Venue report
largest of which is the Kaisergarten 1 + 2 with a capacity of 432sqm, six breakout rooms and a key alfresco advantage over most of its competitors: a large private garden / outside space with apple trees and good for hosting barbecues, cocktail parties or lunches / dinners.“ You can even set up a cinema there,” Fleischhacker added.
The hotel is close to achieving sustainability certification( awaiting the auditor’ s final inspection) – a long, demanding process, according to the GM.
The pipeline of upcoming events is looking healthy, although for some events lead times are getting shorter, Fleischhacker said.“ A few years ago we had a lot more discussion about price. Now, payment conditions and flexibility are becoming more important in the negotiating process, especially regarding cancellation terms where we try to work on a flexible basis.”
The Imperial Riding School’ s MICE offering will not change significantly in the next five years, the GM said.“ For the hotel, the requirements of technology( AI, robots) will continue
to rise, of course, but the human touch and personal connection will always be important, which is something we have recognised in the past five years.”
Bleisure a growing trend Fleischhacker touched on the growing
CASE STUDY Client: World Bank Centre for Financial and Sustainability Reporting Reform: 2025 CFRR Ministerial Conference Date: 4-day event held in March 2025 Number of attendees: 280 pax conference with multiple breakout sessions. Delegations from three continents. Key features: Setting up interpreter cabins in the main room Cocktail reception Dinner with a live performance from an opera singer in the restaurant( Elstar)
combination of business and leisure( bleisure) at the hotel, which is also a city-wide trend for visitors to Austria’ s capital, as Anita Paic, director of the Vienna Convention Bureau, has also said.
The Imperial Riding School is certainly a special venue thanks to its connection between historical elegance and modernity. As the GM put it:“ In terms of MICE, we are one of the largest hotels in Vienna. We have our own road in front of the hotel, which is good for privacy and security, and in terms of event branding this gives us a lot of options. Plus the outside space, of course.”
And it’ s not just self recognition: After just a year in operation, the Imperial Riding School was named the number one Destination meetings hotel in Europe by Cvent.
The hotel is definitely off and running in the race for MICE business and looks to be a real thoroughbred. n
ISSUE 139 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 55