Meetings with a difference
Meet Estonia
flight times to Tallinn Helsinki
0.5 hour
Stockholm
1
hour
Riga
1
hour
St Petersburg
1
hour
copenhagen
1.5 hours
Oslo
1.5 hours
Berlin
2 hours
brussels
2.5 hour
amsterdam
2.5 hour
paris
3 hour
london
3 hours
Time zone Eastern European, GMT+2
finland norway
st petersburg
helsinki oslo
tallinn stockholm
sweden
estonia riga latvia
denmark copenhagen
united kingdom
netherlands amsterdam
london brussels
russia
POPULATION: 1.36 million AREA: 45 000 km2 OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: estonian CAPITAL: Tallinn EU MEMBER SINCE 2004 SCHENGEN VISA ZONE COUNTRY SINCE 2007
berlin
germany
belgium paris
france
It’s a new destination
Closer than you think
Been there? Done that? Why not surprise your delegates with a novel destination that will show them a side of Europe they’ve never seen?
Getting to Estonia is easy. Most major European cities are less than two hours away by air. Tallinn is only 1 hour from Stockholm and Copenhagen and 2 hours from Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt.
It will keep them talking for months. Estonia is still a relatively undiscovered country. That means you’ll be giving conference goers their first glimpse of an exotic, new destination that’s chock full of surprises, from the historic, fairytale charm of Tallinn’s Old Town to the natural beauty of the country’s primeval forests and rugged seacoast.
Hassle-free borders Estonia is an EU member and part of the Schengen visa zone, so most delegates won’t have to bother with customs or passport checks when arriving and departing.
Tallinn capital of Estonia population 407 000 European capital of culture in 2011 Old Town on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1997
Medieval and modern - A blend of old and new First-time visitors are amazed by Estonia’s historic ambience. Imagine strolling past Medieval walls and gates, Gothic churches, curious little lanes lit with old-fashioned lamps and a man in 16th-century merchant’s garb selling his wares from a cart. At the same time Estonia’s cities are surprisingly modern, with the latest high-tech conveniences always at hand. It’s this combination of old and new, Medieval and modern, that gives Estonia its unique flavour.
Compact - Everything within walking distance
Tallinn – European Capital of Culture in 2011 The capital, Tallinn, is best known for its unforgettable, UNESCO-listed Medieval Old Town, a fairytale neighborhood of cobblestone streets, gabled houses, picturesque lanes and Gothic churches that was built up from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Here culturally-minded visitors can explore a vast range of museums, churches and handicraft workshops, or visit the KUMU art museum, named Europe’s best museum in 2008. Tallinn will be packed with events as it takes on the title of European Capital of Culture. In 2011, Europe’s best stories will be told in Tallinn.
Size matters, and when it comes to hosting events for large groups, smaller is definitely better. Distances in Estonia are conveniently short. After landing at any of the international airports, delegates can be in their respective city centres in ten just minutes. The cities themselves are built on a very human scale, with major hotels, event venues, sights, restaurants and shopping concentrated the same central area, all within easy walking distance. That means there’s no need for delegates to waste time waiting for transfers, figuring out public transportation or sitting in traffic.
Unique event venues For conferences, gala dinners and receptions, Estonia offers the kind of venues that aren’t available in most places. Imagine holding your event in a spectacular, Renaissance-style guild hall, a Medieval manor house or in the mysterious ruins of a 15th-century monastery.
Other choices include a 1950s-era airport, a cuttingedge art museum, an opera house, theatres, historic university buildings and libraries. Some locations are also used as backdrops to one-of-a-kind incentive programmes, everything from nighttime treasure hunts through the national art museum to breaking out of a Soviet-era prison.
Brand new hotel facilities, low rates Estonia’s major hotels are all either newly built or newly renovated, so they’re as modern and highquality as they come. Nowadays it’s hard to find a guest room or conference room that’s more than five years old. Better still, prices are reasonable and rates for 4- and 5-star hotels are easily among the lowest on the continent. In the centres of Tallinn and Tartu you’ll find a good mix of hotels all within walking distance from each other, providing excellent access to the larger, downtown conference venues.
Free wireless internet is a human right Free wireless internet is available in nearly all hotel rooms, not to mention at the airport and in restaurants, pubs and cafés throughout the cities. Delegates can check e-mail and stay in touch wherever they are. Estonia is one of the most wired-up – and wireless – places on the planet. This is, after all, where Skype was invented. Not only will delegates have an easy time staying connected, conference organisers can rest assured that top quality online registration systems are in place and that essentials like AV and interpretation equipment are state-of-the-art.
Quick getaways 50% of Estonia’s territory is covered by forests and 20% by bogs. That means nature areas in Estonia are never far away, no matter where you are. If you want to escape civilization and hold an incentive program in the middle of the forest, you can be there in as little as ten minutes.
TARTU the oldest town in Baltic states second largest city in Estonia population 100 000 22 000 students home to Tartu University (founded in 1632)
Top Baltic country in ICCA listings The word about Estonia is definitely out: Event organisers have discovered what this fascinating, little country has to offer, and its newfound stardom has made it one of Europe’s fastest growing conference destinations.
English widely spoken English-speaking visitors will have no trouble communicating in Estonia. As residents of one of the smallest EU nations, Estonians have embraced the international language and proficiency levels are quite high.
Credit/debit cards accepted Thanks to the Estonians’ love for high-tech conveniences, payment by card is extremely popular here. Visa and Mastercard accepted in all shops and cafés.
Estonian Convention Bureau at your service Anyone planning an event in Estonia will have the added bonus of assistance from the Estonian Convention Bureau. Established in 2008, the ECB is a non-profit organisation made up of the top players in the industry and is your partner for putting together any conference, meeting or other corporate function in the country.
The Estonian Convention Bureau is your partner for any and all meetings, incentives, conventions and events you plan to hold in Estonia. We provide the following services free of charge: helping you find the most suitable conference venues and hotel accommodation assisting you in choosing local partners and acting as your first point of contact with Estonian suppliers - conference venues, hotels, professional congress organisers (PCOs) and incentive agencies coordinating site inspection visits that are tailor made to your requirements preparing bid documents for decision makers providing promotional material
Publisher Estonian Convention Bureau Photos EAS Image Bank, Tallinn Image Bank, Karel Koplimets, Toomas Tuul, Toomas Volmer Copy Steven Q Roman estonian convention bureau Viru 19, 10148 Tallinn, Estonia TEL + 372 645 0086 E-MAIL info@ecb.ee www.ecb.ee
Information updated in February 2010. Despite careful processing, contents are subject to change. Neither the Estonian Convention Bureau nor its members are responsible for inaccuracies herein.