The aim of this essay is to examine how important marketing and networking is for the meeting industry in Stockholm. The meeting industry is one of the most profitable areas of the tourism industry today and a major contributor to economic growth in Sweden. The meeting industry has grown rapidly in Sweden and Stockholm has during the last five years been one of the ten most popular congress cities in the world. This has resulted in that the city has become a strong competitor to other European cities.

Stockholm International fairs are for example the largest trade fair organizer in Scandinavia and Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre is the new arena of opportunity.

However the marketing and a broad network is necessary for meeting facilities if their aim is to be successful. Marketing contributes to the meeting facilities establishment and makes it well known for the potential market, while the collaborations and relationships is important for facilitating their work. Today there is a discussion whether there has been a paradigm shift from traditional transaction marketing to relationship marketing; it means that it is more important today with relationships in all aspects and not just exchanges with unknown parties.

Relationships and networks are therefore a strong key feature in the meeting industry and relationship marketing are becoming increasingly important for meeting facilities and conference industry.