Berlin, 29 January 2009 The convention city Berlin chalks up yet another success. According to the readers of the British C&IT Magazine – a leading trade journal in the congress sector – it is one of the five best conference destinations in the world. The recently published results of the fourth Reader Poll come out in favour of the German capital.

Appearing for the first time in the ranking, Berlin – together with the dessert city Dubai – is in an excellent fifth place. There was stiff competition in the survey. Cities like Athens or Edinburgh, which still featured in the Top 5 in 2007, were unable to hold on to their positions in 2008. London was able to defend its top position followed by Barcelona, Manchester and Las Vegas.

What makes Berlin particularly attractive are its excellent meeting, convention and incentive opportunities. This is also reflected in the results in the section “Top International Purpose-Built Venue”. In the segment of special convention and meeting venues, the axica Congress and Event Centre came second. The extravagant event location, designed by the award-winning architect Frank O. Gehry, won over the readers of the C&IT Magazine who put it ahead of centres in Hong Kong and Dubai but behind the Barcelona International Convention Centre.

These excellent positions testify to the outstanding offering of the German capital and the work of the Berlin Convention Office of Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH. It is the professional contact in the field of conventions, meetings, company events and incentives and boasts a wide network of contacts. Further information is available on the website www.berlin-convention-office.de.