Vienna Convention Bureau celebrates a proud 55-year history

The Vienna Convention Bureau this year is celebrating its 55th anniversary, and its journey reflects the evolution of the meetings industry itself. In March 1969, the Tourist Commission (now the Vienna Tourist Board) decided to establish a congress office and an expert committee called Fachausschuss für Kongressförderung. The first meeting took place two months later. This laid the foundation for the Vienna Convention Bureau. The 55 years have been a period of remarkable growth: From hosting 195 events in 1969 to a record-breaking 6,500 meetings in 2023, Vienna has been on quite a trajectory as a meeting destination and since the inception of the CVB, there have been more than 85,000 recorded meetings with a total of over 30m delegates. In terms of economic Impact: in 2023 alone, meetings in Vienna generated nearly 1.6m overnight stays, while the commitment to excellence has displayed a consistency rarely equalled elsewhere: Vienna has ranked in the top three of ICCA’s statistical rankings 17 times since 2003, including eleven first-place finishes worldwide. Part of the key to success has been the ability to adaptation to change: The bureau has embraced technological advancements, from producing award-winning promotional videos in 1990 to launching its first website in 1999. The type of events hosted has been incredibly diverse, with major medical congresses with over 20,000 attendees, to conferences for the International Federation of Magic Societies (1976) and the European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (1992). Part of Vienna’s pull for conferencing is in the fact that organisers can make full use of what the city has to offer, including the European Cardiology Congress, which brought around 29,000 participants to the destination in 2003 and 2007. The European Radiology Congress, held in Vienna for the 30th time this year – more often than any other international congress – has attracted over 20,000 attendees on several occasions, including about 25,000 in 2015. The 18th International Conference On Aids was another major congress that will be long remembered. Around 20,000 participants gathered in Vienna in 2010. While the largest recorded event in recent years was undoubtedly Europride 2019 which attracted as many as 500,000 participants. The Vienna Convention Bureau has had six directors in its 55-year history: Ernst Rahofer (1969-1971), Alexander Pfann (1971-1982), Leopold Saul (1982-1990), Christian Mutschlechner (1990-2019) and Christian Woronka (2019-2024). Anita Paic is the first female director of the Vienna Convention Bureau and took her role in March 2024. When it was founded in 1969, the team consisted of three people. In 1998, the Vienna Convention Bureau had a total of seven employees, and in 2008 there were ten. By the end of 2023, there were 17 employees responsible for the global presence of Meeting Destination Vienna. Photo © WienTourismus/Jonas Tiller