On 12 December 2025, at the Peroto Literary Club at the National Palace of Culture (NDK), Visit Sofia presented its new Event Planners’ Guide, dedicated to showcasing Sofia’s potential as a destination for congresses, conferences and business events.
The publication has been developed as a practical guide for organisers of congresses, conferences, corporate meetings and incentive travel. It provides essential information about venues, infrastructure and event facilities while also presenting the wider tourism potential of the Bulgarian capital.
Anton Penev, Director of Visit Sofia, explained that the Event Planners’ Guide will be distributed primarily within the MICE ecosystem (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions). It will be actively used at international trade fairs and professional meetings aimed at strengthening Sofia’s position as a MICE destination.
The guide will be printed in a limited edition of 700 to 1,000 copies. Around 30 copies are expected to be distributed at each of approximately 20 international exhibitions in which Visit Sofia plans to participate over the following two years. A Bulgarian digital version will also be available, encouraging local businesses to organise congresses and conferences in Sofia.
Anton Penev highlighted the work of the team behind the project, noting that the 215-page publication was completed in less than eight months, with careful attention paid to every detail, from its content to the choice of paper.
Margarita Katsarova from Visit Sofia noted that the guide presents part of the capital’s extensive tourism and events infrastructure, including more than 180 hotels and over 100 event venues in Sofia and the surrounding area. She added that during the first nine months of the year, Sofia welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors, generating over 2 million overnight stays.
“Sofia has a real opportunity to position itself as a new and emerging congress destination. For part of Europe, the city is still relatively undiscovered, and this is precisely the audience we want to reach,” Katsarova said.
She emphasised that Visit Sofia aims to establish the capital firmly on the international meetings and conference tourism market by clearly communicating its competitive advantages – excellent connectivity, strong business infrastructure and a comprehensive tourism offering.
“In its physical form, the guide is our calling card to the international business events industry and a tool that makes organisers’ work easier by bringing together everything they need to plan an event in Sofia,” she added.
Project designer Antonia Arbova highlighted the importance of how Sofia’s story is communicated: “It matters how we talk about Sofia – as a city with potential for development, growth and new opportunities.”
The Event Planners’ Guide represents another important step towards establishing Sofia as a modern and competitive congress destination and provides a valuable tool for presenting the city to international event organisers.
