Travel Out There - your Convention Bureau in Riga.
Latvia is not only the conference capital of the Baltics…
It is also currently ranked number 45 worldwide as a conference location by the ICCA (International Congress and Conference Association), putting the nation firmly in the top 25%. There are so many reasons to make Riga your destination for conferences and incentives, that it is impossible to list them all. This month, The Baltic Guide takes you through just a few of the highlights waiting for you in this cool conference city, and beyond.
INCENTIVES – CITY VERSUS COUNTRY
When one thinks "incentive package," one usually thinks of getting out of the city. Bobsleigh rides, flying, paragliding, and curling – there are plenty of places throughout Latvia that offer these unique opportunities.
But one shouldn’t forget the exciting incentives that take place right here in the capital.
KEEP IT IN TOWN
Laima chocolate, Riga Black Balsam, and Art Nouveau architecture; these three things are particularly synonymous with Latvia and Riga. Get to know the city and its architectural delights intimately, by participating in an organised treasure hunt where each team has to find various buildings and sculptures throughout the city. For those with a sweet tooth, try your hand at making your own Laima chocolates at the factory in Riga. If the chocolate isn’t strong enough for you, try Riga Black Balsam, which is made from twentyfour different natural herbs, berries and spices and has a 45% alcohol content. A Riga Black Balsam Magic treasure hunt will have you searching for all 24 of them in order to conjure up this sweet elixir. The task ends at the Black Magic Bar with some spooky surprises and ghosts from the past. We offer a Black Balsam tasting package and a Riga Treasure Hunt Tour. We can also custom- make incentive packages upon request.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
If the great outdoors is still what you are looking for, from karting and paintball to bobsleigh runs and even the opportunity to play a match against one of the country’s leading amateur teams, Riga United Football Club.
CONFERENCES
Riga is "the right size, right location and right price" for your conference or event. Indeed, the city is rapidly becoming the gateway between East and West, what with direct flights to European capitals such as Paris, Rome and Brussels in the West, as well as Baku, Tashkent and Moscow in the East. Although they say that Riga is the Paris of the North, its prices, at least for the time being, are not nearly as exclusive. What’s more, the city is cosmopolitan yet compact, enabling you to go from board meeting to boarding your flight in twenty minutes, depending on the time of day and whether you check in online.
AIRPORT EXPANSION
The expansion of Riga International Airport will no doubt secure Latvia as the ultimate European conference capital of the future. So if you haven’t decided on a conference here now, you’d best get planning one for the years to come. The airport is currently lengthening its runway, to allow for more jumbo jets to land there, paving the way for more intercontinental flights. Whereas the airport currently handles more than 3 million passengers per year, after phases five and six of its expansion (to begin next spring) it will be able to handle four times as many. The Riga Airport Business Park is scheduled to open in 2010. When it does, it will have 40,000 m2 of exhibition space, and a capacity of 5,000 people, with various hotels offering over 700 rooms.
HOTELS
Radisson Hotel Latvia (55 Elizabetes iela) is the capital’s top conference venue. With 20 different conference halls that can accommodate up to 3,000 people, it offers by far the most versatile space and convenience. It is also easily accessible from Riga International Airport either by taxi (approx. 8 Ls., depending on the taxi company), the Air Baltic shuttle bus (3 Ls., credit cards accepted), or even the express airport bus (0.40 Ls.), which stops just across the street from the hotel. Radisson Hotels also have two other venues in close proximity, the Radisson Hotel Vidzeme (1 Remeirsa iela), a luxury 5-star hotel, and the Radisson Hotel Elizabete (71/73 Elizabetes iela), both of which are just a 5-minute walk from the Hotel Latvia. Hotel Valdemars (23 K. Valdemars iela) is a relatively new affordable and elegant option right in the city centre, in the heart of the art nouveau district. Just a few minutes’ walk from both the Riga Congress Centre (5 K. Valdemara iela) and the Hotel Latvia, this is a convenient alternative accommodation, yet they also offer their own modest conference space.
