Vienna Convention Fund 2025+
Vienna is supporting organizers of international association congresses through the Vienna Convention Fund 2025+. It is set up to provide funding for international association congresses to be organized in Vienna between January and April, and in July, August, November and December from 2025. Applications are already open.
For many years, Vienna has ranked among the leading congress destinations worldwide. Congresses drive innovation, are an important economic asset and play a key role in promoting the internationalization of the city. The Vienna Convention Fund 2025+ assists organizers by providing funding for the costs that occur when actually hosting the event in the city.
What is covered by the fund?
The Vienna Convention Fund 2025+ provides funding for international association congresses that take place in the city from 1 January 2025. Funding is only available for international congresses hosted in Vienna between January and April, and in July, August, November and December.
The fund supports international association congresses – for which the (registered) participants are known to the organizer – that add value for Vienna as an innovation hub and a location for business.
Funding is available for variable costs related directly to organization of the event which are paid to third parties. Examples include costs associated with the event location and for other service providers such as accommodations, A/V companies and caterers.
What funding possibilities are available?
To qualify for funding, the following requirements must be met:
- Location: The event is taking place in Vienna and payment is made to the venue (hotel or event location).
- Duration of event: at least 4 hours.
- Participants: at least 50 on site.
- International participants: at least 50% of on site participants
- Overnight stays: The number of international overnight stays booked at hotels in Vienna must amount to at least 50% of the number of on-site participants.
The amount of funding provided is staggered according to the number of participants and congress days. The more on-site participants (i.e. those physically present in Vienna) and the longer the event, the higher the funding. The maximum funding per event is EUR 40,000. The maximum amount per participant category can be seen in the Funding Guidelines.
In addition, the Vienna Loyalty Fund is available. Funding is provided for returning international association congresses to be organized in Vienna. Applications are open as of 01 January 2023, all details can be found here.
Who can apply for funding?
The Vienna Convention Fund 2025+ is aimed at domestic and international legal organizers (federations and associations as well as foundations, funds and companies with legal capacity, that were set up for charitable purposes), who are planning and hosting a congress themselves or via a third-party, and who bear the economic risk and therefore ultimate responsibility for all costs.
In addition, legal entities under public law (e.g. universities) as well as private universities and universities of applied sciences may submit applications for funding, provided that the object of funding is an international association congress and are demonstrably commissioned to stage the event.
Agencies are entitled to apply for support if they are demonstrably acting on behalf of the organizer.
How can applications be made?
Applications can be made online at any time via the Vienna Convention Bureau. After the formal evaluation, applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that applications cannot be submitted more than five years before the date of the event.
Please use this portal to make an application. Please ensure that you complete the forms supplied in full before uploading them. You will find them in the download area.
Events that receive funding from the Vienna Convention Fund 2025+ must display the Meeting Destination Vienna logo in their marketing materials.
Source: [https://www.vienna.convention.at/en/event-planning/funding-for-events/vienna-convention-fund-2025] last update: 20.04.2023
Vienna Meeting Fund 2022-2024
Set up by the City of Vienna, the EUR 4 million fund is aimed at domestic and international organizers who are planning meetings to be held in Vienna between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2024. Applications are possible until three weeks before the starting date of the event.
(Association) congresses and corporate events are of central importance for Vienna’s tourism industry. Besides their key role as an economic asset and a moving force for driving the internationalization of the city, they are a trigger for local value creation. The Vienna Meeting Fund 2022-2024 was launched as a logical successor of the Vienna Meeting Fund 2021-2023 and set up as a source of additional funding for organizers looking to host congresses and corporate events under the current circumstance. Funding is provided for costs incurred when actually organizing meetings and is specifically not intended as a source of compensation for any financial losses sustained.
What is covered by the fund?
The Vienna Meeting Fund 2022-2024 provides funding for events held between 1 July 2022 and 31 December 2024. The fund supports business events that actually take place – for which the (registered) participants are known to the organizer – and which add value for Vienna as an innovation hub and a business location. This includes (association) congresses and meetings, as well as corporate events and meetings.
Purely (corporate) evening events such as galas, award ceremonies or Christmas parties, as well as exhibitions, fairs and cultural or sporting events are not eligible for funding.
Funding is available for variable costs paid to third parties which are related directly to the staging of the event. Examples include costs associated with the event location and for other service providers such as accommodations, A/V companies and caterers.
What funding possibilities are available?
Funding is allocated according to three modules. Module 1 is the basic requirement, and applications for the additional modules are only possible if the criteria for Module 1 are fulfilled.
- Funding Module 1: Event to take place in Vienna (basic requirement for funding)
The basic requirement for applying for funding is that the event is hosted in Vienna, payment is made to the venue (hotel or event location), the event is attended by at least 50 on-site participants and it lasts a minimum of four hours. - Funding Module 2: Event generates overnight stays
In addition to the criteria for the first module, the event must also generate overnight stays for hotels in Vienna. To qualify for funding under the second module, the number of overnight stays generated by the event must be equivalent to 30% of the total number of on-site participants in 2022, 50% in 2023 and 50% international in 2024. - Funding Module 3: The event is hybrid
If costs are demonstrably incurred for the continuous implementation of the event as a hybrid meeting, it qualifies for funding under the third module.
The maximum support available per event – provided the criteria for all three funding modules are met – is EUR 60,000. The maximum level of support from each funding module is shown in the funding guidelines.
Who can apply for funding?
The Vienna Meeting Fund 2022-2024 is aimed at all domestic and international organizers who plan and host a meeting themselves or through a third-party and bear the financial risk and therefore ultimate responsibility for all costs.
Applications cannot be submitted by applicants facing pending bankruptcy proceedings, by the federal government, provincial governments, municipalities, regional authorities, political parties (in the meaning of the Austrian Political Parties Act 2012) or comparable foreign institutions, or by institutions without legal capacity.
How are applications made?
Applications can be made online at any time until 3 December 2024 through the Vienna Convention Bureau. After the formal evaluation, applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If all of the funding available under the Vienna Meeting Fund 2022-2024 is allocated before the end of the submission period, a notice to this effect will be posted on the Vienna Convention Bureau website. The completed application must be submitted to the Vienna Convention Bureau at least three weeks before the starting date of the event.
Events that receive funding from the Vienna Meeting Fund 2022-2024 must display the Meeting Destination Vienna logo in their marketing materials.
Source: [https://www.vienna.convention.at/en/event-planning/funding-for-events/vienna-meeting-fund-2022-2024] last update 20.04.2023