Should I host my corporate event in Riga?
A beautiful Baltic city with a fascinating history, Riga has emerged to become a contemporary European capital rich in culture and experiences. We recently had the pleasure of planning a corporate event in Riga and, whilst running the event and ensuring our client's delegates had the best possible experience, we also managed to take in some of the wonders of the region.
Not every great place to visit is an ideal place for a corporate destination event though. So, join us as we reflect on planning and delivering an event in Riga - the pros, the cons and what you should consider if you’re hosting a conference, gala dinner, award ceremony or team-building event in Latvia’s capital.
Riga as an event location
If you’re flying from the UK, Riga is fairly easy to get to. Some other major airlines fly direct to Riga but if you’re coming from further away - the US, Australia and Asia - or from smaller cities, your clients may need to book non-direct flights. This can impact the event attendance as you’ll have to weigh up the benefits against the effort of getting there. Therefore, it is important to understand where your delegates will be travelling from and ensure Riga is accessible for at least the majority. You might also consider the added carbon impact of connecting flights.
Once in Riga, it’s easy to get around. A walkable city where public transport is accessible, regular and - big plus - mostly electric! Riga rates highly as a sustainable city. It’s also very friendly and if you’re English-speaking it isn’t difficult to communicate, since many locals and suppliers speak English.
Riga is a fairly flat city which is beneficial if your party is walking around. Beware though, there are some cobbled streets which are beautiful but can be a challenge for some.
We opted mostly to walk delegates from location to location for our destination event in Riga. The city is best explored on foot and everything we needed was in close proximity.
Challenges of planning a corporate event in Riga
Event planners should be aware that Riga culturally is laid back. This makes it a great place to enjoy for clients and delegates but, if you’re organising an event, it can be a behind-the-scenes challenge for matters you consider urgent. Certainly not a non-negotiable but potentially an obstacle to overcome in the planning process.
Some venues and suppliers take a more casual stance on official confirmations and processes. It’s an attitude of ‘it’ll be alright on the night.’ We found that this did ring true and, once on location, everything ran smoothly. Yet it can be stressful in the run-up to the event. There is also somewhat of an aversion to external contracts and ensuring all terms and conditions (such as force majeure) are accounted for. We had to apply some pressure for paperwork to be signed because, as in some other global locations, an informal agreement is considered sufficient. When managing a large event for valued clients, we can’t leave anything to chance. So, we always approach with sensitivity and care but we do ensure we get those supplier agreements because it's our responsibility to mitigate risk in every way possible.
Accommodation and venues for events in Riga
Accommodation in Riga is reasonable by European standards. The hotel we used for our corporate event in Riga was lovely. Although on the higher end of the scale for Eastern Europe, it was still much more reasonable when you compare the service and quality with other more expensive European cities, such as Paris and London.
There were a few options for venues but most hotels were four-star and, although Riga is capable of hosting large events, it is simpler and easier to find accommodation and venues for parties of under 100.
Food and corporate activities in Riga
The food we had in Riga was authentic and impressive but very meat-heavy. Meat lovers will be delighted - vegetarians and vegans, not so much. That’s not to say plant-based options aren’t available but you do have to seek them out. Mainstream dining also tends not to offer particularly interesting meat-free options, but the fine dining establishments are more innovative when it comes to vegetarian and vegan dishes.
We were disappointed to miss out on Riga Central Market which is the largest market and bazaar in Europe. This is where you can sample some fresh local produce in an inspiring and bustling environment. It’s a worthy excursion but, if you’re running a fully catered event (as we were) it's difficult to take proper advantage of this ginormous farmers market offering
Whilst it might lack the ‘wow factor’ of some other cosmopolitan capitals, Riga is a city of understated elegance and charm, with a rich culture and many sites of historical interest. The hotels and venues are of a high standard but it was the tours and activities that provided the truly memorable elements of the event.
We enjoyed a canal walking tour, a carpentry workshop in the countryside, and a visit to the Riga Opera House where we’d booked a backstage tour for the delegates. This was really special and, when compared to other world-renowned opera houses, Riga Opera House’s performances are considered very good value for money.
Is Riga a good location for corporate events?
Once considered the greenest country in Europe, Latvia now is ranked 12th place (as of 2022 according to the Environmental Performance Index) but that’s still quite impressive. As a sustainable events agency, we found Riga to be one of the better places to plan a carbon-conscious corporate event. Much of the public transport is electric powered and hotels and venues also make sustainability a priority. However, in terms of diet there is a lot of meat and food tends only to be locally sourced in the more luxury restaurants.
Our party stayed at the Grand Hotel Kempinski which was impressive and close to all our other venues but it is the only 5-star hotel in the city. As a modern and clean city, Riga’s 4-star hotels were also very nice but if you’re hosting a large event you will be limited here. Some of the larger hotels we looked at could provide accommodation but lacked the venue space for conferences, larger meetings, etc.
We would recommend Riga highly for smaller networking events, including board meetings. Not only because of venue and hotel capacity but also because it's far easier to move smaller groups around the city on foot. That isn’t to say hosting a large corporate event in Riga isn’t doable but delegates may not be as able to immerse themselves so fully in the historical charm and stories of the city.
By far, our favourite part of Riga was learning about the history of the region. The tour talks from those who’d experienced occupation and soviet rule first-hand were very memorable and deeply moving. Even if you’re managing a huge event, make sure your attendees don’t miss out on this. The historical richness is what can set Riga apart from its rival European event destinations.