“With 50,000 to 55,000 guests, which is about one in six of all visitors to the Hofburg Vienna, the 17 traditional balls are among the most popular of all the events held at the Hofburg and they also have the highest public profile. That was reason enough to take a closer look at the economic impact of the Viennese ball season in the first half of 2009,” explains Hofburg Vienna Managing Director Renate Danler.

The findings of a study on the attractiveness and economic impact of balls at the Hofburg speak for themselves. “In all, these events generate value added amounting to about EUR 10 million,” Mrs. Danler notes. Ballgoers spend EUR 196 on average, the lion’s share (37.6 %) is a accounted for by food and drink, followed by tickets (25.7 %) and clothing (14.5 %). Transport and styling complete the list of top five expenses. Balls are also an attractive prospect for the city’s hotels. “Around 85 percent of ballgoers come from Austria. After Vienna, where around half of all Austrian ball guests live, Lower Austria and Upper Austria account for the largest share of domestic visitors. About 15 percent of visitors come from abroad,” says Mrs. Danler. About 45 percent of ballgoers from outside Vienna stayed in the capital for one night and some 35 percent for two or three nights, with the remainder staying three nights or longer. Contrary to expectations, the global economic crisis and Austrian anti-corruption legislation had virtually no impact on visitor spending in 2009. In fact just one third of respondents reported any changes in spending, with around 80 percent indicating that they had actually spent more than in previous years.

“We are really looking forward to the 2010 ball season which promises a number of building and equipment upgrades,” announces Mrs. Danler. The traditional ball events feature innovative concepts aimed at heightening the visitor experience through the use of live multimedia broadcasts, ambient lighting and entertaining show acts. “We have a new double redundant sound system in the Festsaal and we are working with environmentally-friendly LED lighting,” says Danler. The Hofburg Vienna and Burghauptmannschaft Österreich have invested about EUR 3 million in technology, security and equipment at the Hofburg in 2009.

A summary of the study findings is available here.