The ART of Meetings made in Germany - International Confex

The Magazine of the GERMAN CONVENTION BUREAU English Edition 2 / 2009
The ART of Meetings made in Germany
Meetings in an industrial ambience
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall
Boundless Pleasure
Outlook
What you should know for 2015
www.germany-meetings.com

Great places for great conventions.
Seven Cities - Seven Centers - Seven Years of Cooperation.
The seven innovative centers are based in some of Germany‘s most
attractive and fascinating destinations. Our congress organizers
are guaranteed the prime conditions to make an event of any size
a resounding success.
GERMANY. The convention destination No. 1 in Europe.
Stefanie Demuth
Offi ce Management SevenCenters of Germany
Phone: +49 (0)2 11 / 45 60 - 84 98
Fax: +49 (0)2 11 / 45 60 - 87 84 98
info@sevencenters.de
www.sevencenters.de
Messe Frankfurt Venue

EDITORIAL 03
Dear Readers,
Do you believe that the future of our
industry lies in “virtual meetings”?
Do you believe that communications
by video, Skype or telephone
will partly replace face-to-face
conventions - be it to save costs or
protect the environment? If your
answer is yes then I strongly disagree
with you!
On http://blog-en.germanymeetings.com
you can read what
we, the German Convention Bureau
(GCB), consider to be an ideal mix.
We now have our own blog where
we will keep you up-to-date on
the latest news, developments and
offerings from Germany’s meetings
and conventions industry.
Boundless Joy:
german_convention 2.0
We admit that the whole world
seems to be blogging and twittering,
skyping and networking. But
this kind of communication and
networking will remain far more
inferior to meetings involving
real live people. What it lacks are
emotions and all associated with
them – smelling, feeling and tasting.
I am convinced that a correct mix
of virtual and real life, of pure
information on the one hand and
face-to-face communication on
the other, will be crucial for the
successful future of the MICE
business.
We have also introduced another new
feature: a CO 2
Calculator. On http://
gcb.co2ol.de meeting and event
planners will be able to calculate the
carbon footprint of their next event.
In addition, our partner CO2OL
from Bonn offers practical advice
on how to reduce and offset carbon
emissions. Our goal is also to make
Germany a pioneer destination for
climate-neutral events.
As you can see, we are
communicating on all channels!
Also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/
GCB_Germany. Of course, we want
you to be one of our “followers” –
and not only in the digital world. So
come along and see for yourself that
real live meetings, incentives or events
are by no means obsolete. What about
a little industrial history tour in the
Ruhr Area? A total of 53 towns and
cities will breathe new cultural life
into the legendary age of coal and
steel as the European Culture Capital
Ruhr 2010. Or how about organising
a team-building event in the former
restricted zone along the old inner-
German border? And all in the flesh!
I look forward to seeing you soon,
Yours sincerely,
Lutz P. Vogt
Managing Director
GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.

04 CONTENT
The Magazine of the GERMAN CONVENTION BUREAU English Edition 2 / 2009
10 NEWS - Destinations
18 NEWS - Hotels
21 NEWS - Locations
22 NEWS - Agencies
23 NEWS - Service Providers
34 NEWS - Transport
GCB
Editorial 03
GCB Focus Members 06
CO 2
Calculator for climate-friendly events 08
The GCB is blogging and twittering! 09
This is where you will find the GCB in 2009/10 10
The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall
Boundless Pleasure 24
“A glimpse of Germany“ 28
Outlook – What you should know for 2015 30
The ART of Meetings made in Germany
Meetings in an industrial ambience
European Culture Capital: RUHR.2010 14
Convention Planning 35
Congress Destination Germany 38
Publisher
German Convention Bureau
Münchener Str. 48
60329 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Tel. +49 69 242 930- 0
Fax +49 69 242 930- 26
E-Mail info@gcb.de
www.gcb.de
GCB Branch Office North America
122 East 42nd Street, Suite 2000
New York, NY 10168-0072, USA
Tel. +1 212 661 4582
Fax +1 212 661 6192
E-Mail gcbny@gcb.de
www.germany-meetings.com
Editorial Staff: GCB German Convention Bureau e. V.
Featured Writers in this issue: GCB, Anke Pedersen, projekt2508, Michael Wiegel, Stefan C. Werner
Translation: Alison Dobson-Ottmers, Proof reading: Dr. Patrick Patridge, Layout: Sven Steglich
Title: UNESCO Weltkulturerbe Zeche Zollverein, Foto: Reinicke/StandOut.de
Pictures: p. 8: © Thomas Northcut, www.gettyimages.com; p. 14: photo: Peter Wieler;
p. 16: Jahrhunderthalle Bochum, photo: Jahrhunderthalle; Dortmunder U, photo: Lutz
Kampert; Landschaftspark Nord-Duisburg, photo: Manfred Vollmer; p. 17: Gasometer
Oberhausen HOCHKANT! © Ruhr Tourismus / Jochen Schlutius; p. 24: photographer: Jan
Jerabek and photo: Kulturprojekte Berlin; p. 25: photo: Rainer Kiedrowski; p. 26: photo:
Pierre Adenis; p. 28: Regierungsviertel Berlin: Gianluca Santoni; Brandenburger Tor Berlin:
Irisz Lukacs; Brandenburger Tor Berlin: Eduardo Grund; p. 30: Future © Mikhail Nekrasov -
Fotolia.com; p. 35: Kurfürstliches Schloss Mainz
Frequency: Biannual
The GCB is supported by: Strategic Partners: German National Tourist Board, Deutsche
Lufthansa AG, Deutsche Bahn AG, IMEX - incorporating Meetings made in Germany;
Preferred Partners: Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, Maritim Hotels and
darmstadtium wissenschaft | kongresse
Printed on paper from sustainable forestry (Amber Graphic, FSC certified)

06 GCB
Four meetings and conventions providers enjoy benefits as
GCB Focus Members
n Returners confirm GCB concept
In 2009 the German Convention
Bureau e.V. (GCB) is offering
companies in the meeting, incentive,
congress and event (MICE) business
a stage to present themselves and
their offerings: this year’s GCB
Focus Members include the Berlin
Convention Office (BCO), The
Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark,
m:con - mannheim:congress GmbH,
and once again the MCI Deutschland
GmbH group.
An extraordinary variety of locations
and venues, one of Europe’s most
cutting-edge hotel landscapes with
approx. 100,000 hotel beds and six
convention centres and halls alone
– these are just some of the facts
and figures that confirm Berlin’s top
position as an international meeting
and congress destination. The Berlin
Convention Office (BCO) - run by
Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH
- officially represents the German
capital in the meetings, conventions,
corporate events and incentives
sector. Since 2001 the BCO has
promoted Berlin both nationally and
internationally as a destination for
conventions, meetings and incentives
of all kinds. Event planners will find
competent support there. They can
benefit from a wide network of
contacts and free arrangement and
booking of hotel allotments. The
BCO’s services include organising
site inspections, social and fringe
programmes, pre- and postconvention
tours and incentives. In
addition, BCO staff inform about
culinary and cultural highlights in the
capital.
The Westin Grand Munich
Arabellapark attaches great
importance to an elegant ambience
to ensure a relaxing stay in is
627 rooms – including 28 suites.
Moreover, the exclusive Executive
Club Lounge on the 23rd floor,
several restaurants and bars and
the 1,500-sqm Arabella Spa offer
guests a pampering experience. The
three conference floors with 21
room variants, generous foyers for
the breaks and a green courtyard
are suitable for a wide variety of
events: from small meetings with five
attendees through annual general
meetings to balls with over 1,000
guests. The 1,200-sqm ballroom is
the largest in Munich and has a fixed
stage, several balconies, a generous
foyer with a separate entrance and
state-of-the-art technology. The
five elegant “smart meeting rooms”
offer innovative business equipment:
Besides DVD, CD and video players
guests have access at their seat to
analogue and digital connections
as well as a power socket and RGB
connectors. So-called white boards
on the walls can be used as writeable
flip charts or touch screens for
presentations.
m:con Congress Centre
Rosengarten, in the heart of
Mannheim, is one of Europe’s

GCB 07
foremost convention centres and –
thanks to capacities for more than
500 delegates – one of the five largest
in Germany. 22,000 square metres
of meeting and exhibition space,
natural daylight-filled seminar rooms,
state-of-the-art glass architecture
and expanded, modular rooms,
plus ideal transport connections,
make this a highly attractive prime
location. Thanks to its three-pillar
concept Mannheim’s Rosengarten
will ensure the success of any kind
of event. As a space and congress
management provider, professional
congress organiser (PCO) and
professional media technology
partner, m:con offers great freedom
for the realisation of all customer
requirements.
The global MCI group is now a
Focus Member for the third time
running, after 2007 and 2008. MCI
Deutschland’s over 40 multilingual
staff members support customers
in congress and event management
and contribute their knowhow
to planning staff meetings
with several hundred attendees,
organising scientific world congresses
with thousands of delegates or
presentations of brand products.
In addition, MCI advises event
venues and destinations on green
issues. MCI’s local know-how in
Germany with subsidiaries in Berlin
and Stuttgart is supported by the
expertise of over 750 further staff
members in 35 branch offices worldwide.
Lutz P. Vogt, managing director of the
GCB: “Our Focus Members concept
is well-established: This is proven by
the fact that several GCB members
have already opted for this additional
marketing tool several times and view
it as real added value.”
www.gcb.de
explore a
new passion
This is how it should feel. ®
In May the ArabellaSheraton
Grand Hotel turned into
The Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark
Experience a place where you can be at your best. Get
the appropriate suggestion for your event. The modern
triple-level conference area with 20 room variations can
accommodate up to 1,250 people. The ballroom, one of
the biggest in Munich, offers 10.76 sqft. In conjunction
with the Sheraton Munich Arabellapark Hotel opposite,
the hotels offer a large conference center with 33 meeting
rooms and 1,073 guest rooms.
Indulge your mind, body and spirit, after your successful
meeting the Arabella Spa offers on 1,500 m 2 the
ultimate in relaxation. Be inspired – in 2010 you can
revitalize in our new Westin Executive Club Lounge
on the 23rd floor – unique.
The Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark –
experience renewal
the westin grand munich arabellapark
arabellastrasse 6, 81925 munich, germany
t +49.(0)89.9264.0 f +49.(0)89.9264.8699
westin.grand.muenchen@arabellastarwood.com
westin.com/muenchen

