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ItalianoUpdated 21.07.2022
Europe's highest congress and event centre Gurgl Carat celebrated its official opening after the forced break due to the pandemic.
Last Thursday, the Gurgl Carat was ceremoniously opened. About 100 guests from tourism, science and politics gathered in Europe's highest conference centre to attend the official opening. The young building already has an eventful history. After completion in January 2020 and the first events, the Covid-related break followed in March of the same year. This was followed by an up and down of smaller and larger events with protective measures, cancellations and the first international events. The official opening ceremony with the blessing of the building marked the formal restart after the pandemic. In the long term, the Gurgl Carat should not only contribute to the revitalisation of the village centre, but also make Obergurgl the top congress destination in the Alps for guests from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
After two challenging years, the Gurgl Carat 2022 will be able to unfold its full potential for the first time. "In spring, some events were still affected by the protective measures. The summer season has been running without complications so far, which is why the first major events were able to take place in Gurgl," says Gurgl Carat Managing Director Felix Kupfer, pleased with the latest developments. In particular, the location's modern event technology will be a major competitive advantage in the future. "Due to its equipment, the Gurgl Carat is particularly suitable for technically complex events such as hybrid conferences, live circuits, panel discussions and product presentations," says Kupfer. The guests at the opening ceremony also got a taste of the technical possibilities. In the largest hall, Schalfkogel, which offers space for up to 500 people, the hosts presented the centrepiece of the building - the 100 m² front screen with full HD projection. During the programme, which lasted a good two hours, the audience experienced many other highlights: such as the excellent hall acoustics, which were particularly evident in the video feeds, the large stage on which the keynote speakers were placed in the right light, and the control system from the control room, which was responsible for the smooth running of the event. The men's choral society of Gurgl and the Sölden music band provided the musical accompaniment for the afternoon
Now the task is to combine the modern event centre with the existing infrastructure in the best possible way in order to create new synergies. The foundation stone for this has been laid with Ötztal Tourismus Congress GmbH, which is run by Ötztal Tourismus, the municipality of Sölden and the University of Innsbruck. The common goal: to establish Obergurgl as a congress location and university village in the long term. Ernst Schöpf, mayor of the municipality of Sölden, is convinced that thanks to the cooperation and the good infrastructure in Obergurgl, the best conditions are in place for the up-and-coming congress tourism. Sara Matt, head of the transfer office at the University of Innsbruck, also emphasises the advantages of Obergurgl as a location: "Science happens much more efficiently up here than at a meeting in the office." Away from the hustle and bustle of the city and in the middle of nature, there are not only ideal research conditions, but above all, at 1,900 metres, there is room for fruitful discussions and an exchange of ideas at the highest level.
It is no coincidence that Austria's most modern congress centre is located in Obergurgl. Since the founding of the Federal Sports Centre in 1951, today's Obergurgl University Centre, events and training courses have been held regularly in the small mountain village. Even then, Obergurgl served as the Alpine Research Centre of the University of Innsbruck. The Piccard Hall, built in 1988, further contributes to Obergurgl's development as a congress location. After the event building no longer met the latest technical requirements, the old hall was demolished and the Gurgl Carat was built on its site.The new location is not only intended to continue the conference tradition of the place, but also to strengthen year-round congress tourism. "A location at this (altitude) level in combination with the high-quality orientation of the hotel and accommodation businesses and the unique alpine surroundings is a unique selling point in this segment," CEO of Ötztal Tourism Oliver Schwarz is certain. The aim now is to bring these three things together in order to further promote tourism in the MICE sector (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) in Gurgl.
Under the motto "Alpine Space for Inspiration", meetings, congresses, product presentations and cultural events have been taking place in the Gurgl Carat since January 2020. The futuristic building, whose shape is reminiscent of a cut diamond, can hold up to 500 people. This makes the event location in the village centre a homage to Gurgl, the "Diamond of the Alps". The Gurgl Carat joins the long congress and scientific tradition of the Tyrolean village. The connection between business, science and culture is also reflected in the operating company, which consists of Ötztal Tourism, the University of Innsbruck and the municipality of Sölden.