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HOTELS / RESTAURANTS / BARS WHERE TO GOIN BERLIN WHERE TO GOIN BERLIN CLUBS / EVENTS / SHOPPING / CULTURE Made-to-Measure for World-Class Event The soon to be completed Berlin- Brandenburg Airport, known to Germans as the Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg Willy Brandt, will be the city’s new airport, based in the south of Berlin. The facility, which is scheduled to open in June 2012, will use some of the infrastructure of the existing Schönefeld Airport, and is to be partly named after the former German Chancellor and Mayor of West-Berlin, Willy Brandt. Schönefeld is located on the border between Berlin and the state of Brandenburg, the area surrounding Berlin and also the source of the name of the famous Brandenburg Gate, which used to mark the demarcation line between East and West Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall. Messe Berlin’s COO Dr. Christian Göke highlights the extraordinary variety of services and attraction of the Geman capital for delegates. IFA organiser Messe Berlin never hesitates to mention the fact that the event happens in the German capital, a city able to accommodate a huge number of guests. And while IFA is undeniably important to the city, Göke is well aware of the city’s importance to delegates: “In a general sense, you can say that if a show is successful in terms of exhibitors, media and visitors, then it doesn’t really matter where it is held, and you could even say that it doesn’t matter if the airport is too small and there aren’t enough hotel rooms, because the event is selling itself. But when you have a show that is as successful as IFA, then of course it helps and boosts the event to be in a city like Berlin. People like to come to IFA but they also really enjoy visiting Berlin,” he said. “Our visitors have their professional priorities, but they also get lots of additional value from so much else. We are very happy to be able Dr. Christian Göke Messe Berlin’s COO to hold the event in one of the most booming, dynamic cities in Europe.” There is also the additional geographical advantage that Berlin is in the absolute centre of Europe: “The city’s position is just one plus point, and there are others like for example the fact that Berlin receives millions of visitors per year which means that the city has plenty of hotel capacity, and consequently the competition in that sector is strong. And for IFA, it means that we can guarantee delegates great value hotel rooms, which is not the case in any other major city”, Göke says. “Next year there will be the opening of the new Berlin Brandenburg international airport, with bigger capacity and better connections into the city. And that really is the last piece of the jigsaw in terms of Berlin being successfully developed as an ideal trade show location.” The city has also developed an important concentration of local, European and international media: “There are correspondents based here from every major international newspaper, which is reflected in the attendance at IFA,” Göke says. “Last year there were journalists from 190 international newspapers in our international media centre. And even though the size and success of the event is part of the reason they come, it is also because it is so easy for them to be here.” 44
Where to goin berlin View From The Top In this and previous editions this year we have had the pleasure of welcoming leading figures, such as Klaus Wowereit, Mayor of Berlin, Friedrich Niemann, GM of the Waldorf Astoria Berlin, Raimund Hosch, CEO of Messe Berlin, Klaus Laepple, President of BTW, the Association of Tourism and Dr. Christian Göke, Messe Berlin's COO to the Where To Go in Berlin column. Cleverdis, the publisher of IFA International and Where To Go in Berlin, is also an expert on the tourism sector. Cleverdis works closely with the most prestigious organisations in the sector of hotelier such as education (L'Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne) industry associations (European Hotel Managers Association), and politics (Hotrec). Cleverdis also undertakes projects related to quality control in partnership with ExcelPlace (mystery visits, quality training). This broad-based expertise enables the IFA International team to approach Where To Go in Berlin as true tourism professionals. Each of these people gave us their vision of Berlin, as people who live in Berlin and as major players in the tourism and economic life of the city. We would like to thank them on behalf of all the people who visit Berlin for their advice and guidance on how to get the best out of Berlin. As for the team of IFA International – many of whom live in Provence, one of the most beautiful regions of Europe – we have all travelled extensively around the world and every year we fall under the spell of Berlin and its surrounding region. Traditionally, we arrive in Berlin three or four days before the official opening of the fair to prepare the infrastructure for the production of IFA International, but also to take advantage of the charms of this wonderful city. This year we decided to visit at least one of the lakes bordering Berlin, and we were right to do so. Gérard Lefebvre President and Founder of Cleverdis IFA International Publisher About 15 minutes from the ICC is the Wannsee. It is a magical, serene and inspiring place. On the terrace of the legendary Sanssouci restaurant and hotel on a sunny Sunday afternoon is a bit like being a in an impressionist painting at Giverny. The lake, covered with small sailing boats, is a timeless place that encourages a meditative mood. After a delicious lunch served by friendly and agreeable staff, and a short stroll through the countryside, we all felt relaxed and at peace. There could be no better way to be in top form throughout IFA! The entire team at IFA International wishes to thank all those who made our six issues possible this year – the manufacturers themselves, the trade, key analysts, such as GfK, DisplaySearch and Meko and the amazingly professional staff of Messe Berlin, not forgetting the “invisible man” (our photographer) – Didier. Thanks too, to Miss IFA for being such a fun and patient photo model this year. We wish all those in the CE and HA industries a particularly successful holiday season, and look forward to seeing you back in this wonderful city of Berlin at the same time next year! www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Wednesday 7 th September 2011 45
