Hosting events in Southern Norway

What is it like to organise a conference or major event in the region?

Hear from organisers who have worked with Southern Norway Convention Bureau and learn about their experience, from the early planning stages to the event itself.

What event organisers say:

Sverre Haug, Liwlig:

“In late summer 2025, I helped organise an internal event in Kristiansand for a major Norwegian company, bringing together approximately 1,700 participants. Throughout the process, we worked closely and constructively with Visit Southern Norway, who played an active role in both the planning and delivery of the event.

Kristiansand proved to be a welcoming and well organised destination for large events. The collaboration with the municipality, hotels and local suppliers was consistently professional, responsive and solution oriented.

The programme included several venues and formats, including a leadership dinner at Kunstsilo, a festival at Bendiksbukta, a strategy session at Kjuttaviga in Dyreparken and a final gala dinner in a marquee at Tresse. Every element was delivered in a structured and efficient way, demonstrating the destination’s ability to manage a complex event.

Our overall impression of Kristiansand as an event destination is highly positive. There were some minor areas for improvement relating to administrative processes around the harbour area and limited capacity at Kjevik Airport for departures. Overall, we found Visit Southern Norway to be a professional partner and Kristiansand a destination well equipped to host large events.”

Trine Thygesen, CEO of Kite Communication (PCO for Bouvet):

“We did not receive a single complaint from any of our 2,000 participants, which speaks volumes about how well the event was delivered in Kristiansand. Every hotel and venue performed to the highest standard. The food was excellent, and the local suppliers went the extra mile to give our participants the best possible experience.”

Else M. Palmgren, Event.no:

“In October 2023, we organised the Public Health Conference in Kristiansand, welcoming nearly 800 participants from across Norway. The programme included plenary sessions and 36 parallel sessions, with around 150 dedicated speakers.

Local cultural performances from Kristiansand added something special to both the conference programme and the dinners. We used several hotels for meetings and accommodation, and the cooperation between them was seamless from the outset. Caledonien served as the main conference hotel, where we worked with a professional, knowledgeable and solution oriented team.

We wanted the programme to have a strong connection to the city, so participants could choose from a range of local activities. These were very well received and achieved the highest scores in the event evaluation. Participants also expressed a clear interest in seeing more of these experiences at future conferences. The programme included a variety of dinners at different venues, ranging from a formal conference dinner at the hotel to informal outdoor dining, including meals prepared by junior chefs.

In short, we can warmly recommend Kristiansand as a host city for large conferences. The city offers genuine hospitality, strong local engagement and a wide range of activities, supported by excellent cooperation between local partners.”