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A billion for Berlin

01.04.2005

CIM 04/2005

Berlin is focusing on conferences in 2005. The capital launches new conference statistics and customer events on the market.

Four figures define the Berlin Conference market in 2004: one billion Euros in turnover, 19,800 Jobs, 6.2 million participants and 79,850 conferences, meetings, incentives and events. It is remarkable that the number of participants and events "only" grew by nine respectively ten per-cent, income however by 32 percent. Particularly since delegates spent 161 instead of 132 Euros per day compared to last year. The source for the statistics is the "congress-berlin.net2004". Continually updated online it paints a precise picture:
84 percent of all events took place under the roofs of 152 conference hotels (67,200), twelve percent more than 2003. The hotels were thus able to increase their number of guests by 14 percent to 3.3 million; half of all participants after all. Berlins alternative locations booked with 10,900 events only two percent more, but still 2.2 million persons. The six conference centres have grown considerably, enjoying a plus of seven percent in 1,750 conferences and congresses with 700,000 visitors.
The total of 6.2 million conference guests stayed on average 1.6 days in Berlin and produced 2.95 million accommodations. Not just the hotel industry profits but restaurants, shops, cultural and leisure facilities, as well as transport and equipment providers. "The evaluation of our conference statistics 2004 shows how significantly the sector gives impulses for the Berlin economy," sums up Hanns Peter Nerger. The Managing Director of Berlin Tourism Marketing Ltd., BTM, enthusiastically welcomes that the so-called Round Table on Tourism under the aegis of the mayor will focus on the issue of conferences and congresses in 2005.

Meeting Place Berlin
Not by chance the premiere of "Meeting Place Berlin" will take place from 29 June to 2 July 2005. Hosted by the BTM Partnerhotel Association and the BTM (www.meeting-place-berlin.com). The head of the conferences department Heike Mahmoud explains: "Berlin is so diverse and offers an extraordinarily large choice of conference hotels, conference centres, locations and service providers. It is a MUST to come to the German capital to convince yourself of this. 300 national and international conference organisers from corporations, associations, as well as PCOs are invited.
For them the three day acquaintance with Berlin will begin with the "Meet Professionals Day", when each planner will conduct 20 arranged talks with 125 Berlin providers. Followed by "Meet Facilities Day" with site inspections, rounded off with an experience tour on "Meet Berlin Day". A foretaste will be provided by the opening evening in the Olympic Stadium. BTM head Nerger insists: "We provide interested conference customers with the possibility of discovering the city during the "Meeting Place Berlin" from a very special perspective and to experience the city's unusual diversity."

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