World Trade Centres Association

Budapest joined the World Trade Centre network in 1981, connecting its business community to the people, the companies, the data and the government agencies which make up the fabric of global commerce.

As an economic platform through trade missions, seminars, international business certification programs and courses on local and global business issues, international conferences and meetings, Budapest represents an opportunity to offer development on a global basis. WTCs create a gateway to the world; through their shared experience they form an impressive information and promotion network. The collective voice attracts the support and interest of national and international government agencies and provides an effective forum for generating and implementing new services for promotion and facilitation of world trade.

A World Trade Center is a combination of physical facilities and trade services that make it uniquely suited to accomplish its mission and give its tenants the premier business address. WTCs are endorsed by governments and the private sector, which use the facility to consolidate agencies and services related to trade. WTC offers its members and tenants a wide range of facilities and services. Since these services are reciprocal, members can access them at all operating WTCs around the world. The Centers have their own range of certified services they provide, generally speaking the followings: trade information and market research, trade shows and exhibit places, business services, education services, group trade missions, WTC clubs, etc

Since 2005 it operates in the Novotel Budapest Congress with the best four star meeting, event and congress facilities in Hungary. Like the global network it represents, initiatives adapt to the changing environment and then develop to expand its activities.

Budapest is ideally suited, in the central hub of Europe, for hosting the above and also conferences on all topics and differing business categories and issues of all sizes, especially those organised for pan European development, a place where people and cultures from around the world will meet. Business development and growth, excitement, art, culture, fun, history and the future are all present in Budapest.

Easily reached on a one or two hour flight from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Milan, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Vienna, Prague, Bucharest or Athens it is the most sensible option for any Conference that is related to the larger European or World market.

Often described as the "Jewel of the Danube," Budapest's thousand-year-old history and modern-day conveniences create the complete package for business travelers. It is no surprise that the city is seeing a surge in popularity and tremendous growth, ranking number 3 on MasterCard's 2008 Emerging Markets Index and as the most livable city on the EIU's Quality of Life Index in 2009. Budapest attracts roughly 20 million visitors a year and hosted enough meetings to land it the number 6 spot on the International Congress & Convention Association's 2008 list of city rankings.

To meet its growing role as political, cultural and economic hub of Hungary, Budapest has dedicated much money and focus to providing areas to conduct business. Notably, the popular Budapest Sportaréna opened in 2003 to become one of the most popular venues in the city for entertainment acts, sports events and more. Here guests receive the ultimate VIP treatment by attending an event in one of the arena's smartest suites, which feature private access, separate parking and exclusive catering and bar service.

Budapest Congress & World Trade Center underwent a €10 million renovation in 2005. Now one of the city's leading meeting facilities for international business conferences and events, the Center features 4,000 square meters of exhibition space and 20 versatile rooms, the largest of which holds up to 2,000 attendees. Also there is the Hotel Novotel Budapest Congress, attached to the center via a walkway, offering an additional 19 conference rooms and 319 guest rooms.

Outside of the boardroom, planners find plenty of opportunities to treat their meeting guests to authentic Budapest experiences. Charter a cruise boat with MAHART PassNave, which offers packages for dinners and buffets of up to 220 guests. A popular way to experience the city, MAHART has hosted press conferences, receptions and state events that have included notable guests such as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Elizabeth II, Queen of England, and the King of Malaysia and his family.

 Budapest's Royal Palace is home to the event-friendly Hungarian National Museum. Plan a night of dinner and dancing at the museum's Ceremonial Hall and Dome, or a performance at its Roman Lapidary, which resembles the layout of an ancient Roman Villa. The historic Gundel Restaurant, where such famed figures as Pope John Paul II have dined, also welcomes large groups in its 10 private rooms.

  
Offering more than just a dizzying array of stately meeting venues, Budapest also attracts event planners and business travelers with its ease of access. Budapest Airport, which serves several low-cost airlines, is located just 20 minutes from the city centre and is connected to the city via public bus and train. Once inside the city, Budapest's extensive public transportation system is an affordable, efficient method for traversing the city's major attractions and hotels.

International trade is a major contributor to the Hungarian economy, and Budapest has done well to grow to meet this demand. With accessible international transport links, business headquarters throughout the city, a thriving tourist business, everything is set for rapid growth and success when the Euro is adopted no later than 2014.

Innovation

July 2008 saw the decision in Brussels for Budapest to be the headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). EIT’s objective - as the leader institution of the European innovation sector – is to strengthen the scientific co-operation within the European Union.
The main points of the Hungarian bid were: the scientific achievements of Hungarian brains are acknowledged worldwide, the wide campus network of Budapest, central geo-political location and excellent infrastructure of Hungary.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology will be the centre of the European innovation activities. The institute will be responsible for the European research and development (R&D) sector, EIT will finance different projects and decide where the R&D centres would be planted in Europe.

Education

Located in one of Europe's most elegant capital cities, Budapest, the Central European University is accredited in both the USA and Europe, offering a uniquely international atmosphere of academic excellence, critical reflection, and social engagement.

CEU students come from over 100 countries of five continents - from 30 countries. There is no predominant national majority; this uniquely international atmosphere affords one of the most appealing aspects of student life in Budapest. Any CEU graduate has an international network of personal and professional contacts enhancing their future lives and careers.

CEU stresses both academic excellence and public policy relevance of its teaching and research, focusing on key issues of the 21st century ranging from climate change to democratic governance and from international security to deeper understanding of history and philosophy. The University and an increasing number of its programs are also accredited in Hungary. In addition, several CEU degrees are awarded jointly with other leading European universities. Thus, CEU education is globally recognized and highly valued opening unique career prospects for its graduates all over the world.

Development from Abroad

The first large scale investment for international trade, Dragon Mart, opened in Dubai in December 2004 and serves the Middle East and following on from that success, the Chinese Commerce Ministry will take over two adjacent Chinese wholesale centres in Budapest's north eastern 15th district and construct two buildings next door to complete a planned four-structure complex, scheduled for opening in 2009.

The centre will feature showrooms, shopping areas, restaurants and warehouses. Owners of the two existing wholesale centres signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese and Hungarian governments. In June, Hungary played host to the Chinese Commerce Ministry's first European fair, which introduced 70 Chinese state-owned engineering and technology firms to Hungary.

Objectives of the Budapest Hub

2005 – 2015 has been chosen to be the decade of the Environment - to address trans boundary environmental issues, the Department established regional environmental Hubs, located in twelve embassies around the world. In the Budapest Regional Environment Office special attention is given to trans boundary water management issues in the Carpathian, Danube, and Sava basins; the environmental component of Balkan reconstruction and emerging regional health issues.

Environmental crime (illegal logging and deforestation), flooding of the Danube River, energy and alternative energy issues, Avian Influenza, HIV/AIDS/TB, innovative technology and new areas of research and development, among many others are the topics to be addressed. The original participants are from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovakia, but more recently, the Central and Eastern European Hub has been expanded to include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

Conclusion

Annually, thousands of conference events are organized in Budapest throughout all of the year for locals and visitors, European and those from the rest of the world. Finding a professional organizer in Budapest is a challenge no more: hundreds of event organizing companies are at the ready, arranging everything from a small meeting to events with thousands of participants in a prompt and proper manner. At the centre of an expanding and strengthening Europe, Budapest is a major provider of those facilities needed to develop the communication and collation of information required to put Central Europe at the premier position it deserves on the world stage.