08 GCB
CO 2
OL and German Convention Bureau launch CO 2
Calculator for
climate-friendly events
n For green meetings in Germany
CO 2
OL, the solutions provider for
climate-friendly meetings and events,
and the German Convention Bureau
(GCB) are launching a calculator
that identifies the carbon footprint
of conventions, meetings and events.
You will find a link to the CO 2
Calculator http://gcb.co2ol.de on
the GCB’s website www.gcb.de
where it can be used by all meeting
and event planners to calculate the
CO 2
emissions and climate impact of
their events.
Apart from calculating carbon
footprints, CO 2
OL offers detailed
advice on how to reduce CO 2
emissions. Unavoidable remaining
emissions can be offset by certified
climate protection projects in order
to make your event “climate-neutral”.
n GCB and CO 2
OL: Together for
climate-friendly meetings and events
Lutz P. Vogt, Managing Director of
the GCB: "Germany has the best
chances to establish itself world-wide
among the leading destinations for
green events. Not only the German
government is setting standards
in environmental protection and
energy efficiency world-wide –
German convention centres and
meeting hotels are also among the
international pioneers."
The public discussion focuses more
and more on meeting and event
organisers. Due to climate change it
is increasingly important for events to
go green.
Many organisers already use CO 2
OL
services for advice on the calculation
and minimisation of their carbon
n CO 2
OL
CO 2
OL has been working for many
companies and organisations for over ten
years as a successful solution provider
of climate-friendly products and events.
For example, CO 2
OL is the partner of
LeasePlan, the world’s largest vehicle
leasing company, of A.S.S. Concert &
Promotion, the Hamburg-based concert
organiser, and marbet, one of Germany’s
largest event agencies. Moreover, the
climate protection experts recently
rendered the GreenMeetings conference
climate-neutral and supported the UN in
this year’s IHDP Open Meeting Science
footprints. Carbon emissions that
cannot be minimised may be offset
with the assistance of CO 2
OL.
"Among other things, the aim of
our partnership with the GCB is
to strengthen awareness of climatefriendly
events,“ points out Dirk
Walterspacher, CO 2
OL division
manager with the Bonn-based
ForestFinance Group. "By sharing
knowledge with the GCB and its
members we can offer them advice
thanks to our long experience.
In addition, we help meeting and
event planners to make their events
climate-neutral."
www.germany-meetings.com/
green-meetings
Conference. The “Green Mobility”
tool is the latest project offering event
participants a platform on everything
related to green mobility. It recently
appeared on the 12th IAAF World Athletics
Championships berlin 2009TM website.
For the last twelve years CO 2
OL has
offered advice on practical climate
protection for hundreds of events and
made them climate-neutral: including the
Live Earth concert in Hamburg and tours
of pop-bands “Die Ärzte” and “Juli”.

GCB 09
The GCB is blogging and twittering!
n News from the world of meetings and conventions have found new space on the World Wide Web
The GCB German Convention
Bureau e.V. has two new offers on
the World Wide Web: From now on
you will find the latest news from the
German meetings and conventions
industry in the GCB blog at http://
blog.germany-meetings.com.
The blog is updated regularly
with news from German meetings
organisers. And you can access older
news categorised by event venues
in the archives - hotels, convention
centres and special locations – and
sections such as “green meetings”,
“incentives” and “offers”.
You may also subscribe to GCB blog
news as an RSS feed. The online
newsletter will continue to be sent
once a month featuring the most
important news and a link to the
new blog.
n Links at a glance:
• GCB Newsblog: http://blog-en.germany-meetings.com
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/GCB_Germany
• Internet: www.gcb.de
In addition to blog, RSS and
newsletter meeting planners now
have an opportunity to receive the
latest industry news via Twitter. Just
follow the GCB at
http://twitter.com/GCB_Germany!
www.germany-meetings.com
Of course, you will find links to the blog and Twitter pages on the GCB’s website
www.gcb.de, so you only need to remember one!
Your Partner
in Berlin in Germany Worldwide
CONGRESS & INCENTIVE GmbH
MEETINGS
Alt Friedrichsfelde 11
D-10315 Berlin
INCENTIVES CONVENTIONS EVENTS
info@mr-congress.com
www.mr-congress.com
Tel.: +49.30.44 35 06 - 0
Fax: +49.30.44 35 06 20

10 GCB / NEWS - DESTINATIONS
This is where you will find the GCB in 2009 /10
Trade fair/ specialist event Webseite Place Datum
EIBTM www.eibtm.com Barcelona 01-03 December 2009
Annual PCMA conference http://pcma2010.org/ Dallas 10-13 January 2010
International Confex www.international-confex.com London 23-25 February 2010
Successful Meetings University
www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/
events/marketplace.jsp
New York City 21-23 March 2010
Meedex www.meedex.fr Paris 24-25 March 2010
imex-incorporating Meetings made in Germany www.imex-frankfurt.de Frankfurt a. M. 25-27 May 2010
MPI WEC www.mpiweb.org/events Vancouver 24-28 July 2010
Trailblazers Incentive Market www.trailblazers-info.com Genf 13-16 August 2010
Incentive Works www.meetingscanada.com/incentiveworks Toronto 24-25 August 2010
EIBTM www.eibtm.com Barcelona 30 November - 02 December 2010
Hop-on hop-off bus now also
in Frankfurt am Main
the bus will also take visitors to the
Palmengarten, Senckenberg Museum
or Frankfurt Trade Fair. From the top
deck of the red double-decker bus,
decorated with motifs of Frankfurt,
guests can see the city from a
completely new angle.
www.frankfurt-tourismus.de
together with their conference
documents and meeting folder.
www.frankfurt-tourismus.de
DüsseldorfCongress – new
website
Already long-established in other
metropolitan cities world-wide,
this service has now at last reached
Frankfurt on Main: Since May 2009
visitors to the Main metropolis have
been able to explore the city on an
original double-decker bus and hop
on and off at the most interesting
tourist spots as often as they like. In
addition to central highlights like the
main station, Römerberg, Museum
Embankment and Alt-Sachsenhausen,
Frankfurt Congress Ticket
now also available as a two-day
ticket
In addition to the well-established
1-day ticket the Frankfurt Congress
Ticket is now also available in a
two-day version. In a handy cheque
card format, the Congress Ticket is
an extra service for all meeting and
convention delegates in the Main
metropolis and saves them the need
to find a ticket machine.
The ticket is available only to
meeting and convention organisers
and must be bought in advance so
that it can be handed to attendees
DüsseldorfCongress
Veranstaltungsgesellschaft mbH
now presents itself on www.
duesseldorfcongress.de in a new
and virtual look. Over the past few
months the company has given its
website and contents a complete
make-over.

NEWS - DESTINATIONS 11
The result is impressive: Apart
from an ultramodern design the
new website also offers a targeted
and extended range of information.
Meeting organisers, concert
agencies, companies and associations,
members of the press and attendees
of individual events will find all the
information they require here.
www.duesseldorfcongress.de
Stuttgart Meeting Guide
turns 15
Cologne made easy for event
planners
Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB)
presented itself at IMEX 2009 for
the first time with a new website,
detailed convention guide and a wide
range of services.
All the advantages of this attractive
meetings destination are featured
on www.conventioncologne.de. An
integrated meeting planner enables
customers to find suitable solutions
for their events online. Information
on individual venues and service
partners can simply be stored or
printed as a PDF file. With this
tool the CCB is a pioneer among
German convention bureaux.
www.conventioncologne.de
Meeting Germany_dtsch_engl 210x140 2950 28.08.2009 9:29 Uhr Seite 2
With new offers in its brand new
Meeting Guide for 2009/2010,
the region of Stuttgart once
again emphasises its importance
as a mobility location: Opened
in late January, the Porsche
Museum provides an all-out
Porsche experience with attractive
Heritage and innovation, exciting interactive exhibitions and outstanding venues.
Perfect for conferences, seminars and events of any size.
BTZ
BREMER TOURISTIK-ZENTRALE
Conference and Event Management Service
Findorffstrasse 105 · 28215 Bremen, Germany
Contact: Andrea Hess
Tel.: +49 (0)421 3080 016
Email: btz-kongress@bremen-tourism.de
Website: www.bremen-kongress.de

