New Entry into the International Conference Scene

Promotional campaign for future hosts and ambassadors of Harpa, the new concert and conference centre

The management of the Icelandic Convention & Incentive Bureau and Portus invited representatives of international associations in Iceland as well as Iceland’s 300 leading companies to the centre which is being constructed by Reykjavík harbour. The purpose of the gathering was to show the potential that Harpa offers for holding international conferences in Iceland.

“The guests we have invited to Harpa have influence and connections in the association and business worlds. We encourage them to help us raise awareness abroad of Iceland and of Harpa, a very attractive conference venue. We want to establish good lines of communication with our ambassadors, and to let them know what Reykjavík has to offer in the conference arena,” said Anna R. Valdimarsdóttir, the Bureau’s manager.

“Harpa will be open in May 2011. It will offer the best possible facilities for conferences, and it will certainly put Iceland on the map as a location for events of this type,” said Pétur J. Eiríksson, Chairman of Portus, Harpa’s holding company.

Overseas interest in holding conferences in Harpa is growing measurably. Experience shows that the number of conferences and meetings increases when a large conference centre is taken into use. The Icelandic Convention & Incentive Bureau’s manager is convinced that the market will respond quickly, and that before long Iceland will be hosting a record number of conferences.

“We have the opportunity to make inroads into the conference market and boost our foreign currency earnings through this particular branch of tourist services.”

Kristín Heimisdóttir, Chair of the Icelandic Orthodontic Society, addressed guests in Harpa. One of the conferences already booked is the European Orthodontic Society’s Congress 2013. She especially praised the foresight and determination of those who battled for the completion of construction of the Harpa Concert and Conference Centre.

“Despite the economic collapse, there was great interest in holding the Congress here in Iceland, and we decided to give it a go. There are no financial risks attached to this event. However, we will have to provide professional services such as artists, performers, chefs and technological experts. Over 2,000 people will come to Iceland, stay in hotels for a week, dine in restaurants and bring in the foreign currency the Icelandic nation so desperately needs.”

“We must support activities that bring visitors and generate high earnings, while keeping demands on our sensitive environment to a minimum. For this to happen, we need good conference facilities, and I would like to take this opportunity to send greetings to those who gave their support to the struggle to build Harpa, and thank them for daring to march forward into the future. Unfortunately, we don’t see enough of this sort of action in Iceland these days.”

Harpa will have very flexible facilities and the best possible technological equipment. The concert hall is the largest of the three main halls, all of which are on the second level. There are two additional meeting halls on first level, along with eight smaller meeting rooms on the first level and on the fourth level. A large entrance hall on the first and second level can house exhibitions, receptions and banquets. The building contains a first-class kitchen, a restaurant, a viewing balcony with a bar and a coffee bar on the ground floor.