View Vienna Meeting Industry Report 2025

In 2025, congresses and corporate events generated significantly more than two million overnight stays for the first time: 2,545,348 bednights represented an increase of 27% compared with 2024 – with participant numbers also higher, at 794,812 (up 19%). There were also new records in terms of economic impact: meetings in Vienna contributed EUR 1.7bn to Austria’s GDP, secured 19,300 year-round jobs and generated EUR 348m in tax revenue nationwide, EUR 39m of which was allocated to Vienna. International congresses proved to be the main driver of growth: of the Viennese meeting industry’s EUR 1.7bn contribution to GDP in 2025, almost two thirds (around 59%, or EUR 1bn) was attributable to congresses – with the lion’s share (EUR 828m) coming from international formats.

Norbert Kettner, CEO Vienna Tourist Board
“In 2025, we further consolidated our standing as a leading international meeting destination. Record numbers of congresses, corporate meetings, overnight stays and participants induced billions in economic impact, securing thousands of jobs well beyond the hospitality sector. Thanks to a combination of its long-standing tradition of congress hosting, outstanding infrastructure and strategic positioning, Vienna has firmly established itself as an international meeting place for science, business, innovation, and diplomacy.”

Every 8th Overnight Stay in Vienna is Linked to Congress or Corporate Meeting

The latest meeting totals show 2,614 congresses (up 19%) and 4,582 corporate events (up 4%). Congress delegates were responsible for around 1.7 million overnight stays in Vienna, while around 838,500 were attributable to participants in corporate events. This means that every eighth overnight stay in the city is accounted for by meetings. “In Vienna’s ‘Optimum Tourism’ Visitor Economy Strategy, we set ourselves an ambitious goal of making sure that the meeting sector generates a steady one in ten overnight stays in Vienna over the long term. In 2025, we exceeded this goal. In light of the growth of leisure tourism, maintaining this ratio going forward in a competitive environment will be a challenging task,” Kettner said.

Vienna Underlines Its Top Role as Destination for Medical Congresses

In 2025, events in the congress sector were once again dominated by the human medicine category. Behind 48% of all the overnight stays generated by congresses, this segment significantly outpaced all other categories. Formal and natural sciences accounted for 12%, followed by the humanities at 10%, while the technology sector represented 7%. As a United Nations headquarters city, a significant proportion – 7% – of the congresses hosted by the city were linked to the organization. “Vienna is a diplomatic hub and leads the way in medical congresses.” Kettner confirmed.

Anita Paic, Head of B2B Management and Vienna Convention Bureau
“A key driver of Vienna’s success as a meeting destination is the close, trust-based rapport we have with our partners in the city – ranging from hotels and venues to agencies and service providers. And this mature network is precisely what allows us to host international meetings to the highest standards.”

Meeting Visitors: Highly Likely to Recommend Destination, Strong Desire to Return

As part of a value-added study for the Vienna Tourist Board, the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) surveyed 819 participants from various congresses and corporate meetings. The geographical breakdown showed a highly diverse international profile: two thirds (63%) came from Europe, 15% from Asia and 9% from the USA. Some 93% of meeting participants would recommend Vienna and 90% were planning to come back to visit again. Vienna also showed its quality in terms of accommodations, with 44% of participants staying in four- or five-star hotels. Around two thirds (60%) of the 84,583 beds available – in 42,426 rooms at 450 accommodation providers – are accounted for by this category, showing precisely how well positioned the destination is to host meeting attendees. “Investment in modernizing existing hotels and constructing new ones – particularly in the premium segment – represents a significant upgrade for the city. This surge in quality and the resulting variety serves to highlight Vienna’s strength as a meeting destination; they provide yet another compelling case for hosting events here,” Paic said.

Vienna Meeting Fund: City Backs International Meetings

“To sharpen our competitive edge and attract high-caliber events, we are deploying the Vienna Meeting Fund as a strategic tool to secure international congresses and corporate get-togethers,” Kettner added. Currently in its third iteration, this City of Vienna funding scheme, which is managed by the Vienna Tourist Board and its Convention Bureau, targets multi-day international events held in months other than May, June, September, and October, and where at least half of overnight stays are accounted for by international participants. The full funding amount of EUR 60,000 per event is only available if Green Meeting or EcoEvent certification is secured. “More than 1,300 applications had been submitted by the end of March 2026, with over 900 meetings approved for the May 2021 to December 2028 funding period. Of the EUR 12m allocated to the fund in three tranches, almost EUR 2m is still available,” Kettner noted. Applications can be submitted online until all the funding has been allocated.

2026: 60 Meetings With 1,000-Plus Participants – Acquisitions Secured Through to 2031

This year, close to 60 congresses and corporate events with more than 1,000 participants are set to take place in Vienna – of these, four are large-scale congresses that will bring in more than 10,000 visitors: the European Congress of Radiology (ECR, Mar 4-8, 22,400 participants, Austria Center Vienna – ACV), the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU, May 3-8, 20,000 participants, ACV), the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology (EADV, Sep 30-Oct 4, 17,000 participants, ACV) and the Congress of the European Society of Retina Specialists (Oct 1-4, 10,000 participants, VIECON – Vienna Congress and Convention Center). Other highlights include the ViennaUP start-up festival (May 18-22, 15,000 participants, multiple locations), the High End audio show (Jun 4-7, 20,000 participants, ACV; in Vienna for the first time) and Enlit Europe (Nov 10-12, 12,000 participants, VIECON).

“In 2025 alone, the Vienna Convention Bureau secured around 100 international congresses and corporate events with a total of almost 125,000 participants, which are due to take place between now and 2031,” Paic confirmed. “At present, there are more than 300 applications for meetings in the pipeline – stretching all the way through to 2038.”