Congresses and Corporate Meetings: Record Results Across the Board
Over 6,600 Meetings in Vienna, ICCA Ranks Vienna 1st
In 2024, a total of 6,619 congresses and corporate meetings took place in Meeting Destination Vienna, inducing an economic impact of EUR 1.32 billion. The benefits were felt nationwide through EUR 365 million in tax revenues and 23,500 jobs. Sixty of the meetings had more than 1,000 participants. Five major congresses – each with over 10,000 participants – were held in the city: the European Congress of Radiology, the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, the Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society, and the United European Gastroenterology Week.
The average length of stay for meeting guests was three (2.98) nights (average Vienna visitor: 2.3 nights). In 2024, the Vienna Tourist Board’s Vienna Convention Bureau acquired 183 congresses and corporate meetings with a combined total of 174,000 participants.
Vienna Meeting Fund Turbo-Charges Acquisitions
Endowed with a total of EUR 8m to support both international and national organizers, the Vienna Meeting Fund proved successful right from the outset. Since the project’s introduction in 2021, nearly 1,150 funding applications have been submitted – of these, the Vienna Convention Bureau approved funding for around 800 congresses and corporate meetings (as at year-end 2024). In its latest edition, the Vienna Meeting Fund 2025-2028 was extended for another four years and endowed with an additional EUR 4m.
Top Rankings Worldwide
Published in 2025, the 2024 International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) statistics awarded Vienna first place worldwide. Second and third places went to Lisbon and Singapour. Barcelona, Prague, Paris, Seoul, Bangkok, Rome and Athens completed the top ten. The Union of International Associations (UIA) ranked Vienna in second place in 2023 (published in 2024). The list was topped by Brussels. Vienna was followed by Tokyo, Seoul and Lisbon. Places six to ten were claimed by London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Dubai. The ranking for 2024 will be announced in the course of this year and was not available at the time of publication.
“Legacy Projects” Grow, Population Benefits
Local residents, businesses and the research community are increasingly feeling the benefits brought about by Meeting Destination Vienna. Event organizers use the term "legacy" to describe their ambitions in this area. After all, the ability to provide a specific offering as a destination also delivers a clear competitive advantage.
Partnering with the European Lung Foundation, the Vienna Convention Bureau used the European Respiratory Society Congress 2024 (following successful pilot projects in the previous year) to raise awareness of lung health among Vienna’s residents and to promote preventive measures. The joint Healthy Lungs for Life campaign included free lung function tests as well as a charity run and charity walk. It also comprised visits to three schools in the capital to promote awareness of pulmonary health.
Further information on the Vienna Meeting Fund as well as the full 2024 Vienna Meeting Industry Report is available at meeting.vienna.info.
