Berlin, 18 February 2015 According to the latest statistics* of the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office, last year saw some 11 million participants (+3% over the previous year) coming to more than 131,000 events (+4%) held in the German capital.

“Berlin can look back at 2014 as its most successful year for conferences and meetings yet, with an average of 360 events and 30,000 participants each day. The German capital continues to position itself as one of the world’s top destinations for meetings and conventions,” says Heike Mahmoud, Director of Conventions at the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office.

For the first time ever, the city’s conferences generated more than seven million hotel stays (+4.5%), representing approximately a quarter of all hotel stays in Berlin. The meetings industry has grown to become a reliable planning factor for Berlin’s hotels and overall economy.

Berlin impresses as science location

The German capital is especially in demand for events related to the sciences: Measured by the number of participants, meetings and conferences related to science and research represented 15 per cent of the total in 2014 (up from 14% in 2013), followed by politics and public bodies (12%). 2.1 million participants came from abroad, meaning one in five participants at events in the city came from outside Germany.

Major economic engine for Berlin: Berlin’s meeting and convention industry generated €2.2 billion in 2014 (up 9% over 2013) and is responsible for approximately 38,000 full-time jobs in the German capital. Conference attendees spend an average of €232 a day when visiting the city.

More information about Berlin as a meeting destination: convention.visitBerlin.com.

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