University of Tartu brought the largest number of international conferences to the city last year

“Tartu continues as a successful conference destination, attracting reputable international events, recognised scientists, influential entrepreneurs and creative thinkers. The year as the European Capital of Culture proved that Tartu is increasingly capable of hosting international conferences. Last year, the number of such events grew by a third. This progress lays a strong foundation for the future, reinforcing Tartu’s role as a hub of knowledge and innovation,” said Mayor Urmas Klaas.

Last year, Tartu hosted 60 major international academic and professional conferences and numerous smaller meetings and gatherings. The University of Tartu organised the largest number of conferences in the city, while the Startup Day business festival attracted the most participants.

The conference ambassadors’ appreciation ceremony was held for the 12th time this year. It has become a traditional event to reflect on the past year and recognise and acknowledge the organisers for the outstanding events of various fields.

The Estonian Convention Bureau’s Conference Deed of the Year 2024 award was presented to the European Conference on Ecological Restoration (SERE2024), which was held in August and brought 673 participants from 47 countries to Tartu. The conference stood out for its duration, an impressive number of international participants and represented countries, a diverse programme and innovative organisational solutions.

According to Kadri Karu, Managing Director of the Estonian Convention Bureau, Tartu excels as a venue for academic and professional conferences, which helps position the city as a centre of excellence in various disciplines and strengthens international collaboration opportunities for local researchers and experts. “We hope that the enthusiasm and determination of Tartu’s outstanding conference organisers will inspire many others,” Karu said.

At the event, the following conferences organised or co-hosted by the University of Tartu in 2024 were recognised:

Additionally, special mention was given to flagship annual conferences taking place in Tartu and related to the university, such as Startup Day, the Mobile Tartu Conference of the University of Tartu Mobility Lab, the Annual Tartu Conference on East European and Eurasian Studies of the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, and the Gene Forum organised by the Institute of Genomics and the Estonian Biobank.

A key role in organising the events in Tartu is played by the city’s conference ambassadors. These persons belong to international networks and contribute to developing Tartu as a conference destination.

Four new Tartu Conference Ambassador titles were awarded, including three to people affiliated with the University of Tartu: Research Fellow of Science Education Moonika Teppo, Associate Professor in Probability Theory Meelis Käärik, and Professor of Restoration Ecology Aveliina Helm.

Read more on the city of Tartu website.