Strong comeback in 2023 for large meetings and conferences in Gothenburg

World-leading medical research, international investigative journalism and technical expertise – these are the topics for some of the major meetings and conferences held in Gothenburg and at the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre Gothia Towers this year. In 2023, thousands of conference participants have contributed to increased knowledge and competence in the city, resulting in more hotel nights and higher tourism revenue.

It has been a very successful year for the conference city of Gothenburg. The Gothenburg Convention Bureau has actively recruited or supported around 60 major meetings and conferences with over 35,000 participants from all over the world. Together, they have spent nearly 100,000 guest nights, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels.

"The conference industry has recovered quickly, a testament to Gothenburg's strength as a conference city and the organizers' high confidence in us. The success is the result of close cooperation with business, academia and its prominent researchers. Meetings are held throughout the week, all year round and not is dependent on weekends or public holidays, which is positive for the entire city. Since 2019, hotel capacity in Gothenburg has increased by almost 20 percent, which means we can host more and larger meetings, says Annika Hallman, Director at Gothenburg Convention Bureau.

This year's delegate surveys show that virtually all conference participants are satisfied with Gothenburg as a whole (99 percent). Over 90 percent would consider returning.

Meetings and conferences contribute significantly to Gothenburg's development as a city of knowledge. When top medical researchers gather, it increases knowledge and competence in healthcare in region of Västra Götaland. One example is AD/PD, which in March brought together 3,300 researchers in neurodegenerative diseases from 61 countries.

"It was a fantastic experience to see the world's leading Alzheimer's and Parkinson's researchers on the streets of Gothenburg and the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre Gothia Towers. I have met many people afterwards who describe the meeting as the best they have ever been to. This is largely due to exciting research progress in neurodegenerative diseases in recent years, but also because Gothenburg is an incredibly good conference city, says Henrik Zetterberg, Professor of neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg and one of the local organizers of AD/PD 2023 in Gothenburg.

Most major meetings take place at the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre Gothia Towers. For the organizers, it means a lot that Gothenburg has a fully integrated meeting facility and hotel of high international class centrally located in the city.

"It has been an incredibly strong conference year, a real record year in volume. Our calendar has never been so full of international congresses. When we receive inquiries, our solid sustainability work is a significant competitive advantage, but also that we have a strong focus on safety. Gothenburg and the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre Gothia Towers show that we are far ahead when international organizations choose our meeting place, says Malin Erlandsson, Director congress and events at the Swedish Exhibition and Congress Centre Gothia Towers.

A selection of meetings held in Gothenburg in 2023:

• International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases - AD/PD
• European Social Science History Conference – ESSHC
• Regional European Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion –ISBT
• Global Investigative Journalism Conference – GIJC
• Electrochemical Society Fall meeting 2023 – ECS