25 Years of the Berlin Convention Office: A Chronicle

For 25 years, the Berlin Convention Office at visitBerlin has strengthened Berlin’s position as an international destination for congresses, conferences and business events. Founded in 2001 as the “Tagungen Kongresse Incentives” division at visitBerlin, the department quickly developed into a central platform for event planners, associations and companies worldwide.

Through international networks, strategic partnerships and innovative marketing initiatives, the German capital’s importance in the global MICE industry has grown continuously. Milestones such as top rankings and formats like BESTIVAL reflect this development. The anniversary looks back on 25 years of growth, international congresses and new venues – and ahead to Berlin’s future as an innovative and sustainable congress metropolis.

Berlin’s rise as an international congress metropolis

2001

On 1 July, the Tagungen Kongresse Incentives division is established as a specialist department of Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH (now visitBerlin). The team starts with two members of staff, who handle enquiries from congress organisers and position Berlin as a destination for conferences and congresses. By the end of the year, the team has grown to six members of staff; they begin building a network and join, among others, the German Convention Bureau (GCB) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI). However, the attacks of 11 September lead to a downturn in the industry and present the team with its first challenges.

2002

A congress highlight in 2002 was the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology: more than 20,000 heart specialists took part, making it the largest congress ever held in Berlin at that time. At the same time, the department laid the foundations for measurability and professionalisation: the systematic collection of data for Berlin’s events and congress market enabled well-founded market analysis. The specialist department joined the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), further strengthening its international focus. In parallel, Berlin MICE agencies founded BTM Partneragenturen Berlin e.V. to market the destination jointly with the “Tagungen Kongresse Incentives” division.

2003

The Tempodromopens at Anhalter Bahnhof as a permanent venue – after years as a temporary tent structure, the event location finds a permanent home with space for up to 4,200 guests. In the same year, the team embraces digital communication with the launch of its first dedicated website, www.meet-in-berlin.de. The department also has a personal presence at trade fairs and events in London, Geneva, Biarritz, Brussels and Reykjavik. A major milestone is its participation in the first IMEX Frankfurt, which quickly develops into the leading international trade fair for the meetings and congress sector. The Meeting Guide Berlin, a directory of event suppliers, is published for the first time on CD-ROM.

2004

The congress department had established itself nationally and internationally and was now recognised as a competent point of contact for event organisers. The team presented Berlin at trade fairs and events in London, Florence, Budapest, Edinburgh, Bratislava, Brussels and various cities across the USA. Berlin was also represented for the first time with its own stand at EIBTM in Barcelona. Since then, the city has been present there almost every year. Another strategic focus was now on building closer links with Berlin’s scientific community and medical institutes in order to position the capital specifically for scientific congresses.

2005

The renaming of “Tagungen Kongresse Incentives” to Berlin Convention Office created a clear and internationally understood brand. With the launch of Meeting Place Berlin, a new dedicated event for the congress industry was established together with BTM Partnerhotels e.V. and BTM Partneragenturen e.V., bringing customers and partners together in Berlin. The premiere, opened by Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit at the Olympic Stadium Berlin, was such a success that a “Special Edition” followed as early as November 2005.

Internationalisation: Berlin establishes itself in the global congress market

2006

The Berlin Convention Office continued to grow and established itself as a central, neutral and competent point of contact for an increasing number of partners worldwide. Acquisition activities focused primarily on associations in the medical and scientific fields. For the first time, an email newsletter was introduced specifically for the congress target group. The marketing of the FIFA World Cup in Germany had a very positive effect on the city’s image, particularly with regard to major events.

2007

Meeting Place Berlin was already taking place for the third time and had established itself as a permanent fixture among the Berlin Convention Office’s own events and those of its partner associations. The figures for Berlin’s congress sector continued to develop positively. Business events were becoming increasingly international. At the same time, another trend was becoming clearly apparent: events were being booked at ever shorter notice.

2008

The Berlin Convention Office received the “Pinnacle Award” from the US trade magazine Successful Meetings. The Berlin Convention Office impressed in the “Convention Bureau International” category, among other things through the versatility of its services and the high quality of its customer support. The ICCA XL Workshop 2008 was held in Berlin for the first time – a meeting of the world’s leading congress planners and organisers. The Berlin Convention Office co-hosted the event together with ICCA and ICC Berlin.

2009

The economic crisis changed booking behaviour: customers became more price-conscious without compromising on quality and service. The Berlin Convention Office responded with innovative marketing campaigns. In May, around 100 representatives from the US congress industry experienced Berlin’s musical side: the Staatskapelle Berlin, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, performed a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Berlin Convention Office used the occasion to present Berlin as a congress metropolis. A similar format followed in Brussels, including a reception with the German ambassador and Barenboim. 2009 also marked the start of the partnership with Marketing Challenges International, Inc. (MCIntl), establishing the Berlin Convention Office’s first representation in North America. That same year, www.berlin-green-meetings.de was launched as a new website where Berlin event suppliers could, for the first time, present their environmentally friendly services.

2010

Since the beginning of the year, the Berlin Convention Office has been supported in the UK market by an agency based in London, significantly expanding its marketing support in its most important international market. This year, the Berlin Convention Office is once again represented at numerous industry events around the globe, including in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and several Asian countries. In Germany, the Berlin Convention Office presents itself at the Seminar and Conference Exchanges (STBs), at the German Association Congress in Düsseldorf and, of course, at IMEX in Frankfurt am Main.