City report
Prague polishing up its heritage for a new events generation
SIMON GEORGE RETURNS TO PRAGUE TO FIND THE CITY’ S MICE MARKET RE- ENERGISED AND RETURNING TO FULL HEALTH
T he number of meetings
being held in the Czech capital is well on the rise and booking visibility improving, with Prague occupying a firm fifth place in the latest ICCA city ranking( and fourth in Europe – up one place from 2023).
In total, more than 5,100 events took place in the Czech capital in 2024, which is 5 % more in year-on-year comparison. And there are key catalysts for further MICE market growth in the pipeline like the reopening of Prague Exhibition Grounds next year.
The Czech economy is also performing better and, while there is undoubted renewed MICE momentum, challenges remain. Issues such as the shortage of direct flight connections from the US remain a concern, as do geopolitics, while the government’ s plan to improve high-speed rail connections( both within the Czech Republic and abroad) – a potential game-changer – is a long way off, according to Roman Muška, Prague Convention Bureau’ s( PCB) managing director.
Refurbishing, restructuring and right-sizing During the pandemic event organisers busied themselves by refurbishing, restructuring and right-sizing their businesses – and in Prague hotel groups like the Prague Marriott reopened after a major refurbishment in October 2021 and the Fairmont Golden Prague, formerly the InterContinental, reopened its doors in 2025. In fact, not dissimilar to someone who has sojourned at the
Top right: The definitive pilsener, the definitive experience
Bottom right: Prague Boats – electroglide on the Vltava
Left: Gregr ' s Hall, Municipal House( Ivan Kral)
famous Czech spa towns of Karlovy Vary or Marianske Lazne for the purpose of rest and recuperation, Prague’ s MICE market gives the impression of having re-emerged with renewed vigour!
I visited the landmark Fairmont hotel on the banks of the Vltava to meet CVB chief Muška, who told me:“ If we look at the 2024 event figures, we can see that we are almost back to pre-Covid numbers –‘ almost’ meaning that in terms of the number of meetings we are not there yet but in terms of attendees we are”. He predicted the figures could go even higher in 2025 with Q1 2025 numbers already looking good.
Muška said that there were bookings out to 2029, including some large association congresses. In terms of the corporate market, the booking window is much shorter than it was in the past, he noted.“ But for the key US market, for example, we can see bookings six to 12 months in advance thanks to the fact that we are getting RFPs for larger groups.”
64 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / ISSUE 138