Prague in top 10 destinations for conferences
Prague is in the top 10 most desirable congress and conference destinations globally according to the International Congress Association (ICCA). In 2023, nearly 5,000 professional events were held in Prague, attracting almost 700,000 attendees. But what makes the city such a popular congress destination?
According to the Prague Convention Bureau, the number of foreign congresses and conferences increased by 54% from 2023 to 2024, balancing the ratio of foreign (49.3%) to local events (50.7%). Common topics for these events include medical sciences, economics, finance and business, and IT and technology.
I spoke to the Director of the Prague Convention Bureau, Roman Muška, about some of the reasons why Prague ranks so highly among international cities in attracting congress and conference tourists.
“Prague, first of all, has a very rich cultural and historical heritage. I think that’s something that attracts most delegates coming to Prague.
“Secondly, I think its location in the center of Europe makes it easy for European delegates to come because Prague is connected with about 170 destinations directly.
“Prague is also a very compact and walkable city. We can also say it also has an excellent public transport system, so it’s very easy for the delegates to get from one side to another of the city. Prague is very compact in comparison with Paris or London. So, it’s really easy for the people to get oriented here and to move from one side to another.”
Contributing to Prague’s attractiveness is the variety of conferences that the city has to offer, explains Mr. Muška:
“The capacity has increased in the past years. We had only one conference center in the past, which was the Prague Congress Center and Vysehrad. Since 2019, we opened the second one Universum, also for congresses and conferences. So, we have two large convention centers with a capacity of up to 10,000 and an exhibition space of roughly 13,000 square meters, which is quite good.
“It is true that we are still missing larger exhibition spaces in order to attract the biggest congresses of up to 10,000. We do hope that in the future the Prague Congress Center will be enlarged. There are plans to build extra homes next to the Congress Center.”
Prague's strategic focus on tourism targets high-net-worth individuals, including congress delegates, who tend to spend up to three times more than the average tourist. Congresses usually occur in spring and autumn, thus not overwhelming the city during peak tourist seasons. Mr. Muška said this contributes to the positive economic impact on Prague:
“Income for the public budget out of the conventions and congresses were between 7.5 and over 10 billion Czech crowns, which is quite significant, in fact, when we talk about the finances only. But there are other benefits that they are bringing to the city such as knowledge exchange and social impact as well.”
Prague remains the leading destination for foreign event organizers in Czechia. Internationally, the city secured the sixth spot among the most desirable congress destinations, surpassing cities like Madrid, Seoul, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.
