2010 exceeds expectations, laying foundations for further growth in 2011
HOFBURG Vienna hosted 345 events and over 325,000 visitors in 2010 as it confounded the economic crisis. Demand for banquets and gala evenings was also flying high. The year ahead will be shaped by an increased number of ball events and international medical and political conferences, with added value for Vienna forecast at EUR 190 million in 2011.
Excellent performance in 2010
The results for the financial year just ended were outstanding, in spite of the global downturn and international incidents such as the volcanic eruption in Iceland and the subsequent closure of European air space. Each of the six international events that had to be postponed following the natural disaster were rescheduled and successfully held later in the year. The Hofburg hosted 40 conferences in 2010, attracting some 16,000 delegates to Vienna. “This event segment alone generated 35,000 to 40,000 bednights in the city,” notes Managing Director Renate Danler. And on top of this came a further 220 meetings of the Hofburg-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which brought an additional 65,000 delegates to the Austrian capital. The gala evenings and banquet segments resonated particularly well with customers, and corporate business expanded once again.
At 55 percent, conferences, corporate events and OSCE meetings accounted for the lion’s share of revenue. Banquets and gala evenings contributed 16 percent of the total, up from 11 percent a year earlier. This segment also recorded the largest gains in revenue, which returned totals to pre-crisis levels thanks to a 45 percent jump. Alongside conferences and meetings, these types of events yield the highest profit margins, lending further weight to the decision to prioritise conferences and banquets for 300 or more people. There were also slight revenue gains for balls and concerts, which together accounted for 15 percent of the total. The HOFBURG Vienna organised Kaiserball and the exhibitions segment held firm with a 7-8 percent revenue contribution. Overall the HOFBURG Vienna posted revenue of EUR 10 million (not including catering turnover) and an added value of EUR 190 million to the Austrian economy. Event and visitor numbers were both up year on year. In 2010 some 345 events were hosted at the HOFBURG Vienna, up 13 percent on the previous year’s total. The average daily visitor headcount of more than 890 exceed the 2009 total by 7 percent.
Encouraging signs for 2011
Regular and repeat customers were once again a mainstay in the harsh economic environment, accounting for almost 60 percent of revenue. The year gets off to a flying start with twenty traditional ball events, three of which are new to the HOFBURG Vienna. “This year’s ball season alone will see between 55,000 and 60,000 ballgoers converge on Vienna’s most attractive ballroom. Numbers are up again, even during this difficult period for the economy,” adds Managing Director Renate Danler.
Another positive development is the HOFBURG Vienna’s increasing tendency to attract organizers from all over the world. The Hofburg’s traditional Austrian and German core markets are flourishing and business from the USA and the United Kingdom is gearing up. Continental European partners from the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Italy are also behind a spate of new bookings, while inquiries have also been fielded from as far away as Russia, China and Japan. In all there are bookings from over 20 countries in 2011. The HOFBURG Vienna will focus on tendering for international conferences and large-scale gala events – two event types for which the opulent and unique state rooms at the Hofburg really come into their own.
More than 15 bookings for international meetings have already been confirmed. The 2011 conference year will get underway during the ball season with a special anniversary meeting of the International Union of Economists. Like political events, medical conferences are in the ascendancy. The medical event calendar includes the International Congress on Prevention of Congenital Diseases from 12-14 May, which will also mark the centenary of the Vienna Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (Kinderklinik Wien); the European Society for Animal Cell Technology Congress (ESACT) from 15–18 May; the joint annual meeting of the Austrian and German intensive care societies (ÖGIAM, DGIN); and the Austrian Ear, Nose and Throat congress from 14–17 September. In May and June the HOFBURG Vienna will provide the setting for a number of high-level political summits. The Romy Gala (16 April) and Una Notte Sportiva (23 September) are just two of the numerous gala evenings and banquets scheduled for the year ahead. Hofburg Managing Director Renate Danler is highly optimistic about the future, thanks to strong order books, including a number of large-scale conferences for 2012.
