Philippine International Convention Center

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The Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) is a convention center in the Philippines. Located at the reclaimed area now known as the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex in Pasay City (a Manila suburb), this state-of-the-art facility has been the host of numerous local and foreign conventions, meetings, fairs, and social events.

On the presence of the PICC, Manila has always been tagged as a "Convention City".

PICC was also the home of the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines, until 2005.

[edit] History

Philippine International Convention Center

Presidential Decree No. 520 authorized the Central Bank of the Philippines (now Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) to construct an international conference building, acquire a suitable area for that purpose, and organize a corporation to manage a conference center. Thus, the PICC was organized under the Corporation Code.

The construction of the state-of-the-art PICC Complex was undertaken in a short span of 23 months, from November 1974 to September 1976, with Leandro Locsin as architect, who was subsequently named a National Artist.

On September 5, 1976, the PICC, Asia's first international convention center was officially opened to the world when it hosted the 1976 IMF-World Bank Meeting.

Presidential Decree No. 995 created the Batasang Bayan to function as a legislative body before the Interim Batasang Pambansa convened in 1978. So on September 21, 1976 on the 4th Anniversary of the birth of the Bagong Lipunan (New Society) the Batasang Bayan held its inauguration at the PICC. For the first time, the PICC was used to house a legislative body from 1976 to 1978.

The PICC is dedicated to the task of bringing peoples and nations together and providing a place where they can meet and exchange ideas that may perhaps open doors to better world understanding and peace.

As a venue of meetings, conferences, exhibitions, and special events, it caters to organizers of international, regional Asia Pacific, and local events by providing highly advanced conferencing equipment and facilities and, most importantly, friendly, efficient, and professional service.

[edit] Convention Features

35mm Slide projector, Amplifier, conference pads, pencils, pens. Equalizer, flags, flipchart with white board, PA system, portable stage, SI equipment booth, 8 m. x 6 m. projection screen, TV monitor, VHS player multi-system, video camera - CCTV type, laser pointer, follow spotlight, lapel microphone, stand microphone, table microphone, wireless microphone, and whiteboard.

The PICC's newly acquired conferencing equipment are AMX Integrated Remote Control System on motorized lectern, Motorized lecterns with light & clock timer, Visual Presenter (opaque and transparency projector), 67" Video Data Rear Projection Monitor, Wireless Infrared Simultaneous Interpretation (SI System), Portable Interpreters Booth, Slide to Video Converter, Conference Microphone System with Chairman's microphone, Voting and Audience Interaction System and Touch Screen Multi-media Kiosk.