The European Renal Association and the European College of Sport Science will both hold their annual congresses in Vienna in 2016. Right from the start, the Vienna Convention Bureau of the Vienna Tourist Board and the Austria Center – which will be the venue for both events – were actively involved in the competition for these congresses, which will bring Vienna around 36,000 bednights.
The European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) is the umbrella organization of all the European national medical associations for kidney diseases. One of the goals of the association is to promote the exchange of information between clinically and scientifically active doctors and basic researchers in the field of nephrology. With approximately 10,000 delegates, the association’s annual congress is the largest in this field in Europe, and the second largest worldwide after the congress of the American Society of Nephrology. The congress will take place at the Austria Center Vienna from May 21-24, 2016.
Vienna’s application for this prestigious event was presented under the leadership of Professor Gert Mayer of Innsbruck Medical University and Professor Alexander Rosenkranz of the Medical University of Graz. According to Professor Alexander Rosenkranz, “winning this major event is attributable on the one hand to the high international reputation of the members of the Austrian Society of Nephrology, and on the other to the attractive location of Vienna.” Professor Gert Mayer explains: “We will use also use this congress to generate awareness with regard to kidney diseases, since about 10% of the population suffer from at least slight reduction of renal function, which also entails an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. We shall also be focusing on the latest findings in the field of dialysis and kidney transplantation.”
The annual congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) is also the largest in its field in Europe. In 2016 some 2,500 sport scientists will travel to attend this event at the Austria Center Vienna from July 6-9. The congress will be organized by the University of Vienna’s Center for Sport Science and University Sport. Professor Arnold Baca, head of the center and board member of the Institute of Sport Science, who put together Vienna’s successful application, commented: “The outstanding reputation of the University of Vienna’s Center for Sport Science and University Sport was an important criterion and one of the reasons why we were able to trump Portorož, our main competitor, in the final round.”
36,000 bednights for Vienna and 21.5 million euros in value-added for Austria as a whole
Christian Mutschlechner, Director of the Vienna Tourist Board’s Vienna Convention Bureau, commenting on these successful acquisitions: “It is a tremendous advantage being able to work with institutions that are recognized in specialist circles, and can be used as ‘flagships’. This increases decision makers’ confidence that the scientific quality of both speakers and delegates – and hence also of the results – of the congress under negotiation will be of the highest level. In 2016, these two congresses will bring Vienna approximately 36,000 bednights, and contribute an amount of around 21.5 million euros to GDP.”
