Berlin, 1. September 2015 Berlin takes a bow: From 26 to 29 August, more than 50 representatives of international associations, Berlin's scientific and research community, and the top convention destinations in the world gathered for the first BestCities Client Workshop to be held in Berlin. The aim of the event was to acquire association meetings and conferences for Berlin and help international client network with Berlin's science and research sectors and the members of the BestCities Global Alliance. From the CityCube to the Estrel and other venues, the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office presented the city's comprehensive offerings for those planning meetings. The invited customers and partners were impressed by the wide range on offer.

Heike Mahmoud, Conventions Director of the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office: "The BestCities Client Workshop was the ideal opportunity to present Berlin to an international audience. Associations from medicine and science have been our most important client group for years. Every fifth event held in Berlin is organised by a professional association."

The association representatives also came to positive conclusions

„Berlin is young and dynamic. There are plenty of opportunities for meetings and a well-developed infrastructure“, says Italo Goyzueta from Switzerland, Deputy Director of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).

Alenka Rogelj Ritona from Slovenia, CEM Administrative Assistant for the International Committee on Rheology comments: „I love Berlin. It is such a lively and vibrant city. It offers plenty of venues and has a great connectivity to all parts of Europe.”

Fifteen selected association representatives travelled to Berlin for the BestCities Client Workshop. They came from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, France, the United States, India and China, among others. To receive an exclusive invitation to the BestCities Client Workshop, the association needed to be planning conferences with at least 500 participants that take place at different locations around the world and offer potential for the BestCities Alliance members. In addition, it must not have held an event in the past five years in Berlin.

Focus on Berlin as a science and research centre

The core elements of the BestCities Client Workshop were accompanied by an extensive programme. Apart from the exchange and presentations by Berlin partners in the conventions and meetings industry, providers of guided tours, and networks, customers also met representatives of senior Berlin research institutions for a "Local Ambassador Evening." The representatives included Professor Detlev Ganten, President of the World Health Summit Berlin and Dr. Marion Müller of the Einstein Foundation Berlin as keynote speakers and other representatives of the Charité as well as the Humboldt and Technical Universities. The German capital is especially in demand for events related to the sciences: based on the number of participants, 15 per cent of events held in Berlin relate to “science and research”.*

BestCities Global Alliance: global network of convention destinations with high quality standards

The hosts of the BestCities Client Workshop were the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office and the BestCities Global Alliance. BestCities Global Alliance is an international network of 12 leading convention destinations around the globe. They are distinguished by the commitment of the members' convention offices to offering special standards of service. Members include Berlin, Bogotá, Cape Town, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dubai, Edinburgh, Houston, Melbourne, Singapore, Tokyo and Vancouver. The workshop was supported by the partner network of the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office, including Hotel Palace Berlin, Conference & Touring, and other service providers to the meetings industry.

For more information about Berlin as a meeting destination, go to convention.visitBerlin.de. For more information on BestCities visit www.bestcities.net.

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* Source: 2014 convention statistics from the independent market research company ghh consult GmbH on behalf of visitBerlin.