AAA White Paper The political economy of informal events, 2030 | Page 127

Gothenburg’s Way Out West (WOW) festival is part of a wider
cultural celebration that attracts 30,000 visitors a day over three
days, with 70 per cent of them coming from outside the city. WOW
runs alongside Gothenburg Culture Festival and Way Out West Music
Conference. Meanwhile, Stay Out West, which occurs at night after
WOW is over, makes use of the various venues surrounding the event,
opening up the city for tourism and extended hotel bookings.
Often referred to as Sweden’s ‘second city’, Gothenburg has made
a virtue of its compact size and outsider status. Government, hotels,
private businesses and venues have banded together to make events
work for the collective cause of rejuvenating the city.
In December 2014, the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre
complex, known as Gothia Towers, opened its third hotel skyscraper.
Today, plans are being finalised to erect two adjacent structures by
2025. It is true that the SECC, which is currently revamping its entrance
as part of a €500m injection to improve the whole venue by 2030,
is owned by a financially independent foundation. Still, the recent
upswing in Gothenberg’s exhibition and congress visitor numbers
has made the business case for further expansion irreproachable.
Gothia Towers,
Gothenburg
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