Meetings made in Germany 2-2009 by GCB German Convention Bureau

The Magazine of the GERMAN CONVENTION BUREAU

English Edition 2 / 2009

The ART of Meetings made in Germany Meetings in an industrial ambience

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall Outlook

What you should know for 2015

www.germany-meetings.com

Boundless Pleasure

Great places for great conventions.

Seven Cities - Seven Centers - Seven Years of Cooperation. The seven innovative centers are based in some of Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s most attractive and fascinating destinations. Our congress organizers are guaranteed the prime conditions to make an event of any size a resounding success. GERMANY. The convention destination No. 1 in Europe.

Stefanie Demuth Office Management SevenCenters of Germany

Phone: +49 (0)2 11 / 45 60 - 84 98 Fax: +49 (0)2 11 / 45 60 - 87 84 98 info@sevencenters.de www.sevencenters.de

Messe Frankfurt Venue

EDITORIAL

Dear Readers, Do you believe that the future of our industry lies in “virtual meetings”? Do you believe that communications by video, Skype or telephone will partly replace face-to-face conventions - be it to save costs or protect the environment? If your answer is yes then I strongly disagree with you!

On http://blog-en.germanymeetings.com you can read what we, the German Convention Bureau (GCB), consider to be an ideal mix. We now have our own blog where we will keep you up-to-date on the latest news, developments and offerings from Germany’s meetings and conventions industry.

Boundless Joy: german_convention 2.0 We admit that the whole world seems to be blogging and twittering, skyping and networking. But this kind of communication and networking will remain far more inferior to meetings involving real live people. What it lacks are emotions and all associated with them – smelling, feeling and tasting. I am convinced that a correct mix of virtual and real life, of pure information on the one hand and face-to-face communication on the other, will be crucial for the successful future of the MICE business.

We have also introduced another new feature: a CO2 Calculator. On http:// gcb.co2ol.de meeting and event planners will be able to calculate the carbon footprint of their next event. In addition, our partner CO2OL from Bonn offers practical advice on how to reduce and offset carbon emissions. Our goal is also to make Germany a pioneer destination for climate-neutral events. As you can see, we are communicating on all channels! Also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ GCB_Germany. Of course, we want

you to be one of our “followers” – and not only in the digital world. So come along and see for yourself that real live meetings, incentives or events are by no means obsolete. What about a little industrial history tour in the Ruhr Area? A total of 53 towns and cities will breathe new cultural life into the legendary age of coal and steel as the European Culture Capital Ruhr 2010. Or how about organising a team-building event in the former restricted zone along the old innerGerman border? And all in the flesh! I look forward to seeing you soon, Yours sincerely,

Lutz P.Vogt Managing Director GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.

CONTENT

The Magazine of the GERMAN CONVENTION BUREAU

English Edition 2 / 2009

10 18 21 22 23 34

NEWS - Destinations NEWS - Hotels NEWS - Locations NEWS - Agencies NEWS - Service Providers NEWS - Transport

The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall

GCB Editorial GCB Focus Members CO2 Calculator for climate-friendly events The GCB is blogging and twittering! This is where you will find the GCB in 2009/10

03 06 08 09 10

The ART of Meetings made in Germany Meetings in an industrial ambience European Culture Capital: RUHR.2010

Boundless Pleasure “A glimpse of Germany“

24 28

Outlook – What you should know for 2015

Convention Planning

Congress Destination Germany

Publisher German Convention Bureau

GCB Branch Office North America

Münchener Str. 48 60329 Frankfurt/Main, Germany Tel. +49 69 242 930- 0 Fax +49 69 242 930- 26 E-Mail info@gcb.de www.gcb.de

122 East 42nd Street, Suite 2000 New York, NY 10168-0072, USA Tel. +1 212 661 4582 Fax +1 212 661 6192 E-Mail gcbny@gcb.de www.germany-meetings.com

Printed on paper from sustainable forestry (Amber Graphic, FSC certified)

Editorial Staff: GCB German Convention Bureau e. V. Featured Writers in this issue: GCB, Anke Pedersen, projekt2508, Michael Wiegel, Stefan C. Werner Translation: Alison Dobson-Ottmers, Proof reading: Dr. Patrick Patridge, Layout: Sven Steglich Title: UNESCO Weltkulturerbe Zeche Zollverein, Foto: Reinicke/StandOut.de Pictures: p. 8: © Thomas Northcut, www.gettyimages.com; p. 14: photo: Peter Wieler; p. 16: Jahrhunderthalle Bochum, photo: Jahrhunderthalle; Dortmunder U, photo: Lutz Kampert; Landschaftspark Nord-Duisburg, photo: Manfred Vollmer; p. 17: Gasometer Oberhausen HOCHKANT! © Ruhr Tourismus / Jochen Schlutius; p. 24: photographer: Jan Jerabek and photo: Kulturprojekte Berlin; p. 25: photo: Rainer Kiedrowski; p. 26: photo: Pierre Adenis; p. 28: Regierungsviertel Berlin: Gianluca Santoni; Brandenburger Tor Berlin: Irisz Lukacs; Brandenburger Tor Berlin: Eduardo Grund; p. 30: Future © Mikhail Nekrasov Fotolia.com; p. 35: Kurfürstliches Schloss Mainz Frequency: Biannual The GCB is supported by: Strategic Partners: German National Tourist Board, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Deutsche Bahn AG, IMEX - incorporating Meetings made in Germany; Preferred Partners: Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH, Maritim Hotels and darmstadtium wissenschaft | kongresse

