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Raising its game

26.05.2008

m&it

The 2006 World Cup host city has produced a number of set pieces to promote its appeal to planners, but will they net more meetings business? Ben Moore reports

It is almost two decades since our television screens were filled with dramatic scenes as democracy campaigners tore down the Berlin Wall in Germany's once divided capital.
The city's history, during the Second World War and subsequently in GDR times, is well documented. Since November 1989 the process of economic and political reconciliation and rebuilding has been both challenging and rewarding as east met west.
In that sense Berlin remains a young destination - a city adapting and playing catch-up - not only to others within Germany, but with Europe's other great capitals.
Staging last year's World Cup Final gave the city a very public chance to showcase itself. The challenge for the Berlin Convention Office (BCO) is to seize the opportunity the World Cup legacy offers. Central to this is a three-year marketing campaign starting this spring, branding Berlin ‘The Trend City', highlighting it as a young and creative city.
At the campaign's centre is a focus on cultural tourism, presenting Berlin as a more varied vehicle for motivational and experience-orientated trips.
"Last year organisers wanted to come earlier in the year, before May or June because hotel prices were high due to the World Cup. But then we had a very strong September and October." explains BCO director of conventions, Heike Mahmoud.
There were times when you couldn't find a hotel room, but the World Cup was of huge benefit to Berlin. It proved we offer high quality and the city is a great place to stage events. It has left a good hospitality legacy for us to appeal to new clients who now know Germany and Berlin can put on a good show.
"During the actual tournament we lost congress business without a doubt, probably two months worth of revenue and bookings. But as soon as the final had been played, it picked up again."
Yet while association business stopped, the city was able to welcome a large number of corporate events and incentives linked to the football, with Sponsors wanting to be in the capital.
Within the past 12 months a number of high profile UK corporate clients have chosen Berlin as their destination, including MasterCard, Deloitte & Touche and Credit Suisse.
In 2006, there were 95.500 events staged - a seven per cent rise on the same period the year before. More than 7.4 million delegates visited the city during this time. And the UK remains the largest single inbound market, accounting for almost 700.000 overnight stays. Current ICCA rankings put Berlin fourth behind Vienna, Singapore and Barcelona.
The UK market is very important to us and the UK is very well connected with Lufthansa and now more low cost carriers," adds Mahmoud.
"Every major hotel chain is here and there is great competition on price as a result. Last year the average room rate was €127.
"But increasingly, the four and five star properties are co-operating to serve the meetings market, particularly for properties close to each other in certain areas of the city, This way larger groups can be accommodated across different hotels but remain close."
Meeting Place Berlin is an annual event allowing buyers to meet the city's suppliers. The hosted event runs for the fourth time between June 14-18 this year. Flights from the UK are being provided by Air Berlin and event organisers and corporate end-users can register to attend through the www.meeting-place-berlin.com website.
Among the messages it will be keen to communicate is that Berlin is working hard to reinforce its reputation as a leading player in the European and global meetings and incentive market.
"We are not looking at ousting other destinations from their positions, we are simply concentrating on improving our own position by providing better service and being innovative," says Mahmoud.

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