Vilnius

I moved to Vilnius 15 years ago, so have a good knowledge of the city both as an event planner and local. It has changed significantly in that time, and there has been a big focus on technology and making high-speed internet freely available. There are free wi-fi hotspots in hotels, venues and public spaces, which is great for event planners. It’s also a multi-cultural destination and very open to tourism and immigration, but most of the locals speak good English, which makes it easy to do business here. The hotel product is very good, and rates are still affordable and offer good value when compared with other European cities. When it comes to large conferences, the main venue is the Radisson Blu Hotel Lietuva that can cater for up to 1,000 delegates, but there are not many large venues so it can be quite limited for big events. Vilnius is a destination that surprises people - it surprised me when I first came here from Berlin. Many of the delegates that come to events here don’t know much about the city and are surprised when they see the old town, which is stunning and reminiscent of an old Italian village. As well as the old town, there are plenty of things to do inside and just outside of Vilnius for incentives, particularly for active groups. I would recommend visiting Trakai, just outside the city to see the castle and enjoy walks around the beautiful area or yacht trips on one of the numerous lakes. In the spring and summer, you can take a hot air balloon ride over the city, which is another great activity. The team at Go Vilnius are also great, they are really enthusiastic and supportive of event planners coming to the city.