New initiative for major events: Berlin establishes the "Berlin Event Board"
- Joint initiative by business and urban society
- Coordination centre and think tank for Berlin, the event capital
Berlin, 3 September 2025 Berlin is strengthening its position as an international metropolis for events, conferences, trade fairs and cultural formats: With today's launch of the Berlin Event Board, leading players in Berlin's tourism and event industry are joining forces to strengthen Berlin as a sustainable event location, implement major events more efficiently and expand its international competitiveness. The Berlin Event Board includes BEN Berlin Event Network e.V., Berlin Partner for Business and Technology, Clubcommission e.V., DEHOGA Berlin, INTOURA Berlin e.V., Messe Berlin, visitBerlin and visitBerlin Partnerhotels e.V.
Franziska Giffey, Mayor and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises: "Today is a good day for Berlin as an event metropolis: With the establishment of the Berlin Event Board, Berlin's event industry is uniting to position itself for the future in the face of international competition. This is a strong signal. I expressly support this step towards ‘coopetition’ – more cooperation among ourselves while competing for the best offers. We now have a strong partner for events at our side and look forward to joint projects and successes."
Coordination centre and driving force for Berlin as an event capital
The Berlin Event Board is taking on a central coordinating role with immediate effect. It records the requirements of large events – e.g. from permits, security and transport to patronage, public spaces, special congress tickets, visible city design (‘city dressing’) or hotel contingents – and ensures their implementation. In addition, the board ensures compliance with standards, coordinates applications for city-wide events and identifies acquisition potential within the framework of Berlin's cluster strategy. It also acts as a think tank for the long-term development of Berlin as an event and congress location.
The Berlin Event Board was founded today: Gerrit Buchhorn, Managing Director of DEHOGA Berlin, Burkhard Kieker, Managing Director of visitBerlin, Anja Schneider, Chair of visitBerlin Partnerhotels e.V., Marcel Weber, Chair of Clubcommission e.V., Marc Mundstock, Chairman of Berlin Event Network e.V., Sabine Wendt, Managing Director of visitBerlin, Matthias Leonhardt, Managing Director of Berlin Event Network e.V., Myriam Sztayn, Head of Capital City Marketing at Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH, Georg Strecker, Board Member of INTOURA Berlin e.V., Dr Mario Tobias, Chairman of the Management Board of Messe Berlin, Jule Weidner, Management Consultant visitBerlin, and Marco Oelschlegel, Director Conventions visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office (from left to right)
Burkhard Kieker, spokesperson for the management of visitBerlin and visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office: ‘Berlin is in constant competition with other major cities around the world when bidding for major events. The new Event Board allows us to respond even more quickly and flexibly to enquiries.’ Sabine Wendt, Managing Director of visitBerlin: "Major events not only bring visitors, but also economic, social and cultural impetus. To build on this success, we need the board as a network and coordination centre that strategically develops offers for event organisers."
Visitor economy as an important economic driver for Berlin
Key figures demonstrate how important the visitor economy is for the capital. In 2023, tourism contributed 4.6 per cent to the total economic output (source: DIW Econ). In 2024, Berlin's event industry alone secured over 27,000 jobs. With 12.9 million participants last year, the capital recorded growth of 29 per cent – a sign of the location's attractiveness. The international market in particular developed dynamically: 21 per cent of guests travelled from abroad – twice as many as the national average. Large events with over 1,000 participants are increasingly taking place in Berlin, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the total, well above the national average of 1.8 per cent. And the Berlin Event Board will contribute to the further growth of the tourism and MICE industry in the future.
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