Florence: The City of Renaissance Art and Modern Congresses

Cradle of the Renaissance Era, Florence opens up to us like a treasure chest of mysteries, legends and revolutionary ideas that dot its corners, alleys and streets like a moving canvas. Capital of the Tuscany region, this living open-air museum is a tourist city that needs no introduction. But what about international events?

When it comes to events, Florence combines the prestige of a world-famous cultural capital with the efficiency and human scale of a medium-sized meeting destination. The city offers a unique combination of accessibility, compactness and atmosphere, making it easy to reach for both national and international delegates. Once there, everything is within walking distance, including its main congress centre – the Firenze Fiera Congress & Exhibition Center, in the heart of the historic city. “Florence’s ability to provide memorable events also translates into real numbers: on average, conferences held here record around 30% more participants than expected, thanks to what we call the ‘Florence Effect,’” Ilenia Pasi, Head of Sales & Business Development at Fondazione Destination Florence Convention & Visitors Bureau, proudly reveals. Florence has also made significant progress in improving its public transport system, including the expansion of the tram network. "Today, it is possible to reach the city centre directly from the airport by tram, offering a green, fast and very affordable option for delegates. We also place increasing emphasis on sustainability and intelligent mobility.” What sets Florence apart, however, is the experience itself: the scale of the city fosters connections, the beauty inspires participation and the collaborative local ecosystem includes institutions and organisations.

"Thanks to our close collaboration with the University of Florence, the Meyer Children's Hospital and the Careggi University Hospital, many congresses have already left tangible legacies."

Business events and association conferences are a key factor in Florence’s strategy to manage tourist flows and encourage visits all year round. “The meetings sector allows us to work proactively and strategically months or even years in advance, which gives us the ability to attract conferences during off-peak months. This not only helps to distribute visitors more evenly, but also attracts a higher-value, more committed audience who often return as leisure visitors later on,” says Pasi. Therefore, congresses have a particularly positive impact when it comes to combating overtourism. “This supports a more sustainable use of resources, while allowing less visited areas to be included in the experience, contributing to the local well-being.” As well as its qualitative impact, the meetings sector is also a powerful economic driver. By drawing on their cultural heritage, the CVB has created a few social programmes that benefit both the community and the delegates’ experience. “Guided by a clear legacy mission, we look for targeted proposals aligned with the identity and expertise of our territory in liaison with Florence’s academic, cultural and scientific fabric. Depending on the theme of the event, we involve a variety of local partners – from artisans to cultural institutions – ensuring that the impact of business events extends far beyond the conference halls,” adds Pasi. This approach has positioned the city as an authentic scientific hub, contributing to the long-term vision of the local knowledge ecosystem.
 

Over the years, the Destination Florence Convention Bureau has evolved significantly, from a consortium to a foundation, with the Municipality of Florence and the Metropolitan City as its founding members. Its institutional partners include the Region of Tuscany, through Toscana Promozione Turistica, and the Florence Chamber of Commerce. “Today, we act as a real facilitator within a broad ecosystem that includes public bodies, universities, hospitals, research centres, cultural organisations and companies. One of our most strategic collaborations is with the University of Florence.” The city was the first in Italy to sign a formal protocol with a university to support the acquisition of congresses and scientific promotion. Each major centre – including the University of Florence, Meyer Children’s Hospital and Careggi University Hospital – is represented on the Bureau’s Advisory Board, ensuring that MICE activity is aligned with local areas of excellence and innovation. “In this context, the Florence Association Centre aims to offer a real operational headquarters in Florence for associations, a strategic base to facilitate the organisation of events not only in the city, but also throughout Europe,” says Pasi.

"Scheduled for September 2025, the Low Vision International Congress will be a unique showcase of how inclusive measures can generate direct local impact, leading to the implementation of tactile signage in museums, partnerships with local institutions and further improvement of accessible paths at Firenze Fiera."

To recognise the role that researchers, doctors, academics and cultural leaders play in Florence’s success as a meeting destination, the local Bureau has created the Florence Ambassador Award. “Since its launch, the programme has enabled us to highlight those individuals who, often behind the scenes, are instrumental in bringing high-level international events to our city. Each ambassador acts as a bridge between Florence’s knowledge centres and the global congress and association community.” Florence's competitiveness is also reflected in the Destination Competitiveness Index, a tool that measures a destination's position at a global level. Despite being a medium-sized city, Florence often emerges as a favourite choice thanks to its unique combination of quality of service, academic excellence and a stimulating cultural environment. “Thanks to the Intellectual Capital Index Study by Gaining Edge, we have successfully mapped and actively engaged these leaders, achieving an impressive 90% conversion rate in international congress bids,” Pasi states. On the other hand, the Florence Academic Leadership Programme has helped support and train new ambassadors by empowering them to promote the city in close collaboration with the Advisory Board. “As well as bidding, ambassadors are essential to design events that leave lasting impacts, from partnerships with universities and hospitals to knowledge exchange initiatives and social innovation.”
 

Although culture, art, fashion and architecture are a logical match in the acquisition of major congresses, Florence's portfolio has diversified to include many areas of specialisation beyond these key sectors. "When planning our proposals, we certainly pay attention to Florence's main cultural moments. For example, we avoid scheduling major events during important dates, such as the annual Pitti Immagine fashion show, to ensure maximum visibility and resources for everyone," says Pasi. New data-driven perspectives in Florence presented an opportunity to explore the dynamics of tourism in and around the city. “One of the most valuable aspects was the ability to analyse destination sentiment based entirely on digital footprints – reviews, social media and online behaviour – and segmented by various sectors of the tourism supply chain. This allowed us to capture, in real time, how visitors perceived different aspects of their experience, from hospitality to transport and cultural offerings.” This fresh outlook gave access to predictive indicators, such as flight trends and booking windows, to better align the city planning with market behaviours. “We were able to measure not only the volume of tourists, but also the perceived impact on residents, which gave us a clear picture of how to manage multiple pressures and how our actions could improve the balance between visitors and local communities,” continues Pasi.

"Florence definitely sees business events as one of the most sustainable forms of tourism, playing a vital role in preserving the city’s soul."

Joining the EU CVB Network was one of the turning points for Florence in terms of its international profile. This informal network offers associations a simplified platform for interacting with eight destinations in terms of their shared values, infrastructure and knowledge economy. “A perfect example of the network’s value was our successful bid for the European Society of Surgical Oncology Congress 2023, held at Firenze Fiera. This opportunity was initiated during the EU CVB Network event in Brussels in 2021, showing how collaboration can lead to concrete victories.” At the next ICCA 2025 Congress, the EU CVB network (of which Porto, the host city, is a member) will organise a dedicated session for associations, offering visibility and facilitating new partnerships. “We will also be launching our first Client/ Supplier Workshop next year in Lyon, which will then rotate through the member destinations, further deepening our engagement with associations,” concludes Pasi.

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