12 NEWS - DESTINATIONS
offerings for events with up to 300
attendees. And at the listed site of
the former airport in Böblingen
Meilenwerk Stuttgart has all kinds
of extraordinary car-themed services
including the Hall of Legends for
up to 800 people since September
2009. Stuttgart’s Wine Region is full
of attractive options for a relaxing
end to a long day at the trade fair
or convention with new wine
cellar and vineyard tours. And the
Culture Region will open even more
museum doors for social programmes
in an exclusive setting.
www.stuttgart-tourist.de
Congress region Stuttgart:
Creativity World Forum makes
its debut in Germany this
December
In the European Year of Creativity
and Innovation the Stuttgart Region
will host the Creativity World Forum
2009. From 30th November to 3rd
December 2009 the international
forum will offer a comprehensive
programme in the metropolitan
region on the subject of Creative
Industries as a Location Factor.
The core of the forum will be a
two-day congress from 1st to 2nd
December 2009 in the creative
location of Ludwigsburg with wellknown
international speakers, trade
conferences and expert forums
as well as a co-operation fair for
approximately 1,500 expected
attendees. There will also be shows
from the worlds of music, film
and theatre plus an accompanying
exhibition to highlight the variety of
Baden-Württemberg’s creative scene.
And a political kick-off programme
for the international delegations of
the Districts of Creativity in cooperation
with the federal state
capital of Stuttgart is planned for
30th November 2009.
www.stuttgart-tourist.de
Full hotel beds and priceless
publicity
The 12th IAAF World Athletics
Championships in Berlin came to a
successful close. “With an enthusiastic
mood in the Olympic stadium and
a fantastic atmosphere in the entire
city Berlin proved to be an excellent
host,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of
Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH
(BTM). “The city was full, hotels
well booked. Many guests decided
spontaneously to attend the event in
the last few days.“
Around 400,000 persons came
to see the competitions in Berlin’s
Olympic stadium, while street
tournaments at the weekends
attracted around 1.3 million
spectators.
The publicity generated by the
world athletics championships for the
German capital was priceless. Over
3,500 media representatives reported
from Berlin for nine days, their
images reaching around four billion
TV viewers world-wide.
www.visitBerlin.de
Kassel: Fresh from the
printer’s press
For the cold season Kassel has
compiled highlights from the
world of culture and shopping and
also from the Fairytale Christmas
Market. The brochure Kassel
erleben – Kultur, Shopping &
Lichterglanz (Experience Kassel –
Culture, Shopping & Lights) has
the latest dates, suggestions and
recommendations for exhibitions,
theatre performances and musicals,
for midnight shopping and Casseler
Freyheit as well as Kassel’s magical
Fairytale Christmas Market.
The new Group Catalogue
2010 – Kassel gemeinsam erfahren
(Experience Kassel Together) is to
serve as a guide, manual and source of
inspiration all at the same time. At a
glance, this catalogue is full of readymade
packages, modules and themes
as well as recommendations on all
the different ways in which you can
“experience” the city of Kassel.
www.kassel-tourist.de
Berlin: meeting metropolis
posts new visitor record
The German capital is continuing
its success story in the meetings
industry: 3.97 million trade visitors
came to Berlin from January to
June 2009. They attended 50,850
events. This means a three per cent
increase in visitors and 0.3 per cent
gain in events compared to the same
period last year according to the
latest congress statistics of the Berlin
Convention Office (BCO) of Berlin
Tourismus Marketing GmbH.
According to the figures the share
of national meetings and conventions
went up two per cent to 81 per cent.
The number of German attendees
was also up two per cent (82 per
cent). There was a slight decline in
international events and guests (-2
per cent each).
www.berlin-convention-office.de

NEWS - DESTINATIONS 13
darmstadtcongress: Network moves Darmstadt into
the top league of meeting destinations
The alliance now has a central
contact for organisers. “With
darmstadtcongress we have brought
together a large number of providers
in the meetings and conventions
business from the city and region and
further members are welcome,” says
darmstadtium CEO Klaus Krumrey.
So far 23 companies and
institutions from Darmstadt and
the surrounding region have joined
the darmstadtcongress initiative.
Apart from darmstadtium and other
venues they include hotels, event
agencies, stand construction and taxi
companies as well as shops in the
city centre but also Wissenschaftsstadt
Darmstadt Marketing GmbH and
the Darmstadt Rhine-Main-Neckar
Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
A customer magazine named dc
will offer customers the latest news
from the science city and from
alliance members three times a year.
www.darmstadtium.de
GCB Meet in_270709:Layout 1 27.07.2009 13:27 Uhr Seite 1
MEET
IN STUTTGART
Where Quality is at Home
Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH
Kongressbüro
info@congress-stuttgart.de
www.meet-in-stuttgart.com

14 THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY
Zollverein celebrates

THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY 15
Meetings in an industrial ambience
European Culture Capital: RUHR.2010
n Not just any “old iron”! The Ruhr Area makes the legendary age of coal and steel come alive with an abundance of
industrial heritage sites that serve as a unique stage for art and culture.
Old coalmines and steelworks now have a touch of
class and industrial heritage is a big trend. The best
proof of this is that the Ruhr Area – a region marked by
the industrial revolution like no other – will be European
Culture Capital in 2010. 53 cities and municipalities
with a population of 5.3 million have joined forces in
the RUHR.2010 project presenting the Ruhr Area as an
exciting culture metropolis full of contrasts. The focus
is on authentic sites that make history come alive and
impress as (mega-) culture venues that lend themselves to
many purposes.
Many industrial monuments in the Ruhr Area have
already sprung to a new life, while many others are
still being converted. One of the major projects of
RUHR.2010 promises to become an exciting new
venue: The Dortmunder U. The distinctive 70-metre
high fermentation plant and depot of the former Union
Brewery will become the centre of an 80,000-sqm
creative quarter as of 2010. A Museum of 20th and 21st
Century Art will also move into the spectacular building
under the shining golden U. The major Schachtzeichen
installation will become one of the most memorable
images of the Culture Capital: All over the Ruhr Area
hundreds of orange air sculptures will tower in the skies
marking the roots of the Ruhr Area - the coalmines.
Further highlights of the Culture Capital year include
the new opening of Essen’s Folkwang Museum with
three major exhibitions, the world’s first biennial for
international light art in Unna and the largest Middle
Ages exhibition of the last few decades ‘AufRuhr 1225! -
Knights, Castles and Intrigues’ in Herne.
n Meetings, myths and modernity
The existing old industrial plants and many of the
cultural sites created for this mega-project will offer a
fascinating ambience for meetings and incentives not only
during, but also after the eventful year.
n Meetings in the World Heritage site
Once it was the world’s most modern coalmine – and
now it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and hence
one of only three former industrial sites that have been
elevated to the status of “world industrial heritage sites” in
Germany: the Zollverein Coalmine Industrial Complex
in Essen. Designed in pure Bauhaus style, the imposing
coalmine complex has rapidly become a centre of art
and design since being closed down in 1986. It received
a Conga Award in June 2009 from representatives of
the German event industry as the most attractive event
location in Germany. From a small studio to a large fair
and exhibition hall, it offers over forty rooms, halls and
buildings with a total space of 14,000 square metres for
events. As a special gem, star architect Lord Norman
Foster has carefully integrated the red dot design museum
in the old boiler house. Another highlight is the Erich
Brost Pavilion, a glass cube with breath-taking panorama
views from the roof of the coal washing plant at a height
of 38 metres. And the well-known Casino restaurant
will cater to connoisseurs of fine cuisine in a distinctive
industrial ambience.
www.zollverein.de
Important dates of the Culture Capital year 2010
5 June 2010 !SING - DAY OF SONG, gigantic choir production with around
22,000 singers
19 June 2010 “Extraschicht” Industrial Heritage Night
18 July 2010 “Still-Leben Ruhrschnellweg“. The metropolis celebrates in
style on the closed-down A40 motorway
27 February –
28 November 2010
“AufRuhr1225!“ – Knights, Castles and Intrigues, exhibition at
the LWL Museum for Archaeology, Herne
28 March – 27 May 2010 Biennale for International Light Art, Unna
12 March – 31 October 2010 “Heroes. A Yearning for Something Special,” exhibition at the
LWL Industry Museum Zollern coalmine, Dortmund
20 March – 25 July 2010 “The World’s Most Beautiful Museum“.
The Folkwang Museum until 1933. Exhibition in the new
Folkwang Museum, Essen

16 THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY
n Green idyll in the Ruhr Area
Change of scene: If you prefer romantic timber-framed
buildings to rusty pipes, you should opt for a bit of
industrial heritage for beginners at Margarethenhöhe.
Named after its founder Margarethe Krupp, the housing
estate in the south of Essen is generally acknowledged
to be one of the finest examples of a garden city estate
in Germany: With its timber-framed buildings and
picturesque streets and squares it has preserved an almost
rural charm. Meeting suggestion: Mintrops Stadt Hotel
Margarethenhöhe – a listed monument, as is the entire
estate – with a magnificent view of the idyllic market
square.
www.margarethenhoehe.com
Jahrhunderthalle Bochum
n Meetings in the Castle of Work
Opulent brick facades, lavish castellated gables around a
green courtyard – at a first glance the Zollern coalmine
in Dortmund looks more like a stately home than
a mine complex for coal production. And this was
part of its construction concept. Today the “Castle of
Work” in the west of Dortmund is regarded as one
of the most beautiful and extraordinary witnesses of
Germany’s industrial past. It boasts a museum and a
sumptuous industrial ambience suitable for meetings
and conventions. The engine room with its ornate Art
Nouveau doorway was the first industrial building in
Germany to become a listed monument in 1969.
www.lwl.org
Dortmunder U
n Need some enlightening?
Unna is in the limelight not only in its culture capital
year: the Centre for International Light Art in Unna
is the world’s first and only museum that is dedicated
exclusively to light art. Opened in 2001 in the former
Linden Brewery, the museum provides a presentation
space for light art which could hardly be anymore
fascinating or effective: Highly visible with its 52-metre
sky-scraping chimney this contemporary work of art has
found a home deep underground on a space of 2,400
square metres. The maze-like corridors, cold stores and
fermentation basins of the former brewery, where the
traditional Linden Adler Pils was produced between 1852
and 1979, are now creatively showcased and throw a new
light on meetings and workshops.
www.lichtkunst-unna.de
Landscape Park Duisburg North

