Published on 01.03.2024
"Kongressfonds Berlin” extended until end of 2025 as fund for sustainable events. Applications open online from March 1, 2024. 2023: 180 events, 143,500 participants, 50% on sustainability.
Berlin, 1 March 2024 The successful "Kongressfonds Berlin" has been extended until 2025. From 1 March 2024, the fund will support sustainable and innovative events in the German capital. The aim is to strengthen the meetings and conference sector while raising awareness about the responsible use of resources. Eligible for funding are sustainably planned meetings and conferences in Berlin that target a specialist audience, last at least four hours and involve a minimum of 50 in-person participants. Support is also available for events that are held across multiple locations in Berlin or offered in hybrid formats. Applications can be submitted online from 1 March 2024 at ibb.de/de/foerderprogramme/kongressfonds-fuer-nachhaltiges-tagen.html.
Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey welcomes the extension of the fund and its increased emphasis on sustainable event planning.
Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises: "Berlin is a congress capital! This sector made a strong comeback last year. Our city is once again attracting events and guests from all over the world. Through the Kongressfonds, we gave this recovery a targeted boost following the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023, we were able to support a total of 180 events involving more than 143,000 participants with 5.2 million Euro. That’s money well spent, as a thriving trade fair and conference sector is a key economic factor for Berlin. It secures tens of thousands of jobs and generates substantial returns for the city. By extending this successful funding programme, we’re sending a clear message: we want to make the sector resilient and future-ready. At the same time, we’re prioritising sustainability in our funding approach."
Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin: "With the continuation of the Kongressfonds, Berlin can remain competitive on the international stage for conferences and meetings – an important signal for the industry."
Dr Hinrich Holm, Chair of the Executive Board at Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB): "Congress tourism has significant economic value. While the average Berlin visitor spends 69 Euro, trade fair and conference guests spend 260 Euro in our city. Conferences create and safeguard jobs."
The 2023 results were positive: the "Kongressfonds Berlin" supported 180 events with a total volume of 5.2 million Euro. This enabled funding for 143,476 in-person participants.
Many organisers placed greater emphasis on sustainable business events: over 47 per cent of the events supported by the "Kongressfonds Berlin" in the past year met sustainability criteria – up from 43 per cent the previous year. In total, event planners received up to 99,950 Euro in funding per event in Berlin.
Since 2023, the funding has come from the REACT funds of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF); from 2024, it will switch to state funding. The Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) has been commissioned by the Berlin Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises to manage the programme. The Kongressfonds Berlin was initially launched in April 2021 by the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises.
Congress tourism plays a vital role in Berlin. The city ranks among the top meeting destinations worldwide and has consistently been in the global top five for over a decade (ICCA statistics). While the average hotel guest spends 173.50 Euro (visitBerlin study "Tourism Satellite Account by DIW Econ"), trade fair and conference attendees spend around 260 Euro per day in our city (IBB study on the economic impact of Berlin as a trade fair and congress location, December 2022). Major congresses generate substantial financial benefits for Berlin – for example, a single event with 17,000 participants brings in 23.6 million Euro in revenue for the city.
visitBerlin will be hosting an expert chat for tourism partners on 26 March 2024 via the E-Learning platform TourismusHub.
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