sofia_bulgaria
Photo Credit: Bulgarian Convention Bureau

HIDDEN CHARM

COMPARISON WITH THE REGION

Sofia is a typical transition convention destination, which needs some more quality services and a connection of the meetings industry with creative industries. As a destination to discover Bulgaria Sofia has a lot to offer, yet it will have to internationalize its meetings industry and strengthen marketing. The biggest opportunity is in the added value of the destination unknown to the rest of congress Europe. Sofia needs to get rid of the image of a cheap congress destination of lesser quality and become an internationally recognized congress brand. Sofia is a congress sleeping beauty caught between east and west.

sofia_bulgaria_convention_bureau
Photo Credit: Bulgarian Convention Bureau

SOFIA FACT SHEET

Destination population:1,236,000
The number of 4* and 5* category hotel rooms:10,359
The number of 4* and 5* category hotels:59
The size of the largest hall in the city (in m2):11,000
Maximum hall capacity in theatre style (largest hall in the city)3,380
Banquet hall maximum capacity (largest hall in the city):1,500
The number of professional studios for digital and hybrid events:25
Average internet speed when organising events (Mbps):55
sofia_bulgaria_mosque
Photo Credit: Bulgarian Convention Bureau

DESTINATION INDICATORS 2022

ICCA Index – worldwide ranking 2022198 / 2.56
ACI Airport Connectivity Index*1.583 / 3.38
Numbeo Quality of Life Index**121,39 / 2.47
Numbeo Safety Index***57,79 / 3.18
GDS IndexNA
Nomad List Overall Score4.64

 

READ MORE ABOUT THE MEETING EXPERIENCE INDEX AT: https://kongres-magazine.eu/mtlg-meetologues-of-new-europe/.


 

*ACI Europe Airport Connectivity (higher is better) is based on the SEO NetScan connectivity model, which measures airport connectivity in a more comprehensive way. It measures the number and quality of direct/non-stop connections as well as indirect connections via other airports. The NetScan model brings the most relevant connection components of every single market (frequency, travel time, connecting time) together into a single indicator: the Airport Connectivity Index. Find out more at www.aci-europe.org.

**NUMBEO Quality of Life Index (higher is better) is an estimation of overall quality of life by using an empirical formula which takes into account purchasing power index (higher is better), pollution index (lower is better), house price to income ratio (lower is better), cost of living index (lower is better), safety index (higher is better), health care index (higher is better), traffic commute time index (lower is better) and climate index (higher is better). Find out more at www.numbeo.com.

***NUMBEO Safety Index (higher is better) is an estimation of the overall level of safety in a given city or country. Find out more at www.numbeo.com.

MTLG CATEGORY

XL MEETING DESTINATION

Destinations that can host more than 2000 attendees.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE

SOFIA INDIVIDUAL GRADES 2022
Natural and cultural factors4.68
General and transport infrastructure4.69
Tourist infrastructure4.83
Meeting infrastructure4.85
Subjective grade4.72
Marketing Buzz4.24
ICCA index - worldwide ranking2.56
Numbeo Quality of life Index2.47
Numbeo Safety Index3.18
ACI Airport Connectivity Index3.38
Nomad List Overall Score4.64
FINAL GRADE3.96
6 YEARS RESULTS201720182019202020212022
FINAL GRADE3.793.873.974.104.123.96

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WHO TO CONTACT

BULGARIAN CONVENTION BUREAU
1 Bulgaria Sq.
Sofia, Bulgaria
E: office@bgcb.eu
W: https://bgcb.eu/

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