l
n Want it a bit bigger?
Talking of light: When Duisburg’s
90-year-old blast furnace is bathed in
colourful light as dusk falls, the site
takes on a mysterious and dramatic
appearance like hardly any other.
Landschaftspark (Landscape Park)
Duisburg Nord which surrounds the
former steel mill is now one of the
most fascinating places in Germany.
But even by day the location, which
is often used for movie productions,
provides a simply indescribable
setting for very special meetings.
Think Big! The 170-metre long
Engine House alone - the nave
of this industrial cathedral – can
accommodate up to 4,140 people.
www.landschaftspark.de
Meetings in the Culture Cathedral
Bochum’s Jahrhunderthalle is just
as generous in space terms. It was
built in 1902 with an airy steel
construction as an exhibition hall
for the Düsseldorf trade exhibition
and later re-erected in Bochum’s
cast steel works and used as a blower
hall for the furnaces. Today it is one
of Europe’s most impressive and
innovative festival theatres and a
central venue for the Ruhr Triennale
music and theatre festival. The grand
hall has a length of 130 metres and
a floor space of around 3,360 square
metres suitable for all kinds of events.
www.jahrhunderthalle-bochum.de
Gasometer Oberhausen
n A space that Christo loved
Gigantic dimensions and unique
impressions are also the hallmarks of
Gasometer Oberhausen, which made
a name for itself world-wide not least
due to Christo’s spectacular staging of
The Wall there in 1999. With a height
of 117 metres it is almost as high
as the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum
is long. But you will only find real
floor levels lower down: From the
manege upwards, the empty shell
of the building stretches up to the
roof at a height of 100 metres. A
sevenfold echo that reverberates from
the matte steel walls, diffuse light
and aura of the industrial past make
the Gasometer an almost mythical
site. The room below the former
gas pressure disk is more suitable for
room
Dreams. Goals. The future.
Ideas and innovations.
Visions need to be communicated.
They need to be convincing.
f o r v i s i o n s
KölnKongress offers you the
know-how and services that
produce success.
V
n More Info on Culture Capital RUHR.2010
You will find more information on the projects and programme of the Culture Capital
RUHR.2010 at www.ruhr2010.de. Tickets for events of the Culture Capital programme and
further events in the entire Ruhr metropolis can be booked online at www.ruhr2010.de/
tickets or by telephone on via the RUHR.2010 ticket hotline 0180 515 2010.
KölnKongress | fon +49 2 21 . 8 21 - 21 21 | www.koelnkongress.de

18 THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY / NEWS - HOTELS
meetings and corporate functions with its more balanced
acoustics. A glass panorama lift takes guests to the roof of
the Gasometer with its three viewing platforms.
www.gasometer.de
n Industry – Cuisine - Culture
The region also caters to culinary tastes in its own
distinctive manner: For example, the FC Ruhr Area
cooking alliance offers authentic and stylish catering with
local cuisine that blends tradition with innovation. The
fact that 170 nations alone live in the Ruhr Area melting
pot has a considerable influence on regional specialities.
The FC Ruhr Area is an official partner of the Culture
Capital programme with a gourmet festival focusing on
food and dining in the Ruhr metropolis.
www.fcruhrgebiet.de
n Culture Meeting Planner Germany
In the land of poets and thinkers, painters and composers you can meet and
celebrate in hundreds of museums and historical buildings, in authentic sites
marked by great personalities – places and experiences you can only get in
Germany.
The GCB has developed an attractive planning tool that offers you an
overview of the most interesting cultural meeting and event options in
Germany. It will inspire you and offer you new insights into culture meeting
destination Germany.
We will send you our bilingual Culture Meeting Planner Germany as a poster
in a handy folded format and free of charge!
Order a free copy at: info@gcb.de
5th anniversary of
Kongresshotel Potsdam am
Templiner See
“When I said ‘Welcome on board our
airships’ five years ago, many people
were sceptical whether it was really
possible to transform an educational
institution into a hotel – today I can
say with a clear conscience: Yes, it is!,”
says Managing Director Jutta Braun
about the building’s conversion into a
sport, meeting and event hotel.
The hotel already had quite an
eventful history when she started out.
After reunification there was
great demand for staff training in the
eastern German savings banks which
led to the creation of a five-part
building complex with a meetings
area integrating an existing shed
of the airship port historical site in
1996. After many successful years
there was growing demand from the
world of business, culture and politics
to open the venue for external
customers who are not part of the
savings banks association.
In 2004 change finally came. This
was when the conversion into a full
hotel kicked off and the history of
Kongresshotel Potsdam started.
The Zeppelin theme restaurant,
Lemon a-la-carte restaurant and
stylish Blue Sky Bar & Lounge were
opened in the summer of 2005 and
the hotel is one of Germany’s Top
Ten meeting hotels today.
www.kongresshotel-potsdam.de
New hotel in Bremen blends
tradition with modernity
A new address for travellers is
currently being built in the heart of
Bremen, right at the historic central
station: Hotel Courtyard by Mariott
with 155 rooms. It offers a beautiful
combination of tradition and
modernity. Part of the hotel is in the
refurbished historical Lloyd House
from 1913, which used to serve as a
station building for emigrants to the
USA. Next door a new building is
under construction which will later
be connected to the Lloyd House.

NEWS - HOTELS 19
The six storeys of the new
building will house the conference
rooms and most of the guest rooms.
The adjacent historical structure
is partly a listed building and will
accommodate a restaurant, gym,
69 rooms and around 3,650 square
metres of office space in future. The
entrance hall and lounge will connect
the two wings.
Thanks to its central location,
the hotel is particularly suitable
for companies and for meeting
and convention attendees. The
central station is right next door
and opposite the exhibition centre.
The old city area is within walking
distance and a tram stop to the
airport is also located nearby.
www.bremen-kongress.de
The Leonardo hotel chain
opens its first Royal brand hotel
and fourth establishment in the
capital
The exclusive Royal brand hotel
owned by the Leonardo chain
opened its doors in August near
Alexanderplatz – as the first in the
superior category and Leonardo’s
fourth in Berlin. The first guest was
welcomed with flowers and a free
overnight stay.
The Leonardo Royal Hotel
Berlin offers guests an extraordinary
ambience: a listed hotel building
combined with a tasteful interior,
a restaurant, bar/lounge and
conference area of over 1,000 sqm
plus 346 attractive rooms and suites.
An exclusive spa area on the 7th floor
offers breath-taking views of Berlin’s
television tower. Leonardo Royal
Hotel Berlin celebrated its official
grand opening with lots of VIPs on
9th September 2009.
www.leonardo-hotels.com
hotel nikko düsseldorf
continues to grow
Located in the heart of the federal
state capital, hotel nikko düsseldorf
will be offering 42 more rooms and
suites from the end of this year. As
in 2008, the 4-star superior hotel
will be expanded by a hotel wing
with a total floor space of 1,740
sqm, housing the elegantly designed
executive rooms and suites. “This
category is particularly popular
with our guests,” says hotel director
Bertold Reul and explains why:
“With nikko they book a 4-star
superior hotel but get a 5-star
product as far as size, comfort and
elegance are concerned.” In total,
hotel nikko will have 386 rooms and
suites in eight different categories
after completion of the expansion.
www.nikko-hotel.de
Frankfurt Marriott Hotel:
Green events protect the
environment
The days are gone when going green
meant using brown “recycling paper”
and wearing wooden sandals. The
Frankfurt Marriott Hotel focuses
on sustainability not only with its
rooms but now also with its events.
This starts, for example, with the use

20 NEWS - HOTELS
of Bic Ecolutions® pens that are
made of recyclable and biodegradable
materials, through environmentfriendly
presentation materials to
the use of mineral water served with
seasonal aromas in reusable glass
decanters. The Frankfurt Marriott
Hotel additionally offers seasonal
fruits in the coffee breaks and
dispenses with most sweet packaging.
A new energy-saving heating
system for the entire hotel reduces
noxious emissions, and energy-saving
light bulbs and LED signs indoors and
outdoors also make their contribution.
Water consumption is minimised by
the use of water-saving shower heads
and taps, while green detergents and
soaps reduce pollutants. But that’s not
all: A co-operation with Deutsche
Bahn offers conference delegates very
favourable special ticket rates. This not
only helps the environment but also
delegates’ budget.
www.marriott.de
Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg:
New conference floor perfect for
holding meetings
Following a thorough renovation,
the Radisson Blu Hotel Hamburg
reopened on 31st August 2009 and
Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport now open
n Rezidor announces the opening of the new Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport in Germany’s second largest city
television screen with MP3 player
plug, free high-speed Internet access
and individual climate control.
n An Unbeatable Location!
The stylish new Radisson Blu
Hotel, Hamburg Airport is ideally
positioned opposite Terminal 1 and 2
of Hamburg Airport, home to major
airlines including Lufthansa and other
Star Alliance partners.
But the latest Radisson Blu
hotel is so much more than just a
handy place to sleep: it’s beautifully
appointed rooms, impeccable Yes I
Can! service and outstanding range
of facilities make it a destination in
its own right, perfect as a conference
venue or for enjoying all the
opportunities and excitement that
Hamburg has to offer.
n World Class Modern Design,
Comfort and Amenities
The highly contemporary hotel
offers 266 stylish, ultra-modern
standard rooms, with 5 suites and 3
rooms suitable for disabled guests.
Smoking accommodation will
be available on request. All rooms
offer the excellent, top of the range
amenities you would expect of a
first-class hotel, including a LCD
n Meetings That Make Their Mark
With its unbeatable airport location
beside Hamburg Airport and an
impressive total of 15 flexible, ultra
modern meeting rooms - covering
an area of over 1000 m2 including
foyers - the hotel is the perfect
venue for both small meetings and
major conferences. All rooms have
natural daylight, offer free high-speed
Internet access and will be equipped
with the latest AV equipment. And
the attractive bonus of ample outdoor
and indoor airport parking means it
is hard to imagine a better base for
travellers to Hamburg.
The new Radisson Blu Hotel,
Hamburg Airport is a valuable
addition to both this incredible
city and to the growing Rezidor
portfolio.
www.radissonblu.com/
hotel-hamburgairport

