Salzburg: Meetings With a Vintage Alpine Twist!
Widely recognised as one of the most charming European tourist hubs, Salzburg is much more than an idyllic film set or a stop-off point for classical music aficionados. Its human capital, built infrastructure and knowledge centres have led to pioneering achievements in culture, medicine, social sciences and technology. But what exactly makes this city stand out in an increasingly competitive market?
Austria’s fourth largest city is not only the birthplace of Mozart or the setting for the Sound of Music, attracting filmmakers and musicians from all over the world to its Alpine setting. The old town is a treasure trove that seems to have come out of a fairytale, full of buildings from the Middle Ages, Romanesque and Baroque, testimony to the passage of time in a UNESCO World Heritage city. Beyond all this cultural heritage, Salzburg has also become a popular destination for congresses, conferences, events and incentives in recent years. This is echoed by current figures with around 5,700 events with almost 300,000 participants in 2023 alone – an increase of 37% compared to pre-pandemic results – placing the metropolitan area as the second most popular meeting destination in Austria. “The main advantages of Salzburg are the mix of urban city and nature in the surrounding Alps. Of course, the short walking distance between venues and proximity to the airport are another advantage, so you can better invest that time and money,” says Elisabeth Kassanits-Pfoess, Senior Marketing Manager at the Salzburg Convention Bureau. With more than 40 years’ experience in the sector, this team of experts offer a personalised service guiding associations from the first contact to their arrival in the city.
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This compact dimension is also reflected in the collection of conference venues with excellent infrastructure, value-for-money accommodation and heritage spaces with a keen eye for detail. “Our list ranges from modern, well-equipped conference facilities such as the Salzburg Congress and the Messezentrum Salzburg Exhibition & Congress Center (MZS), social events in the unique, baroque atmosphere of the DomQuartier Salzburg - Residence Palace, to a more casual, traditional atmosphere in the authentic Stieglkeller. Of course, something really special is that our Opera houses, theatres and museums can be implemented as conference rooms as well, which gives a very special charm,” adds Kassanits-Pfoess. In the heart of the city, the Salzburg Congress is a multifunctional conference centre offering event space over five floors and up to 15 conference rooms of various sizes and degrees of transformability. The MZS, the largest multifunctional event venue in Salzburg, has 21 conference rooms with state-of-the-art equipment, ten halls of various types and sizes, as well as the Salzburgarena, which can accommodate a plenary hall up to 4,500 people. Finally, the city recently saw the opening of a new, modern conference centre called Zentrum für Visionen, with 4,200 m² of event space across six conference rooms. Within its offer, Salzburg also presents various social programmes to ensure the sustainability and cultural diversity of its hosted events. This can range from a Jodeling workshop where participants can perform breathing and posture exercises, to an environmentally friendly experience such as building your own bee house. Other classic activities include a private Mozart concert in his birthplace, or a trip back in time to the famous salt mines near the city that adds an extra slice of local heritage. “We even had the opportunity to build some solar panels at certain events, which were then donated to a village in a less developed country.”
As a medium-sized city, Salzburg has become increasingly important as a centre of knowledge and innovation, bringing together clusters of excellence and leading figures who play a decisive role as a convention venue. To this end, the Salzburg Convention Bureau carried out a study to find out which industries and scientific groups would feel particularly suited to the Austrian city’s ecosystem. In the medical sector, advances in the fields of robotic microsurgery, neonatal medicine or cancer research at the Paris Lodron Salzburg University leap to the fore, while the biological sciences sector underpinned by the establishment of pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology, medical technology and personalised medicine also excel. “In 2025, we have already hosted a number of international and European conferences, such as the 23rd International Electronics Recycling Congress or the Interventional Radiological Olbert Symposium. What is important to note is that many of the associations we have hosted in the past, ended up returning. Of course, we try to engage with our universities, hospitals and research centres to define the main focus of our events. By instance, the International Data Week in 2023 led to a study programme on data science at the University of Salzburg,” says Kassanits-Pfoess. One of the highlights of 2026 will be the 29th Meeting of the European Society for the Advancement of Cell Technology, which will be held from 7 to 10 June at the MZS. Meanwhile, the city has also won the international bid for the 16th World Congress of Paediatric Dermatology to be held in spring 2029.
"The character of our destination will steer the pace of your conference, giving you a touch of exclusivity and a unique experience."
Sustainability has been at the heart of the CVB’s concerns, so they have proceeded to certify a wide variety of venues with the national ‘green venue/meeting’ label. “We have a certified catering partner that offers high-quality cuisine with a local focus as well as free access to our transport network, where delegates are encouraged to choose green transport.” However, it is not just environmental sustainability that is key, but the influence a conference can have on local society. “We are encouraging clients to include new campaigns, such as a student day at universities, and attracting conferences in specific areas such as forestry, where partners in the region have developed a special reforestation programme for the region.” Social impact means a lot to this city, as proven by the Salzburg festival, which has been held for over 100 years, where experts from all over the world meet not only to enjoy the local culture, but also to collectively chart the future of musical sciences. “Together with the various stakeholders, we try to figure out what is valuable in order to give back to the city. This ranges from fundraising campaigns for research centres or even external partnerships for bachelor’s and master’s theses.” But this spirit of co-operation even goes beyond borders: “We are a proud member of the EU CVB network. It does not matter if it is with our hotels, venues or suppliers, or with our local scientists and doctors – together we can grow and generate great conferences,” concludes Kassanits-Pfoess.
Published by Meeting Media Company, the publisher of Headquarters Magazine (HQ) – a leading international publication based in Brussels, serving the global MICE industry and association community.
