It’s a city so rich in culture and traditions that it is not easy to describe it in a few words: Bologna is a gem hidden in the heart of Italy, a contemporary city offering experiences, authentic and sustainable relationships to its visitors. Situated at just 35 minutes from Florence, 1hour from Milan, 2 hours from Rome and 1 hour and half from Venice, Bologna can be considered as a crossroad of Europe and Italy, not only for its position but also for its first in line role in the world of culture and creativity. Bologna is perfectly human-sized: with its 40 km of porches, the city is not only unique in the world but also a perfect place for walking. Every place is comfortably reachable on foot, that’s why it is defined by everyone as the walking city par excellence. These are the qualities that make Bologna an out of the ordinary destination for meetings, able to value hanging out and to supply a perfect frame for events.

A “strategic” airport, among the most modern and functioning of Italy The city is easily reachable not only by car and by train, but also by plane. In 2016 from Bologna Airport 103 destinations have been served: the presence in the stopover of some of the major European flag carriers together with some of the main low cost carriers and the tight bond with the hubs of the Continent make Bologna’s Guglielmo Marconi the fourth airport in Italy for global connection and the first in Europe in terms of increase of connectivity in the decade 2004-2014. The Bologna’s Airport is, in fact, classified as “strategic airport” of the Center-North area in the Airports National Plan predisposed by Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti and today it is the seventh Italian airport, with more than 7,5 million passengers in 2016, whose 75% on international flights. Situated in the heart of the Emilia food valley and of the industrial districts of the automotive and packaging, the Airport has a catchment area of almost 11 million inhabitants and almost 47,000 enterprises with a strong inclination to internationalization and with trade expansion policies towards East Europe and Asia. Important redevelop and extension works made the airport one of the most modern and functioning facilities of Italy, an important access door to the city and the territory. The center of the city is reachable from airport Marconi in almost 20 minutes thanks to the shuttle BLQ that connects it to the central railway station and thanks to the Green Shuttle service, the first door-to-door shuttle from and to Bologna airport.

A great receiving tradition Moreover, Bologna is a renowned receiving center in Italy, famous for its tradition in hospitality. It offers more than 13,000 hotel rooms, with a reception capacity of more than 26,000 beds. In 2016 2,4 million people sojourned in the city, almost 200,000 more than last year. Bologna also shows having an international spirit: the sojourns of foreign tourists increase of +12% than 2015. Measured on a statistically significant sample of rooms, the hotel occupancy is increased of +6,1% with an average occupancy of 64,1% per year.

The city makes available prestigious premises for events with a lot of participants: firstly the fair quarter – among the most important of Europe – composed by three directly adjoining facilities that can be independently used at the same time. Another premise for events is the splendid Palazzo Re Enzo, an elegant building of XIII century facing piazza Maggiore in the heart of the city. However, beyond the most capacious and famous premises, Bologna makes available 120 historical or unconventional buildings to set up events with an unmistakable personality.

Bologna Convention Bureau. A strong network for Mice To promote the city on the Mice market, to lure in national and international events, conference, corporate, incentive and other kinds of events and to coordinate the reception activity of business events, the Bologna Convention Bureau was, moreover, created in 2015 as business unit of Bologna Welcome (the web site is: www.bolognaconventionbureau.com). The BCB today represents more than 60 operators between conference centers, hotels, historical residences, premises with different nature, PCO and auxiliary services suppliers, it is the suitable representative to promote the different chances offered by the destination Bologna because it works in total synergy with the Bologna Welcome divisions that work in the leisure tourism and with the full support of the Common of Bologna and of other local institutions. These fundamental features, together with relationships with the important organizations of the territory, allow the Bologna Convention Bureau to work to give another push to implement the strategy to lure new segments of hospitality on a territory that has very much to offer to business clients, to make candidacies and to always more lure big events even from other countries. Moreover, Bologna Welcome has created a collaboration network not only with local institutions, but also with several subjects present on the territory that already work in the sector and that can count on important partnerships with airlines, from Ryanair to Turkish Airlines and Emirates Airlines, at international level.

The capital of free time and gourmet As events frame, Bologna offers very much even for free time: it is a food and wine capital with countless gourmet excellences such as tortellini, tagliatelle, tortelloni, lasagne, ragù and many more, to taste in one of the countless restaurants or in lots of inns in the center. It is a city with a strong historical heritage held in more than 50 museums. In the city it is possible to choose between Etruscan remains and Egyptian mummies, paintings by Giorgio Morandi and Guido Reni, contemporary art and Mediaeval swords. Finally, it is the perfect place for walking and enjoying shopping in its countless markets, historical shops and haute couture boutiques. To allow Italian and foreign visitors to fully live the experience of the city, Bologna Welcome has created more than 30 dedicated offers – among tours and package travels – that cover the entire territory of the metropolitan area. Tours and packages include sojourns and ground services available for the destination, beyond guided tours in the territory during half or an entire day. Bologna is an open and innovative city. While you walk down its streets, you do shopping in the markets or you take an aperitif in a bar, you can watch Bologna people enjoying the art of the “buon vivere” (what someone may call “slow life”). In this city it is easy feeling “at home”.