NEWS - HOTELS / LOCATIONS 21
can now offer guests the perfect
location for conferences, board
meetings, seminars and all manner of
events with its 2,122m 2 conference
facilities. Guests can now benefit
from 12 multifunctional rooms with
the latest seminar equipment, most
of which have natural light, as well
as a 533 m 2 divisible ballroom and
a foyer area. The spectacular ‘High
End’ event location on the 26th and
27th floors along with the elegant
multifunctional area on the ground
floor complete the portfolio of
facilities on offer for conducting
business. The first-class hotel is
located right next to the Dammtor
express railway station and is the only
hotel in the city that is directly linked
to the CCH - Congress Centre
Hamburg.
www.radissonblu.de/hotel-hamburg
Swissôtel Düsseldorf/ Neuss
with fully modernised event area
After modernising its public areas and
rooms in 2008, Swissôtel Düsseldorf
/ Neuss has also completed work on
its event area.
The hotel offers a unique, flexible
room concept. Meetings with up
to 2,100 people can be held there
as well as functions for up to 2,500
guests. The four-star superior hotel
has a 4,000 square metres event and
meetings area. The Jupiter hall (1,400
square metres) and two Diana halls
combined offer 2,100 square metres
of space, making it the largest hall
on one level of all meeting hotels in
NRW.
www.swissotel-duesseldorf.de
New business lounge at CCD
Congress Center Düsseldorf
officially opened
Your independent Service Partner in Hamburg
NEW!
The Hamburg Convention Bureau GmbH (HCB) has been founded with the aim of promoting Hamburg internationally
and domestically as a venue for conventions, conferences, events and incentive travel.
It is the first port of call and service provider of choice for anyone planning business events in the Greater Hamburg region.
The Hamburg Convention Bureau provides a full range of products and services for the city of Hamburg.
Our policy is to make your event perfect in our wonderful city.
Hamburg Convention Bureau | Phone +49(0)40-300 51 610
info@hamburg-convention.com | www.hamburg-convention.com
Hamburg
Convention
Bureau

22 NEWS - LOCATIONS / AGENCIES
Extensive modernisation measures
already started at CCD Congress
Center Düsseldorf early this year.
One of the most important new
features celebrated its official opening
on 19th August 2009: the CCD
Business Lounge.
Customers and visitors to the
CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf
have with the Business Lounge an
information and communications
headquarters with cutting-edge
technical facilities, where up to 24
people can hold focused meetings
or work individually during events.
The new lounge offers eight fully
equipped computer workstations,
further Internet connections and a
stationary plasma screen. The lightfilled
friendly room structure and
an open barrier-free access situation
facilitate the workflow.
www.ccd.de
12th European AIDS
Conference in Cologne
Just under half a million visitors and
over 1,100 events – these are the
successful results for the first half
of 2009. And for the second halfyear
KölnKongress also expects to
welcome several thousands of visitors
at numerous, partly international
(congress) events.
The 12th European AIDS
Conference from 11th to 14th
November 2009 at Congress-
Centrum Koelnmesse will attract
over 3,000 attendees from all over
Europe. Organised by the European
AIDS Clinical Society (EACS),
which unites physicians, clinicians
and researchers, the conference has
taken place every two years since
1991 in large European cities such as
Paris, Athens or Madrid.
www.koelnkongress.de
Après-ski and lodge
atmosphere in Hamburg’s
Speicherstadt
Après-Ski up in the north? No
problem! Celebrate your next winter
event under the motto “Party All the
Time” and invite staff, customers
or partners to a rustic lodge party!
With hot drinks, beer on tap and a
generous buffet we will transform
a historical warehouse floor into a
rustic après-ski lodge. Want a unique
live act? Then book Tim Toupet, the
“superman of the party scene”!
www.nordevent.de
Riccardo Chailly, Gewandhaus music director

NEWS - SERVICE PROVIDERS 23
Perfect acoustics and
atmospheric lighting at the
ADAC Truck Grand Prix
More than 170,000 visitors came to
the Nürburgring from 24th to 26th
July to attend the International Truck
Grand Prix live. This was the 24th
time the ADAC hosted this event
which offered guests a colourful mix
of races, shows and entertainment.
Once again Gahrens + Battermann
were in charge of technical execution
for the show part of the musical
country event at the Müllenbach
Loop.
The media house installed an
impressive open-air stage of just
under 260 sqm for the performances
of pop star Sasha and country stars
Tom Astor, Truck Stop and Gunter
Gabriel. The band area covered 150
sqm alone.
Atmospheric lighting during
the performances was provided
by numerous Vari Lite and Robe
spotlights and further conventional
lighting.
Gahrens + Battermann were also
responsible for perfect sound turning
the event into a successful acoustic
experience thanks to line array
modules from EAW and brand-new
MicroWedges.
www.gb-mediensysteme.de
New tool for your attendee
management
The smart and more team launched
a brand-new attendee management
tool this summer which had
already been successfully used by its
customers.
Seminars, meetings and
conventions are linked with the tool
via a company’s own Intranet pages.
Staff members can register online
for events. The menu is user-friendly
and can be adapted to corporate
design. The tool controls maximum
attendee figures and hotel allotments.
Statistical assessments show exactly
which seminars have taken place and
on what date staff members attended
them.
www.smartandmore.de
Leipzig – where tradition and innovation are closely intertwined. As the 19th Gewandhaus
music director, Riccardo Chailly lends the Leipzig orchestra a distinctive and passionate profile
and attracts worldwide attention.
Leipzig is equally excellent for meetings and events - thanks to first-class congress and convention
centres, exceptional event venues and hotels as well as the appropriate service partners. Potential
meeting or event organisers will find everything at a glance on www.do-it-at-leipzig.de.
Leipzig offers the perfect framework for unforgettable events.
Want to find out more? Plan your event in Leipzig online: www.do-it-at-leipzig.de
Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH
Richard-Wagner-Str. 1, D-04109 Leipzig
Telephone: +49 (0)341 7104-240, e-mail: kongress@ltm-leipzig.de

24 THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL
Boundless Pleasure
Parks, passages and the picturesque Baltic
n Climbing the chalk cliffs, walks on Walpurgis night, fear in the forbidden zone, treats in the “world’s smartest
tower” – the fall of the Iron Curtain has definitely doubled Germany’s cultural legacy and variety as an event
destination. Especially the seaside resorts of the nobility, feudal parks and avant-garde courtyards in the east are
attractive destinations for MICE planners seeking an adventure with a difference.
Of course, Trabant safaris through Berlin are now
a fixture on the repertoire of all event planners –
especially when groups from outside Germany come to
visit the new old capital of former East Germany. And
champagne receptions in the glass dome of the historical
Reichstag and stop-offs at Checkpoint Charlie are a
must. But eastern Germany’s beautiful landscapes and
cultural gems are still largely unexplored – and offer great
potential for planners.
n Baltic Gems
The seaside resorts of Mecklenburg West Pomerania are
just one example. Reunification in 1990 marked the start
of a new age for spa towns that had been famous summer
residences of the nobility in the 19th century: Dilapidated
historical gems were rediscovered and restored to
their former splendour by extensive renovation and
reconstruction work.
Heiligendamm, which shortly after its foundation in
1793 became the holiday headquarters of the European
peerage and of the Russian Tsar and his family is one

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL 25
of the oldest spas. The G8 summit in 2007 brought the
all-season destination of Heiligendamm world fame once
again in the 21st century.
www.heiligendamm.de
Germany’s largest islands - Rügen and Usedom – are
famous for their magnificent spa architecture with white
as the pre-dominant shade of the facades (“white gems“).
While Rügen presents itself above all as a theme island
for holiday-makers and MICE planners due to its variety
of landscapes with chalk cliffs, wild and picturesque
Cape Arkona, endless avenues, cosy fishing villages,
chic promenades, sea bridges and the peaceful bodden
landscape, Usedom with its fashionable spa architecture
and endless sandy beaches is a dorado for culture lovers
and wellness fans.
www.ostseebad-binz.de
www.heringsdorf.usedom.de
But its greatest bonus is that most Germans only know
the islands in the Bay of Pomerania by name. “The
fact that we are so little known is our advantage and
USP,” says the director of Maritim Hotel Kaiserhof in
Heringsdorf. For MICE planners this has the priceless
advantage of being able to offer meeting, incentive or
event attendees something really new, be it for a board
meeting in concerted isolation or team-building between
historical tree-lined avenues, rustic fishing villages, in
spacious national parks or on fine sandy beaches.
www.auf-nach-mv.de
n Gardens and Parks
The many parks that were created, recreated or restored
after the fall of the Wall also offer a wonderful blend of
culture and nature. The German-Polish UNESCO World
Heritage site Muskau Park in Saxony is one of the model
projects of cross-border monument projection. Designed
by Prince Hermann of Pückler-Muskau in the early 19th
century in the style of English landscape architecture, the
park had been divided since 1945 by the German-Polish
border. The two halves of the park were reunited in 2003
and now form a work of art composed of large meadows,
picturesque lakes, rivers, unique bridges and buildings.
Even the freshly restored castle of the park’s creator and
adventurer Prince Pückler is open to the public once
again.
www.muskauer-park.de
Six palaces, seven historical parks and gardens and more
than 100 smaller structures invite you to walk in the
more than 200-year-old Garden Kingdom of Dessau-
Wörlitz. The UNESCO World Heritage site is located
between Dessau and Luther’s home town Wittenberg on
a generous 142 sq km. The first English-style landscape
garden on the European mainland captivates visitors with
palaces, mansions, churches, ruins and beautifully designed
gardens in the meadows lining the Elbe and Mulde rivers.
www.gartenreich.com
The Elbauenpark in Saxony-Anhalt is one of the
latest garden creations. Despite its young age the site
Seebrücke Ahlbeck

