Annual statistics: 2017 the most successful year to date for convention business in Berlin

Berlin, 26 February 2018 Congress business in Berlin remains on course for success: in 2017, around 11.7 million participants (+ 1 per cent compared to 2016) came to 140,200 events (+ 2 percent) in Berlin. For the first time, the conference and congress market generated a net value added of more than one billion euro. These figures come from the current congress statistics* of the Berlin Convention Office of visitBerlin.

"Congress business is an important economic factor for Berlin," says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. "Internationally, our city is among the top group – and as yet demand has remained unbroken. In order to maintain this success, we must continue to create attractive offers in Berlin."

The number of overnight stays rose to 7.9 million last year, an increase of 2.6 percent compared to 2016. A quarter of all overnight stays at hotels in Berlin can thus be attributed to the congress business. 

Every fourth event is a medical congress

Berlin is a sought-after location for medical events: more than a quarter of all conferences and congresses can be attributed to the sector "Medical, Pharmaceuticals and Health Science". This is followed by the sectors "IT/Digital Economy" and "Politics/Public Institution" with eleven per cent each. Germany remains the most important market for Berlin, Great Britain and the USA/Canada, follow in second and third place.

The congress industry secures more than 43,000 jobs

The total turnover of the conference and congress industry amounts to 2.51 billion euro. Participants staying overnight spend considerably more money with 246 euro per day than in the previous year (2016: 237 euro). 43,200 full-time jobs are secured by the conference and convention business in Berlin (2016: 41,500). 

For more information on Berlin as a congress location, go to convention.visitBerlin.com.