Vienna has secured three further major congresses: the 26th European Association of Urology congress in 2011, the World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems in 2012, and the 4th European Congress of Immunology in 2015. A total of around 23,000 delegates attending these congresses will account for about a hundred thousand overnights in Vienna and contribute approximately 50 million euros to Austria’s GDP.

The European Association of Urology - which last convened in Vienna in 2004 - has once again chosen the Austrian capital as the venue for its congress. Up to 10,000 delegates are expected to attend Europe’s foremost scientific exchange on urology at the Austria Center Vienna from March 18 thru 22. “Besides our regular hosting of the European Congress on Radiology, we have now obtained a second major congress in March, which will boost the Vienna hotel trade’s occupancy rates during this month,” comments Christian Mutschlechner, Director of the Vienna Tourist Board’s Vienna Convention Bureau.

The main themes of the ITS World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems at Reed Messe Vienna from September 17 thru 21, 2012 will be e-mobility, improved navigation possibilities thanks to Galileo, networking between different modes of transport, and a special focus on the countries of Eastern Europe. The congress will be hosted by the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology. AustriaTech, the ministry’s telematics agency, is responsible for the organization of the congress, and will play a key role in developing the program. Managing Director Reinhard Pfliegl expects between 5,000 and 7,000 participants to attend ITS World 2012, and the parallel trade exhibition will cover some 15,000 m². “We shall be using this international fair to present successfully established transport systems as well as the latest developments in this field,” explains Doris Bures, Austrian Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology.

The 4th European Congress of Immunology will be held at the Austria Center Vienna from September 6 thru 9, 2015. Professor Winfried Pickl, of the Institute for Immunology, and Barbara Bohle, of the Institute for Pathophysiology at the Medical University of Vienna, anticipate that around 6,000 delegates will be attending the principal congress in this field. Vienna won this congress in direct competition with the rival cities of Copenhagen, Prague and Istanbul. “This congress will place immunological research in Austria and the Medical University of Vienna in the limelight of European immunology, and this will give an additional boost to the internationalization of Austrian immunological research,” comments Professor Pickl on this successful candidacy.

The overall economic significance of these three newly acquired congresses to Vienna is underscored by about 100,000 overnights and an estimated contribution of around 50 million euros to the Austrian GDP.