26 THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL
designed for the German Garden Show in 1999 is one
of Magdeburg’s most important attractions today. The
Seebühne (Lake Stage) is the architectural highlight of
this cultural landscape: Five stands arranged like petals
are surrounded by water and provide magnificent views
of the unique natural setting with the Butterfly House,
works of art and theme gardens. In addition, the 60-metre
high Millennium Tower attracts countless visitors to
look inside every year. Nicknamed the “World’s Smartest
Tower”, the building tells the story of humankind and the
environment over the last 6,000 years on six exhibition
levels.
www.mvgm-online.de
n Walks in a Green History Book
But German reunification has not only restored many
cultural heritage sites in eastern Germany to their former
splendour – unique nature areas have come to life in
many formerly restricted military zones which show the
history of the inner German border from a special angle
as “Green History Books”. Formerly separated hiking
areas have been reunified and trail networks have been
restored or newly created. 20 years after the fall of the
Wall they offer hikers boundless pleasure on trails that
lead them across, on and behind the former Iron Curtain.
From the Green Belt to the Harz Hexenstieg: From
Osterode in Lower Saxony to the romantic Bode Valley in
Saxony-Anhalt planners can organise an idyllic crossing
of the once heavily guarded inner German border. The
highlight of this tour is a climb up the Brocken: The
highest mountain in the Harz region (1,141.1 m) was
a restricted zone under the East German SED regime;
to-date gigantic listening systems evoke the Cold War
period.
www.hexenstieg.de
The Green Belt runs right along the former Iron Curtain:
In the 40 years of German separation unique enchanted
bush and forest landscapes, swamps and moors grew here
undisturbed. A unique cross-border biotope system with
a length of over 1,393 km connects over 100 rare habitats
with each other. From Ilsenburg to Walkenried the Harz
border walk leads hikers along the Green Belt on a varied
and challenging route with a length of 75 km through
the Harz Mountains.
www.gruenes-band-harz.de
www.erlebnisgruenesband.de
Deep into - or better put - high up in the forest is where
the Hainich Tree Top Path will lead you. At a height of
ten to 24 metres the path takes team builders through
dense vegetation of nine different deciduous tree types to
normally inaccessible parts of the Thuringia Nature Park.
High over the treetops a tree tower with a tree house
extends to a height of over 40 metres. This is the start
and finish of the lofty path. The Hainich district covers
an area of 160 sq km. Just under half of this area was a
restricted military zone in former East Germany.
www.nationalpark-hainich.de
Shopping and Lifestyle at the Quartier 206 Friedrichstrasse, Berlin

First class destination service all over Germany
n Shopping and Lifestyle
Dresden, Leipzig and (East) Berlin
have been the most popular cities
since German reunification. Event
planners and attendees of meetings
and events will find a wide range
of extraordinary social programme
options especially in these cities
which have seen the greatest changes
since 1989. They owe their great
charm to the many restored old
buildings, unconventional cafés,
trendy boutiques, contemporary
galleries and industrial buildings,
where artists and designers offer
original products.
For example, in Leipzig’s
Spinnerei: Around 1900 it was the
largest cotton spinning mill on the
European continent. Today, the old
factory town is more densely packed
with art and culture than any other
town or city in Germany: Eleven
galleries and exhibition places invite
you to shop and take a look. Cafés
and restaurants, theatre and dance
ensembles, art and culture initiatives,
small specialist shops and individual
lofts reinforce the charming urban
atmosphere of the complex. Art
production, art presentation and art
trade have become a focus. Worldfamous
painter Neo Rauch, member
of the new Leipzig School, has a
studio there.
www.spinnerei.de
Culture: Until December 2009 the
Museum in the “Round Corner”
will be hosting a special exhibition
dedicated to “Leipzig on the Road
to the Peaceful Revolution”. The
museum is located in the building of
the former Stasi secret service. In its
former offices visitors can find out
about the function, work methods
and history of the East German secret
police.
The Kunsthofpassage in Dresden’s
Neustadt also tempts visitors with
art and shopping treats. Various local
artists have designed and revitalised
the six courtyard houses after the fall
of the Iron Curtain. For example,
huge metal mirrors reflect sunlight
in the formerly dark Courtyard of
Light. Today, there are two stages
and further projection spaces for
temporary multimedia performances
and installations, film projections and
action theatre. In the “Courtyard of
the Elements“, water games make
artistically arranged drainpipes sing
and the Courtyard of fairy-tale
creatures has a detailed façade design.
www.kunsthof-dresden.de
Culture: the Goethe Institute will be
celebrating the anniversary of the fall
of Wall and Dresden with a European
theatre festival from 31 October to
8 November 2009. Six pieces under
the motto “After the Fall” will mirror
different perceptions and effects
of this major historical event on
European society.
www.goethe.de
They form Germany’s largest
enclosed courtyard complex: the
Hackesche Höfe in Berlin. The
courtyards with their unique Art
Nouveau façade were restored in the
mid-1990s and are now among the
capital’s major attractions. Visitors
will find a mix of culture offerings,
restaurants, shops and offices in the
historical buildings. Fashion boutiques
with Parisian haute couture labels
and avant-garde fashion studios
have settled in the neighbourhood,
renewing Berlin’s international
reputation as a major fashion centre.
www.hackesche-hoefe.com
Culture: Berlin’s “Way of the Wall”
leads around the former island city
on a historically interesting section
where one can still find remainders
or traces of the wall, alternating with
attractive landscapes.
Copyright/Owner/Photographer: bopicture Björn Hänssler
You love
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management all over Germany for
your successful meetings
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For group bookings, room
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reservations contact our trade fair
department fairs@scandi.de
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www.scandi.de

28 THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL
Culture II: the German capital will
celebrate the 20th anniversary of
the Fall of the Wall with a “Feast of
Freedom” around the Brandenburg
Gate. A highlight will be a symbolic
re-enactment of the fall of the wall:
In the evening well-known artists,
culture creators and politicians will
together make a two kilometre line
of huge domino stones topple and
fall.
www.mauerfall09.de
“A glimpse of Germany”
n International photo competition
As part of its key theme “The 20th
anniversary of the fall of the
Wall”, the German National Tourist
Board (GNTB) last year announced
an international photo competition
for the HanseMerkur Prize, worth
€10,000 in total. The theme of
the competition is “2009: The
20th anniversary of the fall of the
Wall - Germany, a fascinating travel
destination”. HanseMerkur insurance
is the competition’s main sponsor.
Other partners that have supported
the GNTB in organising the
competition include Accor Hotellerie
Deutschland, Steigenberger Hotels
and NH Hoteles Deutschland.
A total of 31 journalists from
18 European countries, Japan and
the United States have submitted
photographic works created between
September 2008 and January
2009 during their three to fourday
individual research trips to
Berlin and other federal states that
once bordered the “Iron Curtain”.
“The pictures show a tension
between artistic representation and
documentation that opens up entirely
new perspectives on Germany as a
travel destination,” said a delighted
Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive
Officer of the GNTB.
With the theme “A glimpse of
Germany” in mind, the distinguished
jury started by evaluating 93 works
online according to their artistic
merit, historical references and
relevance to tourism. At a final
meeting in Berlin, jury members
2 Price: Eduardo Grund (Spain)
Brandenburger Tor Berlin
1 Price: Gianluca Santoni (Italy) Regierungsviertel Berlin
decided on the prize winners:
Gianluca Santoni from Italy, Eduardo
Grund from Spain and Irisz Lukács
from Hungary.
3 Price: Irisz Lukacs (Hungary )
Brandenburger Tor Berlin

