Information for conventions and associations

International city

Since 1992, when the Treaty was signed, Maastricht has been known as capital city of Europe. Not only due to the fact that this special occasion occurred here, but also due to the central location in Europe and the international atmosphere.

Maastricht has a rich experience in hosting international meetings. Conference delegates like being in the city because it is compact; after the conference, one can easily find and bump into each other in the city.

Special and safe congress city

The city has 120,000 inhabitants, but has quite a large convention centre and a large number of hotel rooms. This is what makes Maastricht so special as a congress city. When delegates are in Maastricht, they get the feeling the city has become part of them. The locals also know immediately a convention is being held: they see guests walking around with the same bags and badges. Delegates find the Maastricht inhabitants to be hospitable and kind hearted. Dutch delegates feel as if they were abroad, and international delegates experience in Maastricht the orderly way of the Dutch, but with the generous atmosphere of Maastricht.
In Maastricht, almost every venue and location is within walking distance, which makes your stay in Maastricht even more pleasant, you will not have to use taxi’s or busses to get from one place to another. And if you do use them, the drive will be short. You could also choose to go by bike, as did the 1500 delegates of the ESTRO Congress 2009. In Maastricht, riding a bike is nice and safe.

Not only on bike, but in general as well, visitors of Maastricht feel safe, which has been statistically indicated.

Conventions held in Maastricht

Because of all the reasons mentioned above, more and more associations choose to have their convention in Maastricht. Find out here which conventions already were in Maastricht and which will be held here in the future.

These organisations choose Maastricht because when they are here, they experience its international atmosphere, the safety, compactness, quality and allure.

Co-operation of important Maastricht organisations

The presence of the Maastricht University and Academical Hospital are important as well. If necessary, the Maastricht Convention Bureau works closely with these organisations to make sure any convention in the city will be successful. But the Maastricht Convention Bureau also works with the Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre (MECC Maastricht), the local government, hotels, and others to make it as easy and pleasant as possible for you as a convention organiser, to have your conference in the most beautiful city of The Netherlands.
If you need a PCO (Professional Congress Organiser), please click here. They can help you organise your whole conference, or just part(s) of it, whichever you prefer.

What has the city of Maastricht have to offer for your convention?

To make your convention in Maastricht & surrounding area even more succesful, there are a few things we can do for you:

Funds
The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) and the Centre for Live Communication (CLC) have set up the Pre-financing and Guarantee Fund (VGF). This offers organisers of international conventions in the Netherlands two facilities, which can be combined if you wish:
•    Interest-free loan to finance the initial costs of an international conference.
•    Insurance (at non-commercial rate) against possible financial risks due to unexpected reduced attendance.

Click here for a PDF brochure on VGF.

For more information on the financings mentioned above, please contact the Maastricht Convention Bureau.

Toolkit
Next to this, Maastricht offers every delegate a brochure, containing practical information on the city of Maastricht. In addition, the Maastricht Convention Bureau has the disposal of free flyers, which you as a convention organisers can send to the delegates of your conference. Just let us know how many you wish to receive, and we will send them to you, free of charge.
[Click here for a digital version of the flyer.]

Have a look at our toolkit for more promotional services

Facts & Figures Maastricht (click here to download in pdf)