Norway to strengthen it's position as a congress destination

To win an international professional congress, it is often necessary to go through an extensive and costly bidding process. Norwegian professional communities must compete with cities and destinations around the world, and it can take several years from initial planning until the event actually takes place. A survey conducted amongst Norwegian professional communities showed their biggest reservation for applying for international congresses was lack of funding and financial risk. The new grant scheme, funded by Innovation Norway, the governments sponsored national CVB, is intended to help cover costs related to bidding processes and planning, enabling more professional communities to initiate such efforts. Innovation Norway has already received and approved its first grant application – awarded to the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences for the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) congress. “The grant from Innovation Norway made it possible to significantly improve the quality of our bid. Without this support, we would not have had the opportunity to invest in professional graphic design and targeted visual communication,” says Truls Raastad, Professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.