner the Slapa Oberholz Pszczulny architekten in Düsseldorf, designers of the new building, said in a statement.