BESTIVAL 2025: Berlin as a Leading Congress Metropolis

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Berlin, 3 July 2025 Today marks the opening of BESTIVAL 2025, Berlin’s international business festival for the event industry, hosted at the Alte Münze. More than 500 event professionals from across Europe –including many from Germany – and 40 speakers are gathering at the invitation of the Berlin Convention Office of visitBerlin to exchange ideas over two days on creative solutions, strategies and sustainable event concepts. At the same time, the event invites participants to experience Berlin as a Venue - a place where new ideas for the future of the event world are developed collaboratively, with a special focus on “Innovation”, “Sustainability” and “Community”. Through BESTIVAL, Berlin positions itself as a leading metropolis for sustainable, inclusive and innovative large-scale events in the international MICE industry.

Official Opening at Alte Münze

The industry event was officially opened this morning by visitBerlin’s management team, Sabine Wendt and Burkhard Kieker, together with Michael Biel, State Secretary at the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. In their welcome addresses, they highlighted Berlin’s role as a major congress and event metropolis.

Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin, commented: “Berlin is one of Europe’s leading event metropolises. People from around the world are drawn here to share the latest research, innovative ideas and emerging trends. Berlin offers the perfect setting for this—as we are showcasing at BESTIVAL.” 

Sabine Wendt, Managing Director of visitBerlin, added: “This is where we showcase Berlin’s vision for events—sustainable, diverse and community-driven. Our city is both a stage and a laboratory.” 

The political welcome was delivered by Michael Biel, State Secretary for Economics of the State of Berlin. He emphasised: “I’m delighted that BESTIVAL is once again bringing together a wide range of players from the MICE industry here in Berlin, giving them the opportunity to discuss the latest trends and topics in this dynamic congress and tourism destination. It’s also a chance for them to get to know all that our city has to offer. From clubs to high culture, from congresses to kayaking – Berlin’s incredible diversity attracted around 12.7 million visitors from around the world in 2024. With BESTIVAL, we are showcasing Berlin as the perfect home for an innovative and Sustainable Berlin congress and events sector.”

Keynote „Unbreakable“ - Resilience in Times of Crisis

BESTIVAL attendees can look forward to a two-day programme of panel talks, workshops, networking opportunities and site inspections. A highlight of the first day is the keynote "Unbreakable – How the Ukrainian Tourism Industry Redefines Resilience in Times of Crisis”, delivered by Ukrainian tourism expert Mariana Oleskiv, focusing on the resilience and adaptability of Ukraine’s event sector in times of crisis.

This is followed by keynote contributions on the core themes of BESTIVAL: Dr Prateep Beed, scientist and Managing Director of neuro360, explores the links between neuroscience and disruptive thinking, encouraging a rethink of innovation processes. Emiko Gejic, spokesperson for the Clubcommission Berlin, highlights the societal impact of culture and community, calling for the co-creation of inclusive event formats. Franziska Lienert, Project Lead for Sustainable Berlin at visitBerlin, outlines how the BESTIVAL sustainability programme actively contributes to transforming the event industry.

Across ten talks and workshops, speakers such as Sarah-Maria Ameler (EUREF-Campus), Orly Goldenberg (Bitkom), Amira Gutmann-Trieb (Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie), Dr Paulina Hübner (Kulturprojekte Berlin), Alexandra Laubrinus and Michael Hetzinger (both Berlin Food Week), Dr Yolanda Rother (The Impact Company) and Maxim Streletzki (Estrel Berlin) offer new perspectives on the future of the events sector.

Young Talents Programme – A Platform for the Future

The new Young Talents Programme offers emerging professionals in the event industry a platform for growth and networking. The next generation gains exclusive behind-the-scenes insights, benefits from mentoring schemes and joins in creative exchanges. The festival becomes not only a source of inspiration but also a career launchpad—demonstrating that Berlin’s MICE industry is not only thriving today but also well positioned for the future.

Sustainability by Design

As a sustainable destination, Berlin is setting new standards with BESTIVAL. The event follows the internationally recognised “Sustainable Berlin” guidelines by visitBerlin and, following ISO 20121:2024 certification in 2023, will undergo a renewed audit. One key objective is to reduce CO₂ emissions per person by ten percent compared to 2023. This will be achieved through vegetarian catering with regional ingredients, sustainable transport solutions, responsible sourcing of eco-friendly materials and reuse of existing furniture at selected locations.

BESTIVAL is organised by visitBerlin in cooperation with industry associations visitBerlin Partnerhotels and BEN Berlin Event Network, with support from the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises. TMB Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg is also represented at the MICE festival in Berlin.

Further information: www.bestival.berlin (http://www.bestival.berlin/)

More on Berlin as a congress location: convention.visitBerlin.de (https://convention.visitberlin.de/meetingguideberlin/locations/gls-campus-berlin-hotel-oderberger)