OcéaNice ©VDN-David Nouy The launch of a major new convention centre in Europe is rare enough to merit attention. But in Nice, it signals something more: the reconfiguration of the port into a civic and international hub. For decades, Nice’s reputation has rested on its climate, its role as gateway to the Côte d’Azur, and its ease of access by air and rail. With OcéaNice, the city adds a facility that anchors those advantages within a visible urban project – one that reimagines its relationship with the Mediterranean while positioning itself as a platform for global exchange.
A centre rooted in the city
Unlike many large convention complexes built on urban peripheries, OcéaNice is unapologetically central. Situated directly on the port, delegates can walk to the Old Town, the Promenade des Anglais, or Place Masséna in less than ten minutes. The airport, France’s second-largest international hub, is 25 minutes away by tram. Within a 20-minute radius on foot, 4,000 hotel rooms are available, half of them in four- and five-star properties.
This integration into the urban fabric is also strategic. By making it possible for delegates to experience the city between sessions, the centre creates a porous boundary between professional exchange and cultural immersion. That approach reflects a wider European trend in which conferences are not isolated from cities but embedded within them.
Architecture with a message
OcéaNice offers more than 10,000 sqm of event space, designed for flexibility. Its main hall, NICEA, accommodates up to 2,500 delegates, while the modular Lympia rooms support smaller configurations. The rooftop, Lympia 360, offers a striking 360-degree panorama – 1,400 square metres with views of sea, port, and city, explicitly designed for high-end receptions and gala dinners.
But the building’s significance lies less in its numbers than in its design philosophy. Constructed with 94% reusable, recyclable, or repurposed materials – including modular components from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games – it represents one of the most ambitious examples of circular architecture in the events sector.
Already engaged in ISO 20121 certification, OcéaNice is part of a larger effort to embed sustainability in the very DNA of urban infrastructure. Plans are already in place for parts of the site to serve during the 2030 Olympic Games, extending its role as a flexible, adaptive structure.
Ghislain Mariette
A wider transformation
The opening of OcéaNice cannot be separated from the broader repositioning of Nice’s waterfront. Long associated with leisure and tourism, the port area is being reframed as a civic stage for international dialogue, culture, and innovation.
Hosting L’Océan de Léa, an immersive exhibition staged throughout the summer of 2025, was part of that strategy, inviting the public to discover the building in a poetic, marine-inspired setting. Future cultural programmes are set to continue each summer, embedding the centre in the daily life of the city rather than reserving it for specialist audiences.
This dual role – as a venue for international summits and as a platform for public engagement – illustrates how the centre is being positioned not just as a piece of infrastructure but as a legacy project. It is meant to generate continuity between the global and the local, between one-off events and permanent transformation.
OcéaNice in numbers
- NICEA – a modual hall of 4,000 sqm for up to 2,500 delegates
- the Lympia rooms – 1,200 sqm, divisible into 4 breakout spaces
- the Lympia 360 Rooftop – a 1,400-sqm panoramic terrace (800 guests for cocktails, 1,500 seated dinners, and 2,600 standing receptions)
- the Lympia Esplanade – 600 sqm, ground-level outdoor space
- Quai Infernet – 2,300 sqm open-air installations
Nice as Mediterranean capital
For the city as a whole, the new centre enhances a competitive ecosystem. Nice has long claimed status as a Mediterranean capital: a UNESCO World Heritage site with 300 days of sun each year, an established hub for research and innovation, and a highly accessible gateway with 120 direct air connections to 45 countries. The accommodation base is equally strong, with 14,000 hotel rooms, of which 54 properties carry the Green Key environmental label (and 3,000 at walking distance of OcéaNice).
Complemented by larger venues such as Allianz Riviera and Palais Nikaïa, OcéaNice completes a portfolio that allows the city to host events of any scale. Yet its true value lies in its symbolism: it anchors Nice’s ambition to position itself at the intersection of international diplomacy, cultural creativity, and sustainable urbanism.
Beyond the opening
The programming already reflects this duality. After the UN Ocean Conference and its inaugural exhibition, OcéaNice will host Nice Boating Tomorrow in March 2026, a showcase for the nautical industry that will fully exploit its unique portside setting. Such events are designed not just as isolated gatherings but as markers in a longer narrative: the transformation of Nice’s waterfront into a space of global relevance.
In this sense, OcéaNice is more than a new convention centre. It is a civic gesture, a legacy project, and a symbol of Nice’s reinvention. Where once the port was the point of departure for ships, it is now becoming a point of arrival for ideas, encounters, and the shaping of futures.
For more information, contact Nice Côte d’Azur Convention Bureau at
conventionbureau@nicecotedazurtourisme.com or visit
meet-in-nicecotedazur.com