Major Milan Expansion: Complete Yamaha Solution at MiCo CONGRESS CENTRE

With over 60 fully equipped rooms, more than 50,000 ㎡ of exhibition space and the ability to accommodate up to 18,000 delegates, Allianz MiCo is one of the largest and most modern congress centres in Europe. A major expansion of its networked Yamaha audio system has seen six DM7 Compact digital mixers, four DME7 signal processors, nearly 200 VXS8 speakers and much more added to its North and South wings.

Managed by Fiera Milano Congressi, part of the Fiera Milano Group, Allianz MiCo provides highly configurable spaces for any requirement. Hosting around 200 events each year, its distinctive comet-shaped roof is a landmark of the city of Milan.

The venue has relied on Yamaha audio equipment for several years, including RIVAGE PM7, CL5, M7CL and QL1 digital mixers, R-series and Tio1608-D I/O racks, XMV and PC series power amplifiers, plus VXS, DBR, DXR and HS series speakers.

“My knowledge of the Yamaha brand comes from years of experience as a professional sound engineer,” says Francesco Alafaci, Audio Technical Specialist at Fiera Milano Congressi. “Over the years, I have had the opportunity to use various Yamaha solutions in both live and fixed installations, appreciating their quality, reliability and ongoing updates.”

He continues, “Yamaha is the ideal choice for us, being one of the few brands capable of providing a complete ecosystem for the entire audio chain. We can rely on a single, integrated platform which includes (i) speakers for sound reinforcement in spaces of varying types and sizes; (ii) mixers, processors and DSPs for flexible, scalable management and routing of audio signals and (iii) standard interfaces and protocols, such as Dante, to ensure interoperability and reliability.”

Supplied directly by Yamaha and installed by Allianz MiCo Team in late 2025, the major expansion of the Yamaha system added six DM7 Compact digital mixers, four DME7 signal processors (each with a DEK¬DME7-DX64 128 channel expansion license), 194 VXS8W surface mount speakers, 36 PC406-D power amplifiers, 28 Tio1608-D I/O racks, six Rio1608-D2 I/O racks and three XMV4140-D multi-channel power amplifiers.

“The upgrade covered over 60 rooms and an area of a square kilometre, so this was a major project,” says Francesco. “At the heart of the design was advanced device and audio management, with implementation of scalable solutions. Each room had to be ready for events of varying complexity, without compromising audio quality.”

The project involved installing a comprehensive Dante network, designed for stable connectivity, flexibility, centralised management and full redundancy. With the complexity of a project that demanded long¬term, future-proof consistency and reliability throughout the system, the scale of the installation presented significant challenges. As well as the necessary flexibility, there was the logistical challenge of cabling and technical coordination across such a large area. Meticulous planning was essential.

“Using a Yamaha ecosystem meant we were able to significantly simplify the integration process - avoiding the typical issues found when using devices from different manufacturers, such as differences in protocols, compatibility, and management,” says Francesco. “It meant we could reduce the complexity of configuration and maintenance, ensure consistent audio quality across all rooms and streamline technical support. Despite the system’s flexibility, it has meant we can supervise and, if necessary, rapidly intervene across all 60 rooms from a single control point.

“Obviously, reliability and operational continuity are essential, and I have found that Yamaha devices prove stable even under intensive use, minimizing the risk of downtime. Yamaha’s ongoing support and firmware updates also mean that system performance is continually enhanced.

“We are aware that it was perhaps an uncommon choice to use a single manufacturer for a project of this magnitude, but collaborating with Yamaha provided real added value. The experience with the Yamaha Pro Audio team has been extremely positive, the quality of the products and the technical support have made it possible to deliver a complex project with maximum reliability.”