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.

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.

The Tempodrom opens 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.

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.

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.

The Berlin Convention Office records rapid growth: the number of events it supports rises from 30 in the previous year to 69 conferences and congresses. In summer, Meeting Place Berlin once again takes place as its most important and successful own event. More than 130 hosted buyers attend. In October, Berlin presents itself for the first time at the newly launched IMEX America in Las Vegas, which, with more than 2,000 hosted buyers and 1,800 exhibitors from 147 countries, immediately becomes the leading trade fair in the USA.

In May, the Berlin Convention Office became a member of the BestCities Global Alliance, a network of leading congress destinations, further strengthening its international position in the association congress sector. This membership enabled more intensive global outreach to clients, including through workshops and events in Europe, Asia and North America. IMEX in Frankfurt celebrated its tenth anniversary – and the Berlin Convention Office celebrated alongside it as an exhibitor.

With its Science Initiative, the Berlin Convention Office launched a new strategic project. The aim was to build a network with the associations, institutions and universities based in Berlin and to expand its service offering specifically for this target group. In November, the Berlin Convention Office’s eighth Germany roadshow was already taking place. In workshops, customers from companies, associations and agencies worked together with Berlin exhibitors to design “their Berlin”. In 2013, the Berlin Convention Office also focused on a very special customer event: #spinwithBerlin – a roadshow by bicycle from Leeds to London.

With the opening of CityCube, the German capital gained a venue that underlined Berlin’s growing importance as a congress destination. The year was also shaped by the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall: the Berlin Convention Office invited customers for major congresses to Berlin to celebrate this historic event and to show how the city had developed since reunification. Outreach took place through trade fairs, the ICCA International Destination Workshop, as well as customer events and roadshows in Germany, the UK and Brazil. Networking with leading figures from the scientific community, universities and research institutions was also expanded further.

Estrel opens another convention hall for 5,000 people. This increases the event space to 25,000 sqm, making Berlin even more attractive for major events and international congresses. Through the GCB German Convention Bureau, the Berlin Convention Office is represented in China by a local representative office. In summer, the BestCities Client Workshop takes place in Berlin, where international association representatives get to know the destination and its scientific networks. There are also organisational changes: BTM Partneragenturen Berlin e.V. becomes visitBerlin Convention Partner e.V., bringing MICE suppliers together under one roof and strengthening collaboration with the Berlin Convention Office.

Following the pandemic-related standstill, and with support from the restart programme of the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, the Berlin Convention Office initiated the restart of the congress and conference industry. In autumn, the team toured German cities to present the capital as a safe, sustainable and innovative destination. In November, the business festival BESTIVAL celebrated its premiere. During this in-house event, more than 300 guests from the MICE and travel industry experienced tours focusing on innovation, MICE and travel trade. The Congress Fund Berlin, relaunched in April, provided targeted support to the conference and congress industry during the restart.

This year, too, is shaped by the restart. To support this, Berlin launches a wide-ranging programme: global marketing campaigns, a MICE acquisition task force to attract new events, the second BESTIVAL with 800 participants, and the extension of the Congress Fund Berlin. Berlin Meeting Campus is also introduced as a format that brings together venues and conference hotels within one neighbourhood as a single location. Following an initial prototype, five new Berlin Meeting Campus locations are established in 2022. visitBerlin Convention Partner e.V. also evolves into Berlin Event Network e.V. (BEN). The aim is to firmly anchor the association within the city’s events industry.

In 2023, BESTIVALgrows into the largest business festival in the event and tourism industry: more than 1,000 guests in Berlin attend the Berlin Convention Office’s event. The MICE acquisition taskforce continues its work, focusing on attracting congresses and events. The innovative venue offering BBerlin Meeting Campus is expanded to include five additional neighbourhoods.

With the BESTIVAL Masterclasses, the Berlin Convention Office offers a platform for practice-oriented workshops and talks. Between July and December, three masterclasses for event organisers take place, underlining Berlin’s position as a pioneer in the MICE industry. The MICE acquisition taskforce focuses on the core markets of the United Kingdom, Spain, France and the USA. Through local representations, meetings and presentations at trade fairs such as IMEX Frankfurt and IBTM World in Barcelona, numerous new leads are generated.

BESTIVAL consolidates its position as the world’s largest showcase event hosted by a destination, bringing together more than 600 participants in Berlin. In May, the new Berlin Impact Programm is launched at IMEX Frankfurt to support event organisers in creating sustainable added value through business events. The establishment of the Berlin Event Board  also creates a strategic body for the further development of Berlin as an event destination, coordinating citywide bids for major B2C and B2B events. One outstanding success this year: Berlin hosts the ESMO Congress 2025 (European Society for Medical Oncology), which, with 37,000 participants, ranks among the world’s largest medical congresses.