Officine del Volo is an event venue in Milan for meetings, conferences, product launches, galas, private parties and weddings, with rooms for up to 450 people seated in theater style and up to 400 at a standing buffet in a single room. It occupies a restored early 20th century industrial building in the former Caproni aircraft factory district, in the Mecenate area of eastern Milan, a few minutes from Linate Airport.
Seminars and company events
The venue has run since 2003 as a multi-purpose space for corporate and private events. For meetings and conventions the site lists three main rooms plus a fourth, Loft, and an outdoor courtyard, so several stages of one event can run at the same time: a plenary in one room, breakouts in another, a coffee area in the courtyard. The rooms are independent, with several entrances, and can also be combined.
Seated capacities for an audience are 200 in Eliche, 450 in Biplano and 230 in Monoplano. The rooms have sound-absorbing panels to limit echo, natural light and window shades. The official list of formats includes meetings, conferences, incentives and press days, as well as galas, special nights, live show dinners, product launches, photo and video production, fashion shows and trade fairs.
Weddings and receptions
The venue also takes weddings and anniversaries, in an urban loft setting. The rooms have different capacities, so the same site works for a small reception or a large one. A sit-down dinner or a buffet are both possible. The courtyard and the rooms can be used at the same time for the ceremony, the aperitif and the dinner.
Rooms and capacities
The rooms are named after aircraft. Eliche is on the ground floor and covers 500 sq m. Biplano is on the first floor, also 500 sq m. Monoplano is on the first floor and covers 300 sq m. Loft is a ground floor space of 200 sq m with its own private garden, set just across from the main building. The courtyard is an outdoor area of 150 sq m. The home page quotes more than 2,000 sq m in total.
For a standing buffet, the site gives 400 people in Eliche, 400 in Biplano and 300 in Monoplano. A further room called Bimotore, 119 sq m, serves as the catering room, with its own entrance, a loading area and freight lifts.
Loft is fitted for presentations. It has a resident indoor LED wall of 350 by 200 cm, a modular stage of 300 by 100 cm, a Bose sound system with a microphone and mixer, LED stage lighting, fiber internet distributed by Wi-Fi and cable, heating and air conditioning, and a bar area. Its garden doors open from the room to the lawn. The ceiling height is 4.77 meters.
Catering
The venue works with a selected group of suppliers who know the building: catering, audio and video, technical staff, entertainment and flowers. The organizer can therefore build a complete event through the venue rather than hiring each trade separately.
History and setting
The district housed the Caproni aircraft factory during the two World Wars. The industrial architecture of the early 20th century was restored by the architect and founder Nicola Gisonda, who added contemporary design details. The venue received the Best Venue for Events in Italy title at the 2016 BEA Best Location Awards, according to the official site.
Getting there
The address is Via Mecenate 76/5, 20138 Milan. The site states that Milan Linate Airport is a few minutes away, along with the Repetti station on metro line M4 and the Tangenziale Est motorway exit. The venue has private parking. Several hotels stand in the same district, and the site lists Moxy Milan Linate Airport and Novo Hotel among its useful addresses, as well as Collini Rooms on Via Mecenate.
