Christian Mutschlechner, head of the Vienna Convention Bureau at the Vienna Tourist Board, said of the situation in the Viennese congress industry this year:
“The international economic crisis has not had as severe an impact on Vienna’s congress business in 2009 as it has on cities with fewer international congresses, i.e. on association business. All over the world, the level of association events is virtually unchanged, despite the crisis."
"This is borne out by the latest information from the International Congress and Convention Association, which has a global overview."
"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 overnight stays are generated by these 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 organizer."
"One does not cancel these kinds of events at short notice, even when there is an international economic crisis. As a result, Vienna has excellent congress bookings this year. In September, congress locations are so full that at the end of last year we started having to turn down large events, if we were unable to move them to a different month.”
Highlights for Vienna’s meetings industry in 2009
European Congress of Radiology 18,000 Event Delegates, 6–10 March Austria Center Vienna
European Geosciences Union 8,000 Event Delegates, 19–23 April Austria Center Vienna
International Congress on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder 1,500 Event Delegates, 21– 24 May Hofburg Vienna
European Congress on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism 3,000 Event Delegates, 29 August – 1 September Reed Messe Wien
Congress of the European Respiratory Society 15,000 Event Delegates, 12-16 September Reed Messe Wien
Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes 15,000 Event Delegates, 29 September – 2 October Reed Messe Wien
European Congress of Intensive Care Medicine 3,500 Event Delegates, 11–14 October Austria Center Vienna
IFRA Expo (printers and print media) 10,000 Event Delegates, 12–15 October Reed Messe Wien
European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery 5,000 Event Delegates, 17–21 October Austria Center Vienna
For more information, visit Vienna Convention Bureau
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