In the most recent data analysis, Prague, the Czech capital, has demonstrated significant year-over-year advancements, not only in the frequency of hosted meetings and conferences but also in the influx of delegates attending these gatherings. Throughout 2023, Prague played host to nearly five thousand professional events, drawing an audience of nearly 700,000 attendees. Notably, Prague secured the sixth position internationally among the most coveted meeting destinations, surpassing notable cities like Madrid, Seoul, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.

While Prague’s meetings industry is experiencing a surge, it has yet to attain the pinnacle achieved in the record-breaking year of 2019.

The capital’s meetings sector continues its upward trajectory following a pandemic-induced hiatus. In 2023, aggregated data from the Prague Convention Bureau and the Czech Statistical Office reveal a total of 4,889 meetings and conferences convened in Prague, with 691,103 delegates in attendance, marking a respective year-over-year increase of 25% and 12%. However, these figures still fall short of surpassing the peak achieved in 2019. “In terms of delegate numbers, we’ve nearly reached 97% of the 2019

“In terms of the number of delegates, we are at almost 97% of 2019’s performance, but in terms of the number of events, we are only at 82%,” says Roman Muška, Managing Director of the Prague Convention Bureau, the organisation that officially represents Prague’s meeting industry, adding: “These data only confirms the trend of recent years, when fewer meetings and conferences are held, but with a much higher turnout of delegates. In our statistics we see that the number of events attended by 500 or more delegates has increased year on year. At the same time, we see an increase in the average length of an event, mainly due to a sharp increase in the number of meetings that last four or more days and a decrease in the segment of shorter, mostly two-day, events.”

Revival of international events and the cultivation of affluent visitors

Prague’s tourism strategy underscores its pursuit of high-net-worth individuals, particularly meeting delegates. Not only do these delegates alleviate strain on the destination during peak tourist seasons, as conferences predominantly occur in spring and autumn, but they also exhibit up to three times higher spending compared to average tourists. The reemergence of international expert events in Prague contributes to attracting a discerning clientele. International meetings and conferences in Prague saw a 54% year-over-year increase, balancing the ratio of international (49.3%) and local events (50.7%). “While the majority of events have historically originated from Europe (88%), in 2023, the United States reclaimed its leading position as the top source country after a four-year interval, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium,” explains Roman Muška. Discourses on medical sciences, economics, finance, business, IT, and technology persist as prevalent themes drawing delegates to Prague.

Locally, Prague solidifies its status as a premier city, though it faces stiff competition from Singapore on the global stage.

Prague has long been the preferred choice for international event organizers in the Czech Republic, hosting 35.5% of all events in 2023, according to Czech Statistical Office data. This was followed by the South Moravian Region (18.9%), the Olomouc Region (8.3%), and the Central Bohemian Region (7.4%).

On the global scale, Prague maintains its position among the most coveted meeting destinations worldwide. As per the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) rankings, Prague secured the sixth position globally and retained its fifth position within Europe. Although Prague saw a 4% increase in association events meeting ICCA criteria year-over-year, it relinquished its global top-five status to Singapore, which ascended from 13th to second place in 2022. The resurgence of Asian destinations, including Seoul (10th), Tokyo (13th), and Bangkok (15th), underscores the global revival of the tourism and meetings industries, particularly in regions where pandemic restrictions persisted longer.

“The increase in the number of association conventions occurs mainly due to the joint efforts of all stakeholders over the past years. In most cases, it takes several years from launching the candidacy process itself to the subsequent implementation of major association meetings. However, to remain at the top of the meetings destinations in the future, we need to continue to develop and invest in the meetings industry. In addition to association congresses, which we have been focusing on for a long time and which are systematically supported by the City of Prague in the form of various incentives, we must not neglect the segment of corporate conferences and incentive events, which have high spending rates in destinations and thus fit in with the City’s targeting of creditworthy clients,” comments Roman Muška.

What lies ahead in 2024?

Since 2022, a revival of the meetings industry has been evident not only in Prague but also in other global hubs. Moreover, according to the International Congress Association’s recent “ICCA 60 Years Report,” the number of congresses has more than doubled in the last six decades, signaling intense competition for Prague. The report anticipates that globally in 2023, the number of events will rebound to 90% of 2019 levels, a milestone partially achieved by the Czech capital. Expert projections suggest that in 2024, the congress industry should surpass 2019 figures by 37% in terms of delegate numbers and 1% in terms of events

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