Vilnius secures 20 new conferences during the pandemic
Despite the challenges currently facing the meetings and events industry, Vilnius has secured 20 upcoming science and business conferences from a range of sectors, including biotech, law, medicine, IT, sports and social sciences. These conferences will take place between 2022 and 2025 and are expected to have an economic value of over EUR 6M.
It is estimated that the conferences ensured since the beginning of the quarantine in Lithuania will welcome over 6,000 delegates, Moreover, of the EUR 6M these conferences expect to attract to the city, some EUR 4M of direct revenue will be generated by a variety of businesses (i.e., accommodation, transport, catering, leisure and other sectors) and over EUR 1M through taxes.
The Go Vilnius Convention Bureau is proud to have worked closely with the city’s academics and industry professionals to sustain the meetings sector thriving during the pandemic and secure future events and conferences.
"Our partnerships with universities and industry clusters have never been more important than in the past 18 months,” says Inga Romanovskienė, Director of Go Vilnius, the official tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius. “We have managed to secure some major international conferences and this is due to our world-class academic ambassadors who constantly invite their international colleagues to meet in Vilnius.”
In the coming years, Vilnius will host several major European conferences, such as the European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology and the Bioeconomy (EFIB) 2022, the Annual Meeting of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) 2024 and the Annual Scientific Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) 2023.
According to Professor Augustina Jankauskienė, Chairwoman of the Lithuanian Society of Paediatric Nephrologists, the ESPN meeting is one of the leading events in the field. Sharing knowledge, ideas and best practices has never been more critical, and the opportunity to welcome some 500 peers from across the world to Vilnius is extremely valuable.
"Hosting one of the leading international law conferences – the ESIL – is a significant win for the city,” says Professor Dr Tomas Davulis, Dean of Vilnius University’s Faculty of Law. “Since the conference’s topic will be related to technological development and its impact on international law, Vilnius will have an opportunity to strengthen its image as an innovative and technology-driven city.”
"I am delighted that our university, the largest social science university in Lithuania, is contributing to the development of an innovative business ecosystem in Vilnius’ booming Fintech and LegalTech sectors,” says Professor Dr Inga Žalėnienė, Rector of Mykolas Romeris University. “A successful partnership with Go Vilnius helped us secure a range of major conferences that promise to provide an excellent platform for innovation, knowledge sharing and collaboration.”