The congress scene in Austria from autumn onward is still unclear, according to an article posted on 24 June by the Conference and Meetings World website.
Although it's now possible to host trade fairs and nontrade events in the country without limits on participant numbers -- provided they comply with specific hygiene regulations -- the latest amendment does not apply to congresses, noted Susanne Baumann-Söllner, managing director of Austria Center Vienna, which has hosted the European Congress of Radiology since 1991.
"As things currently stand, we still have two large-scale congresses planned for October and November. In light of the positive overall trend, I am confident that we will be hosting congresses with more than 1,000 participants once again from September. That said, the industry requires greater planning certainty right now," she said.
The postponements and cancellations over the past three months have had a serious impact on the city's hotel industry, restaurants, and partner enterprises in Vienna, Baumann-Söllner stated.
"For a number of weeks, there has been a clear positive trend -- both in terms of measures set at a national level as well as vital border openings. However, the industry will have to brace itself for a complete absence of large-scale events until autumn at the earliest," she explained. "We will only be able to fully determine the scale of the losses for Vienna as a business and research location in up to two years' time."