GCB

Four meetings and conventions providers enjoy benefits as GCB Focus Members n Returners confirm GCB concept

n 2009 the German Convention Bureau e.V. (GCB) is offering companies in the meeting, incentive, congress and event (MICE) business a stage to present themselves and their offerings: this year’s GCB Focus Members include the Berlin Convention Office (BCO), The Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark, m:con - mannheim:congress GmbH, and once again the MCI Deutschland GmbH group. An extraordinary variety of locations and venues, one of Europe’s most cutting-edge hotel landscapes with approx. 100,000 hotel beds and six convention centres and halls alone – these are just some of the facts and figures that confirm Berlin’s top position as an international meeting and congress destination. The Berlin Convention Office (BCO) - run by Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH - officially represents the German capital in the meetings, conventions, corporate events and incentives sector. Since 2001 the BCO has promoted Berlin both nationally and internationally as a destination for conventions, meetings and incentives of all kinds. Event planners will find competent support there. They can benefit from a wide network of contacts and free arrangement and booking of hotel allotments. The BCO’s services include organising site inspections, social and fringe programmes, pre- and postconvention tours and incentives. In

addition, BCO staff inform about culinary and cultural highlights in the capital. The Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark attaches great importance to an elegant ambience to ensure a relaxing stay in is 627 rooms – including 28 suites. Moreover, the exclusive Executive Club Lounge on the 23rd floor, several restaurants and bars and the 1,500-sqm Arabella Spa offer guests a pampering experience. The three conference floors with 21 room variants, generous foyers for the breaks and a green courtyard are suitable for a wide variety of events: from small meetings with five attendees through annual general meetings to balls with over 1,000 guests. The 1,200-sqm ballroom is the largest in Munich and has a fixed stage, several balconies, a generous foyer with a separate entrance and state-of-the-art technology. The five elegant “smart meeting rooms” offer innovative business equipment: Besides DVD, CD and video players guests have access at their seat to analogue and digital connections as well as a power socket and RGB connectors. So-called white boards on the walls can be used as writeable flip charts or touch screens for presentations. m:con Congress Centre Rosengarten, in the heart of Mannheim, is one of Europe’s

foremost convention centres and – thanks to capacities for more than 500 delegates – one of the five largest in Germany. 22,000 square metres of meeting and exhibition space, natural daylight-filled seminar rooms, state-of-the-art glass architecture and expanded, modular rooms, plus ideal transport connections, make this a highly attractive prime location. Thanks to its three-pillar concept Mannheim’s Rosengarten will ensure the success of any kind of event. As a space and congress management provider, professional congress organiser (PCO) and professional media technology partner, m:con offers great freedom for the realisation of all customer requirements. The global MCI group is now a Focus Member for the third time

GCB

running, after 2007 and 2008. MCI Deutschland’s over 40 multilingual staff members support customers in congress and event management and contribute their knowhow to planning staff meetings with several hundred attendees, organising scientific world congresses with thousands of delegates or presentations of brand products. In addition, MCI advises event venues and destinations on green issues. MCI’s local know-how in Germany with subsidiaries in Berlin and Stuttgart is supported by the expertise of over 750 further staff members in 35 branch offices worldwide.

have already opted for this additional marketing tool several times and view it as real added value.” www.gcb.de

Lutz P.Vogt, managing director of the GCB: “Our Focus Members concept is well-established: This is proven by the fact that several GCB members

explore a new passion

In May the ArabellaSheraton Grand Hotel turned into The Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark Experience a place where you can be at your best. Get the appropriate suggestion for your event. The modern triple-level conference area with 20 room variations can accommodate up to 1,250 people. The ballroom, one of the biggest in Munich, offers 10.76 sqft. In conjunction with the Sheraton Munich Arabellapark Hotel opposite, the hotels offer a large conference center with 33 meeting rooms and 1,073 guest rooms.

This is how it should feel.®

Indulge your mind, body and spirit, after your successful meeting the Arabella Spa offers on 1,500 m2 the ultimate in relaxation. Be inspired – in 2010 you can revitalize in our new Westin Executive Club Lounge on the 23rd floor – unique. The Westin Grand Munich Arabellapark – experience renewal

the westin grand munich arabellapark arabellastrasse 6, 81925 munich, germany t +49.(0)89.9264.0 f +49.(0)89.9264.8699 westin.grand.muenchen@arabellastarwood.com westin.com/muenchen

GCB

CO2OL and German Convention Bureau launch CO2 Calculator for climate-friendly events

n GCB and CO2OL: Together for

climate-friendly meetings and events Lutz P.Vogt, Managing Director of the GCB: "Germany has the best chances to establish itself world-wide among the leading destinations for green events. Not only the German government is setting standards in environmental protection and energy efficiency world-wide – German convention centres and meeting hotels are also among the international pioneers."

