Berlin is ranked 4th in the worldwide convention statistics

Berlin, 10 May 2017 With 176 international association conventions in 2016, Berlin ranks fourth in the current statistics of the "International Congress and Convention Association" (ICCA). Paris (196), Vienna (186) and Barcelona (181) are the top three. Fifth is London (153). The ICCA statistics are one of the world's most important benchmarks for globally held association conventions. It has a strong influence on the award of many major conventions.

"Berlin is in the top position for international association conventions," says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. "Competition in the convention business has become more intense. To be able to continue to be a player in the future, we need further intercontinental nonstop flights to Berlin. Additional capacities are also desirable, especially for conventions with more than 4,000 participants."

The ICCA statistics include only international conventions of associations, in order to ensure a worldwide comparison. They must be attended by at least 50 participants, take place regularly, and switch among at least three different countries.

"International associations from medicine and science value the efficiency and diversity of Berlin. We want to continue to be innovative partners for our customers through the further development of our networks and services," adds Heike Mahmoud, Conventions Director of the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office.

2016 was a record year for Berlin’s convention and meeting industry

According to official congress statistics of the Convention Office of visitBerlin a total of 137,500 events took place in the capital last year – a new record for Berlin as a conference and congress destination. The city is particularly popular with medical and scientific conventions as well as IT events. These include the annual World Health Summit in October and the "Re:publica" in May.

Berlin is attracting medical and digital conferences in 2017

This year, too, Berlin is the venue for major events in the medical and digital fields. Among them are large association conventions, such as the convention for the International Society for Thrombosis Research (isth) in July, with more than 10,000 participants, as well as the World Congress of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (WPA) in October, for which some 12,000 experts will travel to Berlin.

In addition to the "Re:publica", the "Tech Open Air" interdisciplinary technology festival will take place in July with 20,000 expected attendees, and in December the "TechCrunch Disrupt 2017" digital conference, which moves this year from London to Berlin.

For more information on Berlin as a destination for conventions, go to convention.visitBerlin.com.