Berlin - top choice for international conventions

Berlin is ranked 4th in the recent international ICCA city ranking with a total of 176 association events. Therefore Berlin is one of the top 5 cities for international associations congresses worldwide for the past 10 years. Overall, 137,500 events were held in Berlin (+ 1,8% compared to the previous year – and almost 50% more than in 2001!). The roughly 11,6 million participants (+ 1,8 %) made up a quarter of all the overnight stays in the capital (7,7 million overnights). Compared to the past 10 years average this represents an increase of 72 %.

It is thus no wonder that the hotel industry is booming: the development around the Zoo station is particularly interesting. Following the Bikinihaus, Berlins first Concept Mall, and C/O-Berlin projects, the “Upper West” project now aims to further enhance the City West area. A new 119-metre-high skyscraper opened by mid-2017 will furnish about 582 new hotel rooms. A further 1,100 rooms are being built around the Ostbahnhof in Friedrichshain and building work is also going on in Mitte. The new players are positioning themselves on the market with fine restaurants and bars as well as attractive fitness facilities.

With so much new overnight accommodation, the capital is better positioned than ever before for the upcoming event year: the International Tourism Fair, the International Radio Exhibition, Fashion Week, and International Green Week are among the attractions – as is the case each year. In addition to many cultural highlights – above all the International Film Festival Berlinale and the Carnival of Cultures – the German Protestant Church Festival is also coming to Berlin to mark the Reformation anniversary on 31st of october 2017.

Want to learn more about Berlin as a destination for international congresses? Our PR Kit provides the latest congress press releases and various Berlin specific reasearch texts prepared for journalists.