77000 - Bella Center
http://www.bella.dk/English/Live/77000
77.000 sq m of Denmark become UN territory On 7 December, the UN assumes control of a chunk of Denmark. For 12 days, 77,000 square metres of Bella Centre's premises in Copenhagen will cease to be Danish - instead they will be the world's. The climate summit is the biggest event of its kind by far to be held in Denmark, both politically and practically. When Bella Center hands over the keys to the UN on Friday 4 December, it will be the culmination of several years of planning and eight weeks of hectic build-up. "Over the past few weeks, we have had more than 400 tradesmen involved in building several hundred offices and meeting rooms, laying 900 km of cable for computers and TV installations, preparing 5,500 workplaces, renting 15,000 extra chairs, building 14,000 square metres of new pavilions etc...." Bella Center's CEO Arne Bang Mikkelsen is almost breathless with pride. As is Kristian Ortving, Bella Center's Technical Director: "Success hinges on experience, fully committed employees, flexible suppliers and a plan that holds - which it will," he guarantees. The plan is to create the best possible framework for the UN Climate Change Conference - a framework which the UN is very much involved in deciding. A manual is actually available that specifies which facilities are required for a summit, and how smart they can be. The principle is that it must be possible for any country to hold such summits, and that no country should be excluded from doing so because of the practicalities. This is not the first time that Bella Center is holding a large, international conference. However, COP15 is nevertheless special. Not just because of its size, but just as much its duration. "It's not like having 15,000 people visiting for a couple of days. We've tried that with, for example, the EU summit in 2002 or the UN Social Summit. It's not having heads of state from around the world visiting either. The big practical challenge presented by this summit is that it lasts not three or four days but twelve. On top of which it's 24 hours a day," says Arne Bang Mikkelsen. The summit is therefore a particular challenge for the kitchens, especially because every available square metre at Bella Center is being used for the conference. Without additional storage space, the kitchen has had to rent a number of refrigerated containers, and every night several lorries of fresh organic produce will need to be driven in. At the height of the summit in the second week, 80-100 chefs will be in full swing as well as 400 waiters, table clearers and washer-uppers. And every morning Brian M책nsson, the sous chef, will doubtless ask himself: "Will 4,000 or 14,000 people be ordering dinner tonight? How many will want vegetarian meals, and how many will want the dish of the day? How many sandwiches will we need to make - 5,000? And how many people will be wanting something to eat at 2 in the morning?" Both the menus and the prices are designed to suit all nationalities and budgets - about DKK 25 for a vegetarian dish and DKK 30 for the dish of the day. "No one will be leaving the summit feeling hungry. Whether the participants reach agreement is up to the politicians. But we will certainly provide the best possible setting," says CEO Arne Bang Mikkelsen.
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12/2/09 2:08 PM