Hosted by the Junta Metropolitana de Lisboa at the Belem Cultural Centre. The European Spatial Planning Perspective (ESDP) was about to be published, and the meeting initiated METREX involvement with European affairs. There were presentations on the strategic planning of Lisboa and Berlin. The first METREX open dialogue was held on Restructuring Metropolitan Areas for the 21st century. A study visit to the site of the World Expo 98 (to be held from May to October 1998) initiated the METREX interest in planning for major events. The Expo covered 600ha and was the largest construction site in Europe at the time. Long-term facilities included a multi-modal transport interchange, an Oceanarium, a multi-purpose event venue, an Exhibition Centre and a Museum. The Expo organisation remained in being until 2005 to ensure the after-use of the site.

Lisbon 1997
1997 , Lisbon
METREX Conference Archive
- Wrocław 2023
- Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam 2022
- Turin 2022
- Riga 2021
- Nürnberg 2021
- Lyon 2020
- Lisbon 2020
- Stuttgart 2019
- Birmingham 2019
- Brussels 2018
- Gipuzkoa 2018
- Helsinki 2017
- Stockholm 2017
- Rotterdam Den Haag 2016
- Sofia 2016
- Milan 2015
- Szczecin 2015
- Brussels 2014
- Leipzig 2014
- Glasgow 2013
- Oslo 2013
- Marseille 2012
- Vienna 2012
- Athens 2011
- Hamburg 2011
- Berlin 2010
- Vilnius Riga 2010
- Paris 2009
- Wroclaw 2009
- London 2008
- Amsterdam 2008
- Veneto 2007
- Zaragoza 2007
- Szczecin 2006
- Madrid 2006
- Granada 2005
- Nurnberg 2005
- Barcelona 2004
- Gipuzkoa – San Sebastián 2004
- Stockholm 2003
- Stuttgart 2003
- Thessaloniki 2002
- Genova 2002
- Copenhagen 2001
- Rotterdam 2001
- Torino 2000
- Sevilla 2000
- Bologna 1999
- Helsinki 1999
- Nice 1998
- Zaragoza 1998
- Krakow 1997
- Lisbon 1997