Image: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH
In 2022, Austria’s capital defended the top position it had conquered in 2021. Before Corona, Vienna was also among the five most important destinations for congresses, but not quite at the top. 162 congresses took place in Vienna last year. As a country, Austria ranks eleventh in the world as a congress organizer.
162 congresses and thus 70 percent of all events held in Austria according to the ICCA counting method took place in Vienna in 2022. This time only meetings that took place on site at the conference destination were counted. Hybrid events were also counted in the previous year. The federal capital was followed by Lisbon (144 congresses) and Paris (134), followed by Barcelona (133), Prague (129), Madrid (128), Berlin (133), Athens (109), Brussels (108) and London (106 ). Among the countries with the most congresses, the United States (690) leads ahead of Spain (528) and Italy (522).
Vienna City Councilor for Economic Affairs Peter Hanke, also President of the Vienna Tourist Board, sees a “trend reversal” and refers to the Vienna Meeting Fund, endowed with eight million euros, “which creates frequency in the city’s meeting venues and accommodation facilities as well as year-round jobs in Vienna’s visitor economy”. . Norbert Kettner, Director of the Vienna Tourist Board, points out that 17 major congresses with more than 3,000 participants are taking place in Vienna this year, four of which bring together over 10,000 participants. “Conventions – like Vienna’s extensive cultural life – are the city’s declared strengths with a strong leverage effect on price stability and the further development of quality tourism,” says Kettner. Christian Woronka, head of the Vienna Convention Bureau, recalls that there are currently around 200 applications for congresses and company conferences.
Source: Nachrichten