ADVERTORIAL - PROSKE | group 29
Maximum Performance in the Disciplines Planning and Organisation
PROSKE | group powerful in sport business
n Within just a few years, PROSKE | group has developed a strong position as a hospitality expert for major international
sporting events. Focussing on upcoming global sports events, the sponsor and corporate hospitality management provider
strengthens its competence in the sports business and proceeds with its dynamic and consistent growth.
be a huge assett for PROSKE | group. Dr. Andreja Wieser
was Program Manager of IOC Services & Protocol of the
ATHENS 2004 Organising Committee for the Olympic
and Paralympic Games. For the Olympic/Paralympic
Winter Games Torino 2006, Andreja successfully managed
the International Dignitary and VIP Program. In Beijing
2008, she was responsible for the IOC Guest and VIP
Program.
One year after delivering successful Hospitality
Programs for EURO 2008 in Austria and
Switzerland, the preparations for upcoming major
sporting events are in full swing. The meeting and
hospitality specialist based in the Munich area is
continuously working towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa, future Olympic and Paralympic Games as
well as UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. With
over 23 years of professional experience in managing
events with up to 30.000 attendees in 50 countries
all over the world, PROSKE | group proves to be a
competent partner for global corporations and sponsors.
The formula for success: Creativity and professionalism
PROSKE | group developed its position as an expert for
sport events, for example, as partner of the popular FIS
Tour de Ski. During UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and
Switzerland, the agency created, developed and provided
full hospitality programs for 21 international customers
at all eight sports venues. Coca-Cola placed a major
order with PROSKE | group for the activation of their
international hospitality program with a total of over
14.000 tickets and hospitality packages. Creativity and
professionalism were reflected by the clients’ satisfaction:
92 percent evaluated the service with “excellent” or
“very good”. “Our clients expect that the high costs for
large events turn out to be a secure investment. Therefore
they need a reliable and competent partner”, states René
Proske. “Every new sports event offers a new opportunity
to further develop our high level of performance.”
n Professional support for upcoming international
sporting events
2009 is a year of growth for PROSKE | group. “Besides
expanding our office space and recruiting ten new fulltime
staff, we gained a top-class expert for our Sports
Department”, states René Proske, Managing Director of
the agency. Since September 2009, Dr. Andreja Wieser
supports the company as new “Head of Sports”. Her
excellent Olympic and Paralympic references promise to

30 OUTLOOK
What you should know for 2015
n Be honest: Today’s acute reality is much more thrilling than any forecast for the future, is it not? While we used to
be able to look into the future from a rather secure (economic) situation, we hardly know anymore what things will
look like the day after tomorrow. The future has caught up with us.
We live and work in increasingly
uncertain times. There are
no longer any decisive criteria
for “sure success”. Everybody is
now required to find and insist on
their own viewpoint in this allembracing
transformation of the
world (economy). But in return we
must first identify and comprehend
what is actually going on: What is
really happening right now in our
“western” society? And what are
the important developments for the
future?
We have dealt with these questions
intensively and found a complex
constellation with good prospects:

OUTLOOK 31
n Fact 1: Things are becoming
impenetrably complex
Global, impenetrable systems
increasingly influence and steer
our local existence. Everything is
interconnected and of a complexity
that nobody can completely
understand anymore. At the same
time, reality is becoming ever faster,
permanently unstable and marked
by huge contradictions and new
influences every day!
In this scenario, the analyses
and forecasts of the traditional
(economic) sciences are increasingly
at a loss. As an example, see the
failed risk calculations of the
financial institutions. The same
business mathematicians now openly
confess that they were never validly
calculable. As a consequence, many
people are experiencing more stress
than ever before. They miss simplicity,
credibility, predictability and honest
support in their everyday lives.
n Fact 2: We live in and with
perverted systems
(Almost) all systems that were
originally created for the well-being
of humankind have taken on a life of
their own and become “perverted”.
Be it the political system, education
system, health care system, global
finance system, social system. People
intuitively realise that all systems are
panicking to keep the status quo –
they feel that they are just a subfunction
of maintaining a system that
makes them irrelevant as individuals.
Or do you seriously believe that your
pension is really safe or that anybody
will fight for it heart and soul? We
all feel one thing: In reality we were
never as alone and insignificant
as today. This gives rise to a mute
feeling of powerlessness, a deep agony
inside us as human beings.
n Fact 3: The error of “growth” as an
ideal for society
Over the last few decades we have
accepted a creed of “economic
growth” as a goal for society without
thinking – and by doing so prevented
more profound social progress!
“Growth” was the panacea – but
offers no ideological, humane or
social guidance or identity. The crisis
makes it very clear to us: There is
no idea, no gripping philosophical
direction, no vision of the future for
our (global) democratic society as
a community. For almost 30 years
there has been a huge development
vacuum in our “western” community.
25 Years of Global Event Solutions
CONFERENCE – EVENT – DESTINATION – ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT
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Please visit our booth at the EIBTM in Barcelona.
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Office Berlin phone: +49-30-300 669-0 email: berlin@cpo-hanser.de further offices in Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main
I N O N
I N C O N G R O U P

32 OUTLOOK
As a consequence, people feel a
growing and inescapable wish for
real social progress, a renewal and
liberation that will benefit everybody.
n Fact 4: The ‘digividual’ is born
Broadband gives rise to a huge
wireless, digital universe, which
“I can travel in seconds“, “where I
spend, share and organise part of my
life“.
We are increasingly economical with
our physical presence. I am only
physically present in places where
I can expect a (reasonably) good
experience or feeling. In other places
I am not or only digitally present.
As a consequence, an authentic
emotional quality in face-to-face
customer contacts is more important
than ever. The winners are those
who also know how to generate this
emotionality on a digital level.
n Fact 5: The future belongs to
“feminine thinking“
The development of the knowledge
society with informal networks
and flat hierarchies encourages the
advance of women. The share of
women who gain university entrance
qualifications has doubled since
1950. Worldwide, women gain a
university degree faster and more
successfully. In the USA the ratio of
female to male students is 140 to 100.
In future-forward smaller networks
where emotional intelligence, team
and communication skills are crucial,
women play a central role. However,
the real central power of women is
their direct – and indirect (!) – power
as consumers: Today, women already
make up to 80% of all household
purchase decisions!
n Fact 6: The deep yearning for
liberation and renewal
Our western society is ageing
enormously. Young people are
expected to achieve more and
more and just can’t anymore – but
they cannot escape! Performance
has become a burden. This leads
to internal opposition against this
enforced “social functioning”. At
the same time, belief in the support
and changeability of systems is
very rapidly eroding. People are
boycotting the system wherever they
can by doing their “own thing”. As a
consequence:
1. Individuals and entire groups
are deliberately dropping out of
the system ”private cultures“
are emerging and gaining huge
importance (e.g. never before have
there been so many private schools
and nurseries).
2. The wish to find a meaning in
life is growing – especially if I have
to function “in the system” ideals
have started to make a comeback.
3. The educated classes /
intelligentsia / knowledge elite are
increasingly aware of their economic
importance for the respective system
the power of talents is growing
rapidly. They want to be recognised
and served.
4. Constant change will become
a normal part of life further
training will become increasingly
more important than education.
5. More and more standards and
standardisations will rule our life
almost to the extreme authentic
non-conformity will become a major
quality criterion (free spirit, free
heart, free ideas) and an orientation
for many people.
The age of strong brands and people
who serve the community will start
– they will shape and/or lead to new
solutions openly and authentically. A
strong attitude and idea will become
a key criterion! Everybody who
“makes a stand” and dares to escape
conformity and create something
authentic and new will find many
“supporters”.
The future clearly belongs to
authentic brands and individuals
with strong ethics – so try and make
something of that!
Michael Wiegel is the owner
and director of the BRANDBEAT
NETWORK, which he founded himself.
“This is a very rare team of outstanding
creative minds, who can find, activate
and train the “heartbeat of the brand”.
Our passion and our goal are an
effective, authentic self-empowerment
of brands, teams and executives.”
Customers include Barclays Bank,
DHL/Deutsche Post, OMV, TUI, G+J and
many medium-sized brand companies
and associations inside and outside
Germany.
Contact via: welcome@brandbeat.de

LANDESHAUPTSTADT
Wiesbaden Venues
Kurhaus Wiesbaden
Kurhaus Wiesbaden GmbH
Kurhausplatz 1
D-65189 Wiesbaden
Tel.: +49 (0) 611-17 29 290
Fax: +49 (0) 611-17 29 299
E-Mail: info@kurhaus-wiesbaden.de
www.wiesbaden.de/kurhaus
Jagdschloss Platte
For booking please contact:
Kurhaus Wiesbaden GmbH
Tel.: + 49 (0) 611-1729-291
Fax: + 49 (0) 611-1729-299
E-Mail: jagdschloss-platte@kurhaus-wiesbaden.de
www.wiesbaden.de/jagdschloss
Rhein-Main-Hallen
Rhein-Main-Hallen GmbH
Rheinstraße 20
D-65185 Wiesbaden
Tel.: + 49 (0) 611-144 0
Fax: + 49 (0) 611-144 6245
E-Mail: info@rhein-main-hallen.de
www.rhein-main-hallen.de
www.wiesbaden.eu

34 NEWS - TRANSPORT
Lufthansa: new flexibility for your flight management
Lufthansa Meetings & Events is the
new booking tool for all event
planners and organisers. Be it fairs,
conventions or incentive trips, be it
in Germany, Europe or anywhere else
in the world, be it for a few dozen
attendees or several thousands –
Lufthansa will support you with your
event planning.
The new tool stands out for easy
handling, fast requests for proposals
and tailor-made solutions. For your
request you simply complete a
concise at-a-glance online form, and
Lufthansa will create a proposal that
is tailor-made to your needs.
Flights for your attendees will be
co-ordinated in an uncomplicated
manner without any further expense
for you as an event organiser.
Attendees receive individual access
data to the Lufthansa booking portal
where only the flights based on
agreed terms will appear and can
be booked directly. Travel dates can
be freely selected up to two weeks
before and after the event. Attendees
may also travel with a partner.
Enjoy an excellent service with
Lufthansa Meetings & Events and
- thanks to the world-wide route
network with over 200 destinations
in around 80 countries - an optimum
connection to your national and
international events.
lufthansa.com/meetingsandevents
wchb_az_image_RZ:Layout 1 02.09.2009 10:56 Seite 1
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inspired by Althoff Hotel Collection

CONVENTION PLANNING 35
How to innovate your association and congress organisation
The number of associations,
professional organisations
and organisations in Germany is
growing. Germany alone currently
has around 550,000 registered
associations (source: FAZ of 8.07.09)
that compete with each other in
their respective areas. This trend will
probably become even stronger in
future. Finding an optimum position
in this competitive environment
and creating sustainable concepts
for organisational structures and
processes are key success factors. It
is important to have an approach
that focuses on the entire range
of an organisation’s activities and
possibilities and provides integrated
solutions for individual fields.
n Successful implementation of
complex tasks
The German Society of Oral
Implantology (DGI) was founded as
DGI GmbH in 2002. In view of ever
more exacting standards in the field
of further training and conventions
it needed a professional agency that
could take care of corresponding
management tasks.

