The Austria Center Vienna has been awarded the 2026 Austrian Tourism Innovation Prize in the category of Event Venues for over 1,000 Participants.
“I am very proud that our venue – and by extension our team – has been honoured with the Award. This shows that our approach of always thinking ahead for our guests, anticipating trends and focusing on digitalisation and sustainability was the right one. We also see this reflected in the feedback from our guests, who have rated us with an average of 4.6 stars across more than 10,000 Google reviews and given us a Net Promoter Score of 75,” said Susanne Baumann-Söllner, executive director of congress management and spokesperson for the Executive Board of the centre. “This shows how event organisers and participants actually experience the Austria Center Vienna,” she added.
The centre’s polySTAGE, comprises 52 individually controllable LED elements that enable spectacular staging and transformation in the entrance hall, while the more than 500sqm of LED surfaces and over 100 screens throughout the venue create immersive event experiences, as well as panoramic selfie spots, message sharing, word clouds and live voting possibilities, making for what Baumann-Söllner describes as “an unforgettable interactive experience which our customers really do enjoy using extensively”.
A completely modernised Level -2 and green terraces add to the centre’s appeal. “Our most important hall on this level, Hall D, can be divided into three separate halls in no time at all, each with its own climate control system and fully soundproofed,” added Michael Rotter, director of building and property management.
Management reports intensive work is also being carried out with partner companies on the digitalisation of processes and online shop solutions.
According to a recent study by the economic research institute Eco Austria, the Austria Center Vienna has a GDP impact in Austria of €445m – that is around 0.1 per cent of total domestic GDP in 2025 and secures or creates 3,950 full-time jobs. “Every euro that flows into our centre has a multiplier effect on local businesses – from the hotel and catering sectors through to retail and scientific networks,” said Baumann-Söllner, who noted that in 2025 one in three international conference guests in Vienna stayed at the centre.
The Austrian Tourism Innovation Award (ÖIT) is presented every two years by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in collaboration with the federal states to recognise the importance of tourism and the significant, innovative contributions made within this economic sector.
