On March 1st this year, a renewed programme to support international conferences was launched, initiated by the official development agency of the City of Vilnius “Go Vilnius”. Anyone interested in organising international conferences or other similar events in Vilnius is invited to apply. Applicants can expect up to €30,000 to cover conference costs. Eligible conferences must meet certain criteria including internationality, size, duration, seasonality, etc.

The International Conference Support Programme supports conferences with more than 50 participants, at least half of whom are foreigners. The conference must last at least 2 days and take place in paid venues (hotels, conference centres, non-traditional venues, etc.). All conferences will be evaluated based on a set of criteria, the most important of which are size, internationality and duration. The amount of the reimbursement will not exceed 60% of the conference budget. Only one application per conference will be allowed and must be submitted at least 30 days before the start of the conference.

“We want Vilnius to be visible abroad and recognised as an attractive city to travel, live, work or invest. We know how much effort and resources are involved in planning and organising a European conference or a world congress, and how important the city’s support is, so we believe that this programme, which reduces the financial risks for conference organisers, will help to attract important international events to Vilnius”, says Dovilė Aleksandravičienė, the head of “Go Vilnius”.

The support programme is open to public and private legal entities that organise the conference at their own expense and take responsibility for the organisation of the conference, including conference organisers acting on behalf of the sponsor and able to provide representation.

“This is a necessary and important initiative by the city of Vilnius that will encourage the university to organize more major international conferences and help attract high-level speakers and experts. We are all interested in Vilnius being known abroad not only as a tourist destination, but also as a center of knowledge and innovation,” says Prof. Dr. Jolanta Bieliauskaitė, Rector of Kazimieras Simonavičius University.

In 2023, a total of 74 international conferences benefited from the conference incentive programme, with funding of €615k. This amount was financed from the tourist tax. The economic value generated by these conferences is €17 million.