Top European Conference Destinations 2016 – Industry Specialist Recommendations
Spring is almost here, and the cream of the crop conference venues are being booked out as you read this article. For even the most seasoned conference planners, choosing the best destination for your conference can be quite a time-consuming research project, as local influencers vary depending on location and timing.
But don’t fret, I managed to steal some time with John F Burke, Director at VenuesWorld to learn more about his recommended destinations of choice for 2016. With local expert teams in 30 countries, John is the first to know about external influences, and the hidden gems that often crop up due to changes in air access and new venue renovations.
New on the Radar for 2016
There is a growing appetite in the conference and corporate meeting market for more variety of locations, in particular for events with date flexibility. Our local teams are seeing a steady growth in requests for cities such as Valencia, Seville, Porto, Lyon, Krakow and Manchester. This is due to an increase in government funding, broader air access and improved marketing strategies. These improvements help reposition the cities on the MICE Map for the VenuesWorld teams. This is fantastic news for meeting and conference planners, who now have access to this stunning selection of hotels and impressive historical architectural spaces that have been until now, out of reach. The key selling points for these cities include ambience, venue infrastructure, business tourism support, value for money, and now air access.
Seville, Spain
Destination Comeback
All things Greek have been somewhat subdued over the last few years, but it is great to report that Athens and The Islands are very much back on the radar for the coming years. Our experience over the last number of months is that Athens is presenting great value for end of 2016 and 2017, and clients from the corporate sector through to the association conference market are once again looking at Greece for significant events. It is great to see this support for Athens and all that it has to offer. This is also true of Dublin, Belfast and Lisbon, with the former already reporting double digit increases across the business tourism sector for 2016 and 2017. Dublin also has a solid reputation for hospitality, food quality, and the ability to merge the benefits of capital city style, with rural and cultural experiences all in one short trip.
Dublin, Ireland
Major Players
The major European conference hubs London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Barcelona and Berlin are all reporting strong business tourism growth for 2016. What is ever changing is week to week space availability across all these destinations, given the level of short lead in events taking place across the continent. The trend of localisation in industry support services continues, with more and more corporate and conference clients focusing on support services that can deliver up to the minute local knowledge, relationships and value.
Berlin, Germany
Still feeling overwhelmed?
Based on your event requirements, our local teams recommend the best destinations and venues tailored to suit you. We will prepare a detailed proposal and cost break-down for you completely Free of charge, leaving you to focus on all the other elements of the conference preparations!
Contact us today, for access to local expertise in 30 countries in one go!
