Kursaal Congress Centre, in San Sebastian, Spain made a €825,000 profit last year – despite hosting fewer events.

The venue said it held 23 conferences last year, compared to 30 in 2010, but increased turnover by 7.9 per cent to €4.2m, resulting in a record surplus.

A spokesman for the self-financing venue, which opened in 1999, said the size of the conferences held in 2011 was the decisive factor, with the average number of delegates peaking at 619.

Last year Kursaal hosted the International Particle Accelerator Conference, which brought together 1,200 scientists from all over the world; the European Society for Cognitive Psychology conference, which drew 1,000 delegates  and the fifth conference in Spain on the European Union’s Seventh R&D Framework Programme, which attracted 700 visitors.

Meanwhile Kursaal managing director Iker Goikoetxea has been elected as a member of the Board of Directors of the IACC (International Association of Conference Centres).

Pictured: Kursaal Congress Centre