The time has come to seek a developer and investor for a congress centre
Estonian Convention Bureau, Enterprise Estonia and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications are now starting the search for a developer, investor and operator for a convention centre.
According to Estonian Convention Bureau’s Chairman of the Board, Feliks Mägus, conferences would increase tax revenues of the public sector. „Bringing large-scale international conferences and fairs to Estonia should interest both entrepreneurs and the public sector, and a contribution from the state and cities is crucial to make that happen. We are competing with cities and countries where the construction of convention centres is financed with public funds,” Mägus added and acknowledged any steps that would advance the congress centre project.
Ott Sarapuu, Project Manager for the convention centre, who has just begun work in the Enterprise Estonia / Estonian Tourist Board, mentioned that the primary task is to find an investor and developer for the centre. „A survey held in 2013 by the international research company The Right Solution is a good basis for moving forward with the project. The survey highlighted the positive sides of Estonia that would attract international conferences, but the problem is that we still don’t have a centre that could meet the requirements of such events,“ Sarapuu admitted.
Sarapuu added that building a centre specifically for conferences will add an additional 15 million Euros to the economy and will create around 400 new jobs. „Meanwhile, conference delegates spend more money compared to regular tourists, an average of 1,300 Euros per visit. A single conference of 3,000 participants would bring in almost 4 million Euros, indubitably benefitting many companies,“ Sarapuu said.
According to Ott Sarapuu, the project will begin with an open position, where all proposals and ideas are welcome, so that the congress centre would become a common project of both the public and private sectors.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications assures that the state is ready to invest in the centre’s construction, according to the national tourism development plan. The congress centre will help with the internationalisation of the Estonian economy and reduce the seasonal nature of local tourism.
According to Estonian Convention Bureau, approximately 10,000 conference tourists annually by-pass Estonia as we cannot offer suitable accommodations or flight connections to meet their needs. The main issue remains the lack of a building that would include a large auditorium, and extra rooms with exhibition and catering options. The Estonian Convention Bureau has identified around 450 international professional conferences with up to 4,000 participants, which rotate within the area to which Estonia also belongs.
The opening of the congress centre is planned for 2020. The development price of necessary real estate is in the range of 65 million Euros.
Ott Sarapuu, Project manager of the congress centre, has been working with the Estonian Tourist Board since September 22, 2014. Before that, he developed and held CEO position at the Seaplane Harbour of the Estonian Maritime Museum.
