A 66: A Modern and Vibrant Venue for Open Communication
As a pioneer in scholarly Open Access publishing, MDPI is invested in advancing open communication. A 66 is an event space in a historic building located centrally in Basel, Switzerland. The entire building is available for hire, offering an ideal space for facilitating innovative exchange.
In this article, we speak to Peter Roth, Head of Publishing, about what A 66 offers and how it relates to MDPI’s mission.
MDPI’s mission
Since 1997, MDPI has been committed to advancing open scientific exchange. At a time when scholarly findings were exclusively published in subscription-based journals, MDPI allowed researchers to freely access and reuse findings from its journals.
For nearly 3 decades, MDPI has expanded its journal portfolio, featuring more than 495 journals as of December 2025.
Open Access has fundamentally changed scientific communication and reflects a broader demand for open communication. Given MDPI’s commitment to fostering open exchange, A 66 was established as a modern and vibrant venue to facilitate it.
What is A 66?
Peter Roth explains:
A 66 is an event location—a few steps away from the street surrounded by trees—in a calm and historical part of Basel, Switzerland. It’s not just one room, it’s an entire building with a main hall for about 120 people with flexible seating options, including a bar, bistro, lounge area, spacious kitchen for catering services, a cozy backstage area, and several additional meeting rooms.
A 66 is a space for people with an innovative spirit and visionary thinking where they can present ideas, kick-start projects, and collectively drive societal progress.
The space can be hired for networking events, workshops, professional conferences, expert meetings, research retreats, summits, symposia, round-table events, and much more.
Peter continues:
From a technical point of view, the large LED screen combined with sound and functions is ideal for organizing hybrid meetings. The LED screen, combined with carefully selected lighting installations developed by IART, allows the hall to be transformed into a variety of different moods, enabling the host to create the desired atmosphere.
History of A 66
The building was constructed between 1947 and 1948 by Ernst Egeler on behalf of the Bühler AG printing company. It was designed from the outset as a modern production facility: bright, functional, and forward-looking. Large front windows and an open floor plan create light-filled spaces that foster creativity and productivity.
In the 1980s, Swiss architect Hans Zwimpfer set up his office there, shaping Basel’s urban landscape with his work. Over the decades, the building became a centre of architecture, design, and professional innovation.
MDPI has owned it since 2016, using it as the company’s head office before relocating its headquarters to Grosspeteranlage 5.
Why choose A 66?
As artificial intelligence grows increasingly prevalent, tasks that were previously carried out by humans can be automated. This can improve efficiency, but it also creates a renewed appreciation for human exchange and discussion.
That is why spaces for open communication and innovation are so important: places where ideas, visions, and perspectives come together to find positive solutions.
Peter explains:
Free discussion—in the form of exchanging opinions, presentations in front of a live audience, interaction and getting to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere—all of these things promote good and positive thinking and form the basis for innovative action.
AI should support us in implementation and analysis—that’s a good thing. But it is important that places are created where such developments are possible. This is part of MDPI’s visionary thinking.
Spaces available in the building
There are various spaces available in the building:
- The Hall: the largest space is bathed in natural light and connected to the gallery.
- Gallery: an open mezzanine overlooking The Hall.
- Backstage Area: three separate rooms that can be used individually or together.
- Additional Workshop Rooms: three additional rooms of varying sizes to accommodate from 4 to 12 people.
All the rooms have flexible solutions to cater for your needs and are designed in a modern and vibrant manner to inspire innovation and communication.
Future developments
Peter explains:
MDPI will use A 66 to realize its own new event types to foster communication for our very large scientific network as one of the largest academic publishers in the world. We also offer the venue to our customers, especially our more then 200 academic societies which are affiliated with our journals, as an add-on service.
In addition, A 66 is available for daily rentals for events that correspond to the ideas mentioned above, i.e., we do not want to offer A 66 as a party venue. It should be a place that is available for activities in the city of Basel in areas such as science, technology, architecture, art, and fashion, as well as a networking location. We are happy to already be processing numerous inquiries.
A modern and vibrant venue for open communication
As outlined by Peter Roth:
A 66 should create a space for people with an innovative spirit and visionary thinking.
The space is modern, vibrant, and centrally located in a city filled with innovative exchange and rich history. Free discussion is central to continuing innovation, especially as automation increasingly becomes a regular part of daily life and business.
A 66 is a place with history, character, and beautiful architecture, designed to foster open communication. Click here to learn more about A 66, its history, and what spaces are available.
