Vienna Announces €4 Million Meeting Fund to Support MICE Organisers

Vienna, Austria, May 6, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The City of Vienna is providing the Vienna Tourist Board and its Vienna Convention Bureau with an additional €4 million to support national and international organisers of meetings held in the city, from 1 May 2021 to 31 December 2023, paving the way for the sector’s growth offering up to €60,000 of funding per event.

Significantly, for the first time the Vienna Meeting Fund 2021-2023 will extend funding to corporate conferences and hybrid events, in addition to its continual support of national and international organisers of association congresses. The unique inclusion of hybrid events demonstrates the Vienna Tourist Board’s dynamic and agile response to the current needs of the meeting industry.

Vienna is an industry leading meetings destination and both congresses and corporate events are of central importance to the city’s tourism industry. The meetings sector is a driving force for the internationalisation of Vienna and a trigger for local value and economic creation. Meeting Destination Vienna is therefore key to the city’s recovery and tourism restart.

Christian Woronka, Director of the Vienna Convention Bureau commented “We are thrilled to launch the Vienna Meeting Fund 2021-2023 to welcome, and fund even more events in Vienna by international organisers, as well as expand our support for the first time to include corporate events and hybrid meetings. Vienna remains one of the world’s leading meeting destinations, even in challenging times. The funding programme is an important support for the industry that provides a perspective for the future and at the same time underlines the importance of the meetings industry. After all, Vienna as a meeting destination and Vienna’s role as a city of international meetings, play an important role in Vienna’s strategic development. Our novel approach demonstrates our continued commitment to the recovery of the meetings sector, and we look forward to welcoming fund applications”.

What is subsidised? 

Funding is provided exclusively for business events that strengthen Vienna as a location for business and innovation, which take place in Vienna in the period from 1 May 2021 to 31 December 2023. This includes (association) congresses, association meetings, as well as corporate meetings: company events and conferences. Pure corporate evening events as well as exhibitions, trade fairs and cultural or sporting events are excluded. Variable costs directly incurred in the course of holding an event are eligible for funding.

What funding opportunities are available? 

The new funding measure comprises three modules. In order to apply for funding, the basic requirements of funding module 1 must be met:

• Module 1: The event takes place in a Viennese location against payment, includes at least 50 participants present on site and has a minimum duration of four hours

• Module 2: If the congress or corporate event also generates overnight stays, funding module 2 can also be applied for. In this case, the number of overnight stays in Viennese accommodation establishments must amount to at least 10% (2021), 30% (2022) or 50% (2023) of the total number of participants on site

• Module 3: If costs are demonstrably incurred for the continuous implementation of the event as a hybrid meeting, the requirement for funding module 3 is met

The maximum funding amount per event corresponds to the actual costs paid or, if the requirements of all three funding modules are met, amounts to €60,000. The maximum funding amounts per module depend on the number of participants.

Who is eligible to apply? 

Both national and international organisers can apply for the Vienna Meeting Fund 2021-2023. The prerequisite is that they plan and hold (or have held) a meeting in Vienna and bear the economic risk and thus all costs for this event. Agencies are eligible to apply if they act as organisers themselves or can be shown to be working on behalf of the organiser.

Applications for funding can be submitted online for the first time, from now until 3 December 2023 or until the funds are exhausted. The “first-come, first-served” principle applies.

After submission, the Vienna Convention Bureau will check the application and organisers will be notified in writing of the preliminary funding amount. The actual funding decision and funding amount will be determined after the event has been held, when all information and documents have been submitted and checked. Payment will be made by the Vienna Tourist Board.

ABOUT THE VIENNA CONVENTION BUREAU
The Vienna Convention Bureau in the Vienna Tourist Board acquires congresses, corporate meetings and incentives worldwide. Founded in 1969, it is supported by the City of Vienna and the Vienna Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, around 5,500 congresses and meetings in Vienna generated 1.6 million overnight stays and added value of 950 million euros. According to recent rankings by the International Congress and Convention Association ICCA (6th place) and the Union of International Associations UIA (5th place), Vienna is one of the top meeting destinations worldwide.

PRACTICAL TIPS FROM THE VIENNA CONVENTION BUREAU
Organisers planning a meeting in Vienna receive active support from the Vienna Convention Bureau. It provides comprehensive advice, from practical tips on the necessary security and hygiene concepts to hybrid events.