Which European destinations are good value for money for corporate events?
When it comes to planning a global conference, team building event, product launch or gala dinner, choosing the right destination is vital. Top of your list will likely be finding a European destination that offers good value for money, especially since rates for venues, accommodation, dining, entertainment, travel and attraction costs have been rising regardless of the fact that event budgets have mostly stayed stagnant.
To select the right destination for your global conference, consider the following key elements:
Where are your delegates coming from, and are there good connections from their airports?
Is the destination close to a local international airport?
Is there a venue that’s well connected for additional offsite events?
How safe is the destination, realistically?
What kind of infrastructure is in place?
Once you have answered these questions in your search for the best conference destination, you can look at the affordability and cost effectiveness of these countries, and how much it has to offer delegates that might come from economically developing nations, where the exchange rate is unfavourable or the cost of living is vastly different. Based on these variables, here are our recommendations that offer the infrastructure to support your network’s event, while offering good value for money.
Riga, Latvia
Whilst understated, Riga is one of the largest and liveliest of the Baltic capitals with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture in the world. Not only will the city's aesthetics impress delegates, there are also a surprising amount of conference hotels suitable for large groups. Furthermore, there’s a lot of culture for delegates to take in.
During our latest event in Riga, we took delegates to a carpentry workshop, enjoyed a canal walking tour and treated them to a backstage tour at Riga’s Opera House.
In addition, Riga is one of the easier European cities to deliver a carbon-conscious event in.
To find out more about planning an event in the charming Latvian capital, please see our full guide - Should I host my corporate event in Riga.
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is a great central European location with good flight connections, especially for attendees from Europe. There are also very good four-star and five-star hotel selections with rates much lower than other more western locations. The city has a rich history, impressive architecture and wonderful cuisine enriched by great local wines. There are also many options for social programmes and tours.
Dynamic Events has built strong working relationships with a number of event suppliers in Budapest including ‘one of the best AV companies I’ve ever worked with’, according to our Managing Director, Angelika.
Vienna, Austria
A beautiful city with great facilities, Vienna is rich in history and highly accessible. Schwechat airport is within a reasonable distance from the city centre with great road connections.
Vienna is less busy than Amsterdam or London, yet there are still incredible food options, social events, and leisure opportunities both in the city and just outside.
It’s very unlikely that you will run out of unique options for venues in Vienna. The city has a large number of luxury hotels with the Ritz-Carlton Vienna providing 7 meeting rooms and the Le Meridien Vienna providing 10. Moreover, if you’re seeking a city to host a sustainable event in, you will be supported in Vienna.
Warsaw, Poland
Poland is one of your less typical locations for a European corporate event. Yet, this is one of its main assets. After the second world war, Poland had to be largely rebuilt, blending the old with new purpose. Hence, the city has been redeveloped by some of the world's most notable architects. Not only has this led way to some fascinating history and unique storytelling, it also means this city is one that has never stopped moving towards the future, transforming to meet the needs of its people and its visitors, including building venues purpose-built for large corporate events and conferences. In fact, the city has several large and versatile conference centres.
In leisure time, exploring the city can be done on foot and via boat tours and, although Polish cuisine is traditionally meat-heavy country, Warsaw ranks in the top 10 most vegan-friendly cities in the world, making it simpler for event planners to meet dietary requirements.
Warsaw also has great airport connections, although travellers from outside Europe will need connecting flights.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Could this be Rotterdam, or anywhere? No - in a deviation from the popular 1996 Beautiful South hit song, Rotterdam, we have found this Dutch city to be a special European city.
Most groups end up going to Amsterdam, but Rotterdam is only a short journey away by either car or train. It showcases amazing architecture, has a very contemporary vibe and culture. Admittedly, it has fewer large hotel options but it is still possible to accommodate most corporate groups and they can be less expensive than some other more obvious European cities. Rotterdam also offers state of the art venues and the latest digital and technical infrastructure.
Hamburg, Germany
Did you know that Hamburg has more canals than Venice and Amsterdam combined? Over 2300 in fact!
Flights to Hamburg are usually reasonably priced and the international airport is less than 30 minutes from the city centre. The city itself is very safe and friendly with lots of great venues, beautiful architecture, walking tours and boat trips. Our team has previously stayed at the Westin Hamburg Hotel which had a great location on the water and close to the city centre. Although we’ve hosted events in many cities in Germany, it has to be said that Hamburg is one of our favourites - not flashy, but classic and authentic.
Get in touch today or give us a call on +44(0)1797 223626 to find out how Dynamic Events can help you with researching the best destination for your next event!
Note - This is an updated post originally published in 2022