The SwissTech Convention Center hosts congresses, conferences, seminars, assemblies and gala dinners for 40 to 3,000 guests. It stands in the north quarter of the EPFL campus in Ecublens, next to Lausanne, and can be used as a single room or as a set of up to twenty spaces, depending on the size of the event.
Seminars and company events
The building is organized around three auditoriums, A, B and C. Their architecture lets the three rooms operate as one large hall or as separate rooms, and the number of seats in each room can be changed in a few minutes. This suits a day that opens with a plenary session and continues in smaller groups. A fourth auditorium, D, is equipped for hybrid and fully virtual events, with live streaming and interactive tools for remote participants.
The official configurator starts at 200 people for one day. Smaller company meetings fit in the closed rooms of the garden level, where an organizer can book from one to five rooms at a time. Conferences, assemblies and congresses each have their own recommended layouts on the site, with daylight options for longer programs.
Rooms and capacities
Three levels structure the center. Level 2, called Cloud, holds Auditorium C and the Cloud foyer. Level 1, Campus, holds Auditoriums A and B, the Campus foyer and an outdoor esplanade. Level 0, Garden, offers 29 spaces: closed rooms, which can be combined from one to five, and an open plenary space.
For a congress or a formal assembly, the center states a maximum of 3,000 people. A gala dinner can reach close to one thousand seated guests, and the Campus foyer is available for receptions and cocktails. The center describes itself as fully flexible, with from one to twenty rooms in use depending on the program.
Catering and services
Four service areas are run by the center's own teams: audiovisual, catering, exhibition and event management. An organizer can therefore plan the whole event with one contact. The center also publishes a sustainability policy and gives clients practical recommendations for reducing the footprint of their event, including clear access information for participants who travel by public transport.
Les Bois Chamblard
For smaller or more private formats, the center also offers Les Bois Chamblard, a property of 60,000 square meters in a preserved and well-kept green setting. The official site states up to 120 people for special events and up to 72 people for workshops and seminars.
History and setting
The center is part of the EPFL north quarter, a university campus with students, professors and staff of more than 120 nationalities. Organizers of scientific, technical and business events benefit from this setting, which is reflected in the congresses the center regularly welcomes.
Getting there
The address is Route Louis-Favre 2, 1024 Ecublens. The center can be reached by train, metro or car. The website gives 12 minutes from central Lausanne, 57 minutes from Geneva airport and 2 hours 50 minutes from Zurich airport. The site also lists flight times from major European cities to Geneva and Zurich, which helps with international delegates.
