Ramy Salameh discovers how Vienna Convention Bureau’s ‘Green meetings’ strategies can propel this leading congress destination towards a secure future. In today’s parlance, Emperor Franz Josef would be described as a ‘futurist’; on the 1 May 1873 he opened the World’s Fair with the words: “It is with lively satisfaction that I see the completion of an enterprise whose import and significance I fully appreciate”. Alongside this, the construction of the Ringstrasse was in full swing – a 5.3km circular boulevard of monumental architecture – and was helping to shape Vienna into a global city. The year 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the World’s Fair, a seismic event which laid the foundation for attracting tourism, international business and events to the Austrian capital. Today, Vienna’s meeting and events sector plus urban development is once again in transition. It is a transition that will future-proof its status as the world’s No.1 congress city, as ranked by ICCA in 2022 and one of the world’s most liveable cities. Almost to prove this point, the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attraction’s European Expo (IAAPA) at Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Centre and the 57th European Petrochemical Associations Annual Meeting hosted across numerous hotels, took place during my recent visit to the city.
Green Meetings
At the very core of Vienna CVB’s strategy is ‘Green Meetings’ through ecological and social sustainability, which forms the axis upon which their MICE industry now revolves: “Sustainability is the fundamental basis for the successful further development of our Visitor Economy strategy. We aim to promote awareness and support meeting planners – with information about sustainable initiatives and projects, but also through meeting certifications,” stated Christian Woronka, head of the Vienna Convention Bureau. This Green Meetings certification was attained by IAAPA Expo Europe, through the host venue Messe Wien, one of Vienna’s three major congress and convention facilities, alongside the Austria Center Vienna, the largest congress centre in Austria, and the palatial HOFBURG Vienna. IAAPA president and CEO Jakob Wahl commented: “It is the first time globally we have been certified as a ‘Green’ exhibition and addressed our environmental footprint. It is also great to bring a trade show where you can ‘feel’ the city”. The Austrian Ecolabel was the first national eco-label for tourism worldwide, with Vienna CVB becoming an Ecolabel licensee since 2011. Vienna certainly has a draw for those looking to extend their stay after their big event. IAAPA Expo attracted some 13,000 attendees and over 600 suppliers, including Experience UK, a trade body for world-class visitor destinations; CEO, Ian Clappison said: “Vienna’s central European location, green credentials and beauty make it worth staying on a few days”. Vienna is home to several international institutions, such as OPEC and the United Nations; as such, the capital strives to be a trend-setter and innovator within the meetings sector. Beside the UN’s headquarters, the Austria Center Vienna has created the world’s first ‘polySTAGE’; 52 individually controllable LED panels which can transform the entrance hall into several spectacular stage settings, from interactive platform to exhibition booth and a digital registration area, to walk-in art installation. Vienna’s status as the world’s most liveable metropolis, according to The Economist publication, reflects a well-designed and functioning city, another legacy from the past, but it also reflects a ‘lived-in’ city, where most of the historic, landmark buildings can be hired for MICE events, allowing delegates to ‘live history’, not simply admire it. The HOFBURG Vienna congress centre is a prime example, as it forms just part of the former imperial residence, yet offers 35 halls and 17,000sqm of space, the highlight being the Festival Hall, the largest hall in the HOFBURG complete with crystal chandeliers and frescoes.
Green theme links old and new
Vienna’s Green theme cleverly interweaves between the historic centre, and onto new districts such as the Seestadt, Nordbahnviertel and Sonnwendviertel. The latter district is highlighted by the Renzo Piano designed Andaz am Belvedere; opened in 2019, already a prominent conferencing hotel just minutes from Vienna Central Station, a gleaming transport terminus dubbed the most important overnight train hub of the EU, connecting eastern and western Europe. The Andaz is symbiotically linked to the nearby Belvedere Palace via the hotel’s theme around art, design and Prince Eugene of Savoy; history stops there in this ultra-modern hotel, whose dedicated meeting floor above the lobby is counter-balanced by the Aurora Rooftop Bar from where the view tends to confirm Vienna’s boast to be the world’s greenest city. Hilton Park Vienna, with 663-rooms and 3.500sqm of event space, is Europe’s largest downtown full service meeting and event hotel. Petrochemical Association delegates buzzed around the lobby as we headed to the executive lounge to learn about the hotel’s urban garden, honey producing bees, 60 sustainable initiatives, including 100% of electricity use being waterpower generated and an ‘Impact Meeting Calculator’ report which can help off-set carbon emissions. While the Grand Hotel Wien has been spinning guests through its revolving doors into a world of elegance and service since 1870, with stately bedrooms sitting above a grand ballroom in which Johann Strauss celebrated his 50-year jubilee on stage.
Experiential incentives
It is within the UNESCO-listed Ringstrasse that a relationship with Vienna is made; one simply falls for its charms. Vienna has been a cultural heavyweight for centuries; a city of music where the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Schubert and Haydn composed their music. A city of art, where Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss hangs within the Belvedere Palace and other masterpieces in the Museums Quartier. And a city of architecture, from the State Opera House to the gothic City Hall and many other famous buildings. What this cultural medley has in common is the MICE industry; event planners can use these historic buildings and narratives to curate memorable events. Two incentive activities to live long in the memory include witnessing the majestic Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School deliver classical horsemanship within a colonnaded arena largely unchanged since 1735, and hireable for events. The other spine-tingling incentive is being harnessed to a glass-shelf on the world’s oldest Ferris Wheel, rising to an apex of 65m to view Vienna from above in Prater Park. It was from this viewpoint that the hilly suburbs are visible, neatly braided with vineyards, defining Vienna as the world’s largest wine-producing city. Delegates can travel by tram and bus to sample Viennese wine in ‘Heurigers’ (wine taverns), an ideal escape from a busy congress centre. Or for the best cityscape panoramas head further up to Cobenzl Mountain to find 50’s retro chic at Rondell café-restaurant, Weitsicht Cobenzl event venue and a cellar wine-tasting experience at the 110-year old Cobenzl Winery.
Spectacular green views from the top of Vienna’s Big Ferris Wheel
The future
Encapsulating Vienna’s relationship between history, architecture, modernism and bringing the final curtain call upon any trip to the city, is dinner in a private glass room atop the majestic DO&CO restaurant. A private lift, waiter and view of the 12th Century St Stephen’s Cathedral cannot be topped. The significance of the late 19th Century, under the reign of Emperor Franz Josef, especially for Vienna’s modern MICE industry is incalculable and just maybe today’s sustainability initiatives will be viewed in the same way 150-years from now. Investments in Green projects are helping to preserve the past, secure the future and keep Vienna as a leading congress city, one we all want to live within, and just maybe that is the key.
