Italy’s conference sector has recorded strong growth, according to findings from an Italian research survey. Conferences and events increased 8.2% to nearly 368,000 in 2024.
The Italian Survey of Conferences and Events found delegates totalled 29.3m last year, up 7.8% from 2023. Total attendance reached 47.2m, a jump of 12.9%.
The sector now contributes €11.7bn directly to Italy’s economy, according to research by tourism board ENIT and industry association Federcongressi&eventi.
“OICE data and Italy’s growing appeal are the combined result of various factors: the quality of Italian conference facilities, operators’ high level of professionalism and the ability of our companies to capitalise on new opportunities and compete on an international level,” said Federcongressi&eventi president Gabriella Gentile.
OICE presentation in which the findings were announcedNorthern Italy dominates venue bookings
The north hosted 57.7% of all conferences and events. Central Italy accounted for 25.3%, whilst the south and islands held 10.8% and 6.2% respectively.
Conference hotels remain the most popular venues, hosting 76.8% of total events. Conference centres and trade fair venues hosted 2.7% of events, with non-hotel historical residences accounting for 2.8%. Trade fair conference venues recorded the biggest increase in delegate numbers, up 26.2%.
International events on the rise
Companies organised 65.4% of events, with associations accounting for 21.8%. Organisations and institutions promoted 12.8% of events.
International events – those with significant numbers of foreign delegates – made up 13.4% of the total in 2024. This represents an increase of more than four percentage points from the previous survey. National events also grew, whilst local events decreased but still represented 47.2% of all conferences.
Venues are investing in staff training
Most venues invested in staff training during 2024 to respond to market changes. Other key investments included refurbishing indoor spaces, developing promotional tools and upgrading audio-visual equipment.
The survey collected data from January to April 2025 through questionnaires sent to 5,590 venues. It covered meetings lasting at least four hours with minimum 10 participants.
How data was collected
Data was collected from January to April 2025, through a questionnaire distributed online to 5,590 venues. The survey concerned all meetings (either entirely in person or hybrid) with a minimum duration of 4 hours and a minimum of 10 participants, excluding exhibitions and private events.
