Internationally recognised site selection consultants whose recommendations influence global companies’ decisions on where to locate new manufacturing facilities, technology centres and other investment projects will gather in Riga this week. On 29 October, Latvia’s capital will host the Site Selectors Guild European Conference for the first time in the Baltic States. The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) sees the event as an important opportunity to strengthen Latvia’s position in the international competition for investment.
The Site Selectors Guild brings together internationally recognised site selection consultants who help multinational companies evaluate different countries and make investment location decisions. Eleven Guild members will visit Riga, including representatives of international consulting firms such as JLL, Newmark, BCI Global and IBM Plant Location International. Their recommendations can be decisive when companies are choosing between several countries competing for the same investment project.
“Investment does not begin with the construction of a factory. It begins with a decision about which country a company should choose for its development. And the people who have come to Riga this week play an important role in making those decisions. The fact that they have chosen to meet in Latvia is significant recognition of our country’s visibility, but making a good impression alone is not enough in the competition for investment. Companies need to know how quickly they can start operating, what support is available and who can help resolve specific issues. Latvia’s advantage lies in its ability to make decisions quickly and ensure direct cooperation with the people responsible. Our task is to make sure that the next time these consultants are looking for a location for a new factory or technology centre on behalf of their clients, Latvia is among their first choices. That is why, during the conference, LIAA will also present concrete opportunities and advantages that Latvia can offer international companies seeking to expand their operations and implement new investment projects here,” emphasises Ieva Jāgere, Director of LIAA.
Latvia’s competitiveness in attracting investment is also reflected in its results to date. In 2025, 31 investment projects with a total value of €1.01 billion were launched with LIAA’s involvement. Meanwhile, during the first nine months of 2026, the total planned value of investment projects attracted by LIAA reached €886.8 million, representing almost 90% of the agency’s €1 billion target for the year.
LIAA Director Ieva Jāgere will attend a meeting with conference participants on 28 October. During the conference, LIAA will use the opportunity to establish contacts with international consultants and present Latvia’s investment environment. Key elements of Latvia’s investment proposition include access to the European Union’s single market, a skilled workforce, the exemption of reinvested corporate profits from corporate income tax, and the opportunity for eligible investment projects to benefit from the Green Corridor initiative, which accelerates access to certain public administration services.
According to LIAA, maintaining cooperation after the conference will be particularly important to ensure that consultants have access to up-to-date information about investment opportunities in Latvia and direct contacts to facilitate future projects. This will help Latvia become involved at an early stage in the evaluation of new investment projects and compete for their implementation.
The second Site Selectors Guild European Conference will take place on 29 October at the Radisson Blu Latvija Conference & Spa Hotel in Riga. It will bring together site selection consultants and representatives of economic development organisations from Europe, North America and Asia. The conference programme will feature discussions on global investment trends, the impact of artificial intelligence on site selection, energy availability, clean technologies and the semiconductor industry.
The conference is organised by the Site Selectors Guild, with the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA) serving as the host partner.
More information about the conference is available here.