36 CONVENTION PLANNING
DGI GmbH no longer just acts
as a PCO as its tasks have grown
along with the new requirements.
DGI GmbH offers a full range of
professional association management
services. They include managing
branch offices and consulting services
in the fields of strategy, marketing,
taxes, insurance, receivables and
financial management. These services
have become its core business.
n Strategy consulting
In the field of strategy the aim is
mostly to ensure continuous growth
of a company or organisation. How
can one win new members? What
possibilities are there to help new
talents? As the membership potential
of an organisation is limited, one can
explore new avenues, e.g. by going
international with suitable services or
products.
n Marketing consulting
When societies or associations
develop very fast, the constant
growth in member figures can
pose new challenges for internal
communication.
The core competences and
resulting added value for members
must be clearly positioned and
communicated – what use is the
best offer, if it doesn’t reach the
individual?
Communication solutions like
Internet communities, for example,
will also come to play a major
role for associations. For example,
members can see all the services
offered by an association on an
Internet portal and help shape them
interactively in certain areas. From
web-based member management
through e-learning and the latest
press releases to making an active
contribution to offers for other
members to facilitate communication
between members.
An organisation thrives primarily
on the dynamism and performance
of its members. Especially for large
associations with many members it is
vital to have simple, well-structured
and interactive communication
concepts.
Establishing an organisation
as a brand with a corresponding
message is another success factor. For
example, the positive image of an
association helps not only gain new
members but also - far from costbenefit
considerations - to motivate
members to remain loyal to the
organisation even beyond the term of
their active membership.
n Perfect internal organisation
A multi-faceted and high-quality
range of association offerings sets
high standards for management and
organisation. Quite often historically
grown structures in organisations
make it difficult for staff members
to co-operate. Communication and
process deficits may easily lead to a
negative public image.
Central data management and
updating is a first step. A uniform,
audited forms system is another
necessary requirement. Staff
substitution plans and related
measures such as automatic call
forwarding or written substitution
messages are important for a good
public image.
The financial capital and related
financial risk of an association
increases with the size of the
association and the growing number
of services. Detailed data collection
including monthly monitoring
and analysis of business reports to
management are important for
sound decision-making and for an
association’s further development.
The question of optimised
insurance cover, aligned with other
contracts, is also an important issue.
Fiscal questions, for example in the
field of property administration, are
also important for minimising the
risk of losses.
n Experience pays – pays rewards
DGI GmbH’s expertise in association
management will be reinforced in
future and available also to other
professional organisations and
associations.
The management of congresses
and further training remains a central
issue in this field. Event management
entails complex demands that call for
co-operating with other institutions
in networked structures. DGI
GmbH has developed a range of
appropriate services due to demand
for professional support for this area.
Naturally, a congress organiser
expects high-quality services in
the field of attendee management,
technology, accommodation and
catering.
In many of these fields professional
realization in general and work in
detail play a decisive and major role.
For example, an intelligent placement
of logos and congress signage in
the speakers’ area will ensure that
an organisation’s logo or the name
of the event will appear visibly on
every press photo. This type of free
publicity is definitely not new but
it is rarely used intensively in the
association segment.
Another example, DGI GmbH
saved half of the projected costs for
one association in the motor industry
by switching from plastic to paper
badges.
n What makes a congress
successful? Searching for success
factors!
The quality of topics and content
is normally a key success factor.

CONVENTION PLANNING 37
Modern congress management also
comprises helping an organisation
to find topics for its events– e.g. via
surveys and research work. Optimally
editing content is equally important.
Congress marketing needs to
be cost efficient. This not only
means optimising postage rates for
programme mailings. Selecting media
for information and advertising
according to target groups and
without costly scatter is just as crucial
as designing programme content that
focuses on added value for attendees.
Trust is a major success factor
of communication with potential
attendees. Whether they will attend
a congress or not depends crucially
on the credibility of the offering. An
attendee disappointed by a congress
will not attend the event again.
n Event format also plays a major
role
For example, congresses that take
place on one weekend from Friday
to Sunday compete directly with
attendees’ leisure activities. If staged
during the week, these events may be
better attended.
The failure or success of an event
often depends not only on the
professional realisation of “major”
management challenges but also on
small creative details that may not be
visible on the face of it but are vital
for the atmosphere of the meeting
and hence for its overall success.
Stefan C. Werner
Head of the Meetings and Conventions
Office of DGI GmbH
DGI GmbH
Henkestraße 91
91052 Erlangen
www.dgi-gmbh.com
GRAND Meeting
The art of meeting: With our 24 individually
designed function rooms, the
hotel’s own “Gallery at the Elysée” and
the renowned Block Collection comprising
more than 600 exhibits, we offer
the perfect cultural backdrop for your
event, while our 511 spacious rooms and
suites provide exquisite comfort for true
relaxation.
Grand Elysée Hamburg
Rothenbaumchaussee 10 | 20148 Hamburg | Germany | T +49 (0)40 / 41 41 2 -0
info@grand-elysee.com | www.grand-elysee.com
For more information and to make bookings,
please call T+49 (0) 40 41 41 2 - 888 or email
events@grand-elysee.com

38 CONGRESS DESTINATION GERMANY
Opportunities in the crisis thanks to great value for money and
an ever brighter image
n Even in the crisis Germany benefits from great value for money and an ever brighter image
SUPPLY
DEMAND
Total no. of
conference and event
venues 6,330 (+2%)
Convention and events
cebtres (EC) 1,530 (+2.1%)
Conference hotels (CH) 3,120 (+0.9%)
Special venues 1,680 (+4.3%)
Events 2.76 mil. (-0.6%)
Average duration 1.7 days (+0.3)
Total attendees 318 mil. (+1%)
Thereof international 5.5 % (+0.2%)
European organisers consider
Germany as Europe’s number
one meetings destination – outpacing
all other EU member states: Asked
to quote their favourite meetings
destination, 36.7 per cent of
organisers named Germany.
The events market is operating on a
high level again in 2009: Germany
boasts 6,330 meeting and event
venues, two per cent more than last
year. A total of 2.76 million events
were held in 2008 and attendance
was slightly up (+1%) on the
previous year – 318 million delegates:
almost four times as many as the
German population.
These are the key results of the
Meeting & Event Barometer 2009, a
survey of the German meetings and
events market, unveiled at IMEX
2009. For the third time running,
the European Association of Event
Centres (EVVC), German National
Tourist Board (DZT) and the
German Convention Bureau (GCB)
commissioned the European Institute
for the Meetings Industry to examine
the German meetings and events
markets.
n Key data and the most important
findings at a glance
A majority of experts forecast
restrained development of meetings
and events in external venues:
nevertheless, 21.5 per cent agree that
the number of outsourced events will
grow despite the current economic
situation.
Over 40 per cent of all experts
interviewed expressly stated that
meetings and seminars – i.e. events of
a more “work-focused” nature than
incentives – will enjoy increasing
importance. So, compared to other
segments, most experts clearly see
growth potential there.
Environmental and climate
protection also plays a major role in
the survey: Over half of all organisers
(58 per cent) rates climate protection
as either “important“ or as “very
important“. At present, 15 per cent of
organisers are “definitely” influenced
by climate protection concerns when
choosing a venue for their meeting
or event. And 39 per cent believe that
the subject has a “slight influence”
on the choice of their preferred
venue. Over half of all companies,
associations and agencies would
recommend projects with specific
measures to protect the climate and
the environment.
You will find all the detailed results
of the survey at:
www.gcb.de
(Infocenter MICE Info Statistics)

WHAT TO WEAR DURING THE
COMING CONGRESS SEASON.
www.manok.de, foto: juergenmai.com
Tailor-made solutions achieved
through multifunctionality
The darmstadtium science and congress centre offers
numerous possibilities for combining and figuring its various
rooms to exactly suit your own particular event .
❙ The “Spectrum” congress hall with a maximum capacity of
1,677 seats can be divided into two or three smaller halls;
elevating platforms in the seating areas allow the hall to be
transformed quickly from a smooth dance floor into an ascending
auditorium.
❙ The surrounding foyer areas can be used in a multitude of
ways, e.g. for exhibitions accompanying the main events.
❙ The 18 conference rooms can be combined flexibly and offer
seating for a total of up to 1,300 persons.
Enjoy the maximum degree of freedom when planning your
event – thanks to multifunctionality in perfection.
TOP
OPVEN
VENUE
FORGREEN
MEE
EETING
INGS
www.darmstadtium.de

www.germany-tourism.de
Conferences and conventions – perfectly organised and affordable
Business travel with a green bill of health
© Getty Images/Dougal Waters
© Getty Images/PhotoAlto/Alix Minde
© Getty Images/PhotoAlto
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The number one country for conferences and conventions – Destination Germany, leading by example. Around 11,000
venues up and down the country offer a range of attractive packages for conferences and conventions. Some, for
example, include heavily discounted train tickets for a relaxing and environmentally friendly journey to your conference
destination. For more information on our business travel packages, visit
Welcome to Destination Germany. Excellent value and extremely affordable.
© Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus e. V. Gefördert durch das Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie aufgrund eines Beschlusses des Deutschen Bundestages