Norway most popular meeting destination in the Nordics

Norway most popular meeting destination in the Nordics

Norway tops the lucrative meeting and incentive market in the Nordics, according to the recent report by Union of International Associations (UIA), UIA International Meeting Statistics Report for the year 2013.

In fierce competition with the other Nordic countries, Norway tops the table for the first time, while securing a whopping 17^th place worldwide. The recent report is based on meetings and conferences organised by international organisations of more than 50 participants, and for more than two days in 2013.

Oslo is leading the way
The capital Oslo is the most popular city in the Nordics, and secures a 16^th place worldwide with its more than 100 international meetings and conferences in 2013. Oslo hosted more than half of Norway’s total 196 congresses last year.

Lucrative market
The international meeting and incentive market is one which many compete to lead, as the rewards are potentially large. In Norway alone the market generated £160 million last year. - The average daily spending for an international meetings participant is £362. This easily makes these visitors the most lucrative in the travel industry, managing director Frode Aasheim at Norway Convention Bureau says. The company works strategically with meetings and conference venues in Norway, and emphasises places like Oslo, Bergen, Svalbard, Tromsø and Bergen as interesting destinations. ‘It is important to have the logistics in place, being sufficient quality hotel and convenient flights. Thus we are constantly working to improve this’, Aasheim says.

Good reasons to hold your next meeting in Norway
What makes Norway such a popular choice? Accessibility is crucial, and there were 263 weekly flights between the UK and Norway in 2013, with SAS and Norwegian offering direct flights to cities like Bergen, Tromsø, Trondheim, Stavanger and Oslo. Another perhaps surprising reason is money for value – Norwegian hotel prices are lower than most comparative European cities. And there are the activities – city and nature go hand in hand, offering unique team building opportunities like dog sledding; Northern Lights hunting; and kayaking on the fjords.

Number of international meetings and congresses per country:

World rankings 2007-2013:

Rankings Nordic capitals:
 

Notes to editors:
Visit Norway works closely with Norway Convention Bureau (NCB) to promote Norway as an international meetings-and incentive destination.

For more information: http://www.visitnorway.com/en/meetings/