Basel has experienced some exciting months recently. In May, the Eurovision Song Contest brought plenty of glamour to the Rhine, followed shortly after by the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 – a football festival that also generated great enthusiasm. Within just a few weeks, Basel became the centre of Europe twice and welcomed around one million visitors. All parties involved proved that they can not only offer modern infrastructure but also the necessary experience and charisma to host events of this magnitude.
In Basel, you’ll find in a compact ecosystem what is rarely found elsewhere: world-class companies, renowned research institutions, cultural diversity, and an open-minded population. Thanks to its location in the tri-border region, the city is easy to reach – whether by car, train, plane, or ship.
For organisers, it means easy and smooth cooperation between all local stakeholders, from authorities and police to hotels and restaurants, as well as infrastructure providers and institutions. Added to this are, of course, Switzerland’s typical precision and deeply rooted commitment to quality.
When it comes to venues, planners are spoilt for choice: the Messe and Congress Center Basel offers 25 conference rooms and five halls, providing the right spaces for all kinds of events. In addition, numerous other event locations are located just a short distance away and can easily be combined. Christian Ortlepp, Director Guest Events & Strategic Partnerships at the Messe and Congress Center Basel, says: “Basel offers a complete ecosystem for all event formats – compact, well connected, and defined by the highest reliability.”
Hospitality as a Recipe for Success
Those in charge also keep in mind something often overlooked elsewhere: the spirit with which a city welcomes its guests. In this respect, Basel has already set new standards, most notably through the “I’m part of it” campaign launched in 2023 to coincide with Art Basel.
Flag-lined streets, additional information points at the airport and the two train stations, and extended restaurant opening hours are just some of the measures that have since been implemented annually each June. “Most important for us is that residents and local businesses feel like part of the whole and carry this welcoming culture outward,” emphasizes Letizia Elia, Director of Basel Tourism.
The success of this approach is clear: several initiatives launched through the campaign were later adapted and used during both the ESC and the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025.
When Networking Opens Doors
Basel is also looking to the future of major events. While the canton supports congresses around life sciences, digital technologies, or sustainable economy with targeted contributions, a clear strategy ensures that the city continues to enhance its appeal.
A central element in the congress sector is the Ambassador Program. Renowned researchers, doctors, and entrepreneurs use their networks to bring professional events to the city, playing a key role in acquisition. In sports, the government of the Canton of Basel-Stadt has set itself the goal of hosting either a European or World Championship every three years.
Strong References as a Calling Card
The many references Basel can point to clearly show that this strategy is paying off.
Alongside recent crowd-pulling events, the city has hosted numerous major congresses in recent years, including the Annual Meeting of the German Society of Hematology and Oncology (DGHO), the Conference of the Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), and the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC).
Political gatherings with international resonance, such as the OSCE Ministerial Council, have also taken place here.
Together, these examples illustrate the breadth of Basel’s event portfolio, spanning art and culture, science and medicine, as well as sports and business.
Basel Remains on Course for Success
But what impact do these events actually have on economic value creation? A look at the balance sheet of 2025 leaves no doubt about their importance. By the end of July, 907,683 overnight stays had already been recorded – an all-time record, with more hotel stays than ever before. During the ESC, Art Basel, and UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, hotels reached up to 95 percent occupancy on peak days, and around one million guests were welcomed.
Restaurants and hotels benefited, as did the retail sector, while the city gained further global visibility. Basel Tourism assumes that this effect will have lasting momentum, boosting leisure tourism and congress acquisition in the long term.
It therefore comes as no surprise that the Messe and Congress Center Basel continues to be well booked even after the big headlines. Next year will see further events strengthening Basel as an event destination, including Swissbau, Art Basel, and numerous national and international congresses such as the Joint Congress of the Federation of European Societies for the Surgery of the Hand and the European Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy in June 2026, which expects more than 2,000 participants. The week-long corporate event of Endress + Hauser, the leading provider of measurement and automation technology, will also return after its successful edition in 2023.
Even if 2026 will not match the record resonance of 2025, the abundance of planned formats proves that Basel has now firmly established itself as an international event city.
More info on how Basel can help you organise conferences: www.messe-basel.com / www.basel.com
More info on Switzerland as a convention destination: myriam.winnepenninckx@switzerland.com / www.MySwitzerland.com/meetings