We are in Buda where we have a special connection, a sort of neighbourhood relation with a legendary venue that has hosted world celebrities for the past 36 years. In 2012, the first Rosalia Festival was held under the much-seen ancestral trees of the Chestnut Garden, and this year we return to recall the past with the VinAgora International Wine Competition. This time our venue is the Budapest Congress Center forming a unique complex with the Novotel Budapest City hotel, both in the property and under the management of the Accor hotel group.
Besides the main auditorium accommodating up to 2,000 people, the venue is also a real gastronomic ‘hotspot’. The center operates with its own cuisine and confectionery, it can easily conduct seated gala dinners for up to 900 or standing receptions for up to 1,500 people. Doing it all with form-breaking, innovative solutions, stepping out of the regular event catering’s comfort zone.
"Beyond creative production, we always stick to Accor’s international F&B standards from which we consider fresh, seasonal and local ingredients as our top priority engagement. We always have a few surprises in store that can make customer experience unique and unforgettable."
– reveals behind the scenes secrets István Bán, the center’s F&B Manager. István has been the head of the banqueting team for 16 years and is a dedicated wine connoisseur.
Flexibility is a basic requirement, whether the tailor-made menu is subject of a 10-person business lunch or a multi-day conference for 500 participants. Everything from artistically served finger foods to themed coffee breaks, lunch boxes between two conference sessions, buffet islands occupying thousands of square meters and multi-course seated dinners fit into their repertoire. In 2019, the Budapest Congress Center - Catering Catalogue, designed to introduce this colourful offer, won the Marketing Diamond Awards in the national competition organized under the auspices of the Hungarian Marketing Association.
The team was not left without recognition in 2020 either, an additional diamond has been obtained for the organization of the 35th Anniversary Gala of the Budapest Congress Center. The multi-venue evening invited guests on a real culinary trip, starting with silver-tray snacks from the ’80s, followed by a menu representing several nations’ cuisine and as a final touch, presenting a huge chestnut cake made specifically for the occasion. The congress center team welcomed the news with great enthusiasm about Hungary's only international wine competition taking place at their venue this year.