Our history
The history of Stockholmsmässan begins in 1942, under the name St Eriks mässan (The S:t Erik’s fair). The brothers Börje and Folke Claeson had been to the continent to visit various fairs and were inspired to set up a fair in Stockholm. Initially, the Royal Tennis Stadium was rented for trade fair activities.
Some milestones
1964
The new owners, the City of Stockholm and the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, takes over.
1966
The S:t Eriks fair is to move and its new location is proposed to be either in Älvsjö or by Järvafältet, north of Stockholm.
1971
The exhibition area in Älvsjö, with 20,300 square meters of exhibition space, is inaugurated by King Gustav VI Adolf with Halls A and B. Älvsjö Gård is renovated and serves as a residence for the CEO of Stockholmsmässan.
1976
The S:t Eriks fair changes its name to Stockholmsmässan.
1977
Hall C with 6,000 square meters of exhibition space, including a gallery and brasserie, is being built.
1981
Hall D opens with an exhibition space of around 4,000 square meters, as well as a new gallery and entrance square.
1985
Hall E opens with 8,900 square meters of exhibition space.
1992
The conversion of the former Hall B into a combined exhibition and congress hall, and the new Victoria Hall is completed.
2000
The new Stockholmsmässan is inaugurated by King Carl XVI Gustaf, with a new 14,000 square meter Hall C, new facades, new restaurants, new entrances and new congress facilities.
2001
The EU summit is held at Stockholmsmässan. Sweden holds the Presidency and under the leadership of the Prime Minister, all EU heads of state are welcomed.
2002
The owners of Sollentunamässan AB decides to start closing down their trade fair operations, and Stockholmsmässan takes over all of Sollentunamässan’s brands.
2006
The fair’s hotel, Rica Talk Hotel opens. The hotel is 18 floors high with 248 rooms and suites.
2009
Stockholmsmässan’s new extension has been completed and the total floor space amounts to 70,000 square meters. Stockholmsmässan is now the largest exhibition and congress center in the Nordic region.
The EU summit is held at Stockholmsmässan for the second time. Sweden holds the Presidency and under the leadership of the Prime Minister, all EU heads of state are welcomed.
2013
The completely rebuilt main entrance opens. Älvsjö Gård is undergoing an extensive renovation in order to be rented out as a conference venue for exclusive meetings in a manor house environment.
2014
Scandic takes over Rica Hotel and it’s re-named to Scandic Talk Hotel.
Stockholmsmässan gets new digital infrastructure and one of the most modern wireless networks in the world.
2017
A digital signage system is being introduced throughout the site and outdoors.
Stockholmsmässan celebrates 75 years!
2019
Stockholmsmässan gets the ISO certification for sustainable events (ISO 20121).
2020
The Covid-19 pandemic breaks out and all events are canceled. Hall A is converted into a field hospital, which is never used. During the pandemic, the facility was used for mail delivery, vaccination and paddle games.
2022
Stockholm +50 took place in June 2022. The meeting, organized by the UN and hosted by Sweden and Kenya, brought together more than 4000 participants from 155 countries.
SHORE certification for event safety.
2024
Stockholmsmässan changes its logo and gets a new graphic profile.
Updated wireless network according to the latest standard.