Press release Berlin secures international medical congress: 5,000 cardio-thoracic specialists to come to Berlin in 2027

• Berlin will welcome one of the world’s leading congresses for cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery when the EACTS Annual Meeting comes to the city in October 2027
• Joint business development success for visitBerlin and Messe Berlin
• Conference bolsters Berlin’s position as an international centre for medicine and science

Berlin, 13 October 2026 Around 5,000 medical professionals, scientists and representatives of the medical technology industry from around the world will travel to Berlin in 2027 for the Annual Meeting of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS). The international medical congress will take place from 6 to 9 October 2027 at CityCube Berlin. Berlin secured the event with a successful joint bid by the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office and Messe Berlin.

The EACTS Annual Meeting is one of the world's leading international congresses for cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery. The programme focuses on the latest scientific findings, innovative treatment methods and current developments in medical care. Berlin offers ideal conditions for such an event: with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German Heart Center of Charité, more than 150 hospitals providing around 35,000 beds, and 40 universities and research institutions, the city boasts a strong scientific and medical ecosystem. This makes the German capital one of the world's internationally connected centres for medicine, research and the healthcare industry.

"The fact that the EACTS Annual Meeting 2027 is coming to Berlin for the first time is something very special – both for me personally and for all of us at the German Heart Center of Charité. EACTS thrives on international exchange: discussing new scientific findings together, learning from one another and bringing innovations into clinical practice for the benefit of our patients as quickly as possible. This open, international spirit is a perfect fit for Berlin. I very much look forward to welcoming colleagues from around the world to our city," says Professor Volkmar Falk, EACTS Past President and Medical Director of the German Heart Center of Charité.

"Medical congresses have traditionally played a particularly important role at Messe Berlin. We are therefore all the more delighted to welcome another prestigious international medical congress to CityCube Berlin with the EACTS Annual Meeting 2027. Securing this event is a joint success with visitBerlin and underlines Berlin's strength as a destination for medical congresses," says Dr Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin.

"The news that 5,000 renowned medical professionals will be coming to Berlin is fantastic for our city. Securing the EACTS Annual Meeting demonstrates Berlin's strengths: world-class medicine, strong networks and the infrastructure needed to bring people together from across the globe. It is precisely these encounters that generate new ideas, partnerships and opportunities that will benefit Berlin in the long term," says Sabine Wendt, Managing Director of visitBerlin.

The event will also benefit Berlin's economy. Business event delegates spend an average of around €350 per day during their stay. International congresses therefore generate additional demand for hotels, restaurants, retailers, transport providers and other service industries. At the same time, they raise Berlin's international profile as a centre for science and business.

Securing the EACTS Annual Meeting marks another successful bid for the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office, which works with its partners to attract international congresses, conferences and association events to the German capital. Berlin is one of Europe's leading congress destinations, particularly in the fields of health and medicine. This is also reflected in the latest congress statistics: science and research (14 per cent) and health and medicine (13 per cent) are among the strongest sectors represented by congress delegates in Berlin.

Berlin regularly hosts major international medical events. In 2026, the city's event calendar includes the World Health Summit, the German Congress of Orthopaedics and Traumatology and Neuro Week, featuring the Annual Congress of the German Society of Neurology. The German Society of Neurology, Europe's largest and the world's second-largest professional neurological association, will hold its 100th congress at CityCube Berlin. This momentum will continue in 2027, when the German capital once again welcomes international experts from medicine, science and research for the EACTS Annual Meeting, the EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology and the World Conference on Veterinary Parasitology.

Since 2001, the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office has promoted Berlin internationally as a leading destination for major events, congresses and business events. It also provides independent, free-of-charge support to event planners organising congresses, conferences and business events in Berlin. As the official point of contact for the State of Berlin, the team offers advice and assistance with bidding for, planning and delivering events, facilitates relevant contacts and connects organisers with partners from the hotel and event venue sectors, academia, business and politics.