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The opening of its extended Congress Centre will strengthen the position of Davos as Switzerland’s leading Alpine congress venue.

From now on, 5,000 people will be able to take part in a congress.

Davos has a lengthy tradition as a congress venue.

Specialist physicians have long exchanged medical research findings in the high-altitude health resort.

In 1928, Albert Einstein opened the Davos Academy courses, which brought Europe’s intellectual elite to Davos.

The first medical congresses were held at the end of the 1950s. In 1967, Davosers built a congress building and this has been gradually developed into the Congress Centre.

“In line with this tradition, the opening of the extended Congress Centre marks yet another milestone,” said Hans Peter Michel, mayor of Davos. Congress business has become an important pillar of the economy and, according to a survey conducted by St. Gallen University, secures around 650 jobs and generates an added value of 55 million Swiss francs per year.

The center’s surface area has been increased by one third to 12,000 square meters and 34 rooms are now available to accommodate 20 to 1,800 persons. Up to 5,000 participants can now attend a meeting in the Davos Congress Centre. The contract with the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been extended until 2018. According to André Schneider, managing director of the WEF, “The extended Congress Centre conforms to international standards and the new plenary hall provides us all with an unparalleled presentation platform.”

Congress tourism achieves considerable added value for Davos hotels, gastronomy and local businesses. Last summer, Destination Davos Klosters lost around 20,000 overnight stays because of the closure of the Congress Centre.

Because congress business is of a long-term nature, it reduces dependency on the weather and the economic situation and guarantees a stable occupancy rate.

For more information, visit www.davos.ch  or www.klosters.ch