The Austrian Alexander Burstein, 48, is the new president of Europharm, a non-profit organization with some 200 member companies based in Brussels that looks after the interests of small and medium-sized pharmaceutical enterprises.
Alexander Burstein is the Business Development Director of Sanova Pharma, a pharmaceuticals company based in Vienna and belonging to the Celesio Group.
For Christian Mutschlechner, Director of the Vienna Convention Bureau of the Vienna Tourist Board, the appointment of Alexander Burnstein is a positive signal: “It is of quite decisive importance for Austria to be represented in such international associations at a management level, as this is conducive to both the internationalization and the positioning of Vienna and Austria as a leading nation on the international association and congress scene.”
Talking about the situation of Vienna’s congress industry this year, Christian Mutschlechner stresses: “The international economic crisis has not had as severe an impact on Vienna’s congress business in 2009 as it has on destinations with fewer international congresses, that is, on association business.”
All over the world, the level of association events is virtually unchanged, despite the crisis. One of Vienna’s major advantages is that it is a particularly popular venue for international congresses in the field of human medicine; more than a third of all congress overnights are generated by such events.
These congresses, which are generally extremely well attended, take many years to prepare – often up to five years – and involve considerable investment up front for the organizers.
Vienna has excellent congress bookings this year. In September, congress locations are so full that even at the end of last year the city started having to turn down large events that could not be moved to a different month.
For more information, visit Europharm or Vienna Convention Bureau
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