Berlin is once again among the top international congress cities
- 5th place for Berlin in the world’s most important benchmark for association congresses
- Berlin hosted 162 congresses of international associations in 2018
- Berlin’s Hotel Charter strengthens the city’s position in bidding for major congresses
Berlin, 13 May 2019 Berlin once again ranks among the world’s top 5 cities when it comes to organising international congresses. This is demonstrated by the latest statistics of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Last year, Berlin hosted 162 congresses of international associations. In first place was Paris with 212 events, followed by Vienna (172), Madrid (165) and Barcelona (163). The ICCA statistics are among the world’s most important benchmarks for international association congresses and play a part in deciding where many big events are held.
“Berlin is once again in the top five cities for international congresses. Given the huge competition among European cities, this is a great success for Berlin and its Convention Office”, says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. “In order to remain successful, we need new capacities for big events.”
Berlin has ranked among the top 5 in the ICCA statistics since 2004 in what is a highly competitive worldwide market. In addition to popular cities such as Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, Madrid and London, congresses are increasingly spreading out to other cities, including some in Asia. These include Singapore (8th place) and Bangkok (10th).
The ICCA ranking is one of the world’s leading benchmarks for global association congresses. Only international congresses with at least 50 participants are counted. The events must take place regularly and have been held in at least three different countries.
12 million participants in 2018
The convention business in Berlin developed positively overall in 2018: according to official statistics, around 12 million visitors attended around 143,390 events (both these figures are up 2.3 percent compared to 2017). For the first time, conventions and congresses generated more than eight million overnight stays. With a total turnover of €2.63 billion, the industry is an important economic factor for the city.
Hotel Charter strengthens Berlin’s position in bidding for major international congresses
Berlin’s Hotel Charter is a new service for organisers of major congresses which have more than 1,500 visitors and last at least two days. The range of services includes guaranteed hotel rooms, attractive prices and help with the marketing and visibility of the event within the city. Currently, 98 hotels are participating in the initiative. The Hotel Charter is a commitment of the whole city of Berlin. It was launched by the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office and visitBerlin Partnerhotels e.V. together with the Senate Chancellery and the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.
For more information on Berlin as a congress location, go to convention.visitBerlin.com.