n For green meetings in Germany

CO2OL, the solutions provider for climate-friendly meetings and events, and the German Convention Bureau (GCB) are launching a calculator that identifies the carbon footprint of conventions, meetings and events. You will find a link to the CO2 Calculator http://gcb.co2ol.de on the GCB’s website www.gcb.de where it can be used by all meeting and event planners to calculate the CO2 emissions and climate impact of their events. Apart from calculating carbon footprints, CO2OL offers detailed advice on how to reduce CO2 emissions. Unavoidable remaining emissions can be offset by certified climate protection projects in order to make your event “climate-neutral”.

The public discussion focuses more and more on meeting and event organisers. Due to climate change it is increasingly important for events to go green.

footprints. Carbon emissions that cannot be minimised may be offset with the assistance of CO2OL. "Among other things, the aim of our partnership with the GCB is to strengthen awareness of climatefriendly events,“ points out Dirk Walterspacher, CO2OL division manager with the Bonn-based ForestFinance Group. "By sharing knowledge with the GCB and its members we can offer them advice thanks to our long experience. In addition, we help meeting and event planners to make their events climate-neutral." www.germany-meetings.com/ green-meetings

Many organisers already use CO2OL services for advice on the calculation and minimisation of their carbon

n CO2OL CO2OL has been working for many companies and organisations for over ten years as a successful solution provider of climate-friendly products and events. For example, CO2OL is the partner of LeasePlan, the world’s largest vehicle leasing company, of A.S.S. Concert & Promotion, the Hamburg-based concert organiser, and marbet, one of Germany’s largest event agencies. Moreover, the climate protection experts recently rendered the GreenMeetings conference climate-neutral and supported the UN in this year’s IHDP Open Meeting Science

Conference. The “Green Mobility” tool is the latest project offering event participants a platform on everything related to green mobility. It recently appeared on the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships berlin 2009TM website. For the last twelve years CO2OL has offered advice on practical climate protection for hundreds of events and made them climate-neutral: including the Live Earth concert in Hamburg and tours of pop-bands “Die Ärzte” and “Juli”.

GCB

The GCB is blogging and twittering! n

News from the world of meetings and conventions have found new space on the World Wide Web

he GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. has two new offers on the World Wide Web: From now on you will find the latest news from the German meetings and conventions industry in the GCB blog at http:// blog.germany-meetings.com.

In addition to blog, RSS and newsletter meeting planners now have an opportunity to receive the latest industry news via Twitter. Just follow the GCB at http://twitter.com/GCB_Germany! www.germany-meetings.com

The blog is updated regularly with news from German meetings organisers. And you can access older news categorised by event venues in the archives - hotels, convention centres and special locations – and sections such as “green meetings”, “incentives” and “offers”. You may also subscribe to GCB blog news as an RSS feed. The online newsletter will continue to be sent once a month featuring the most important news and a link to the new blog.

Your Partner

CONGRESS & INCENTIVE GmbH

n Links at a glance: • GCB Newsblog: http://blog-en.germany-meetings.com • Twitter: http://twitter.com/GCB_Germany • Internet: www.gcb.de Of course, you will find links to the blog and Twitter pages on the GCB’s website www.gcb.de, so you only need to remember one!

in Berlin

in Germany

M EETINGS

I NCENTIVES

C ONVENTIONS

Alt Friedrichsfelde 11 D-10315 Berlin

info@mr-congress.com www.mr-congress.com

Tel.: +49.30.44 35 06 - 0 Fax: +49.30.44 35 06 20

Worldwide

E VENTS

GCB / NEWS - DESTINATIONS

This is where you will find the GCB in 2009 /10

Trade fair/ specialist event

Webseite

Place

Datum

EIBTM

www.eibtm.com

Barcelona

01-03 December 2009

Annual PCMA conference

http://pcma2010.org/

Dallas

10-13 January 2010

International Confex

www.international-confex.com

London

23-25 February 2010

Successful Meetings University

www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/ events/marketplace.jsp

New York City

21-23 March 2010

Meedex

www.meedex.fr

Paris

24-25 March 2010

imex-incorporating Meetings made in Germany

www.imex-frankfurt.de

Frankfurt a. M.

25-27 May 2010

MPI WEC

www.mpiweb.org/events

Vancouver

24-28 July 2010

Trailblazers Incentive Market

www.trailblazers-info.com

Genf

13-16 August 2010

Incentive Works

www.meetingscanada.com/incentiveworks

Toronto

24-25 August 2010

EIBTM

www.eibtm.com

Barcelona

30 November - 02 December 2010

n■ Hop-on hop-off bus now also

in Frankfurt am Main

the bus will also take visitors to the Palmengarten, Senckenberg Museum or Frankfurt Trade Fair. From the top deck of the red double-decker bus, decorated with motifs of Frankfurt, guests can see the city from a completely new angle. www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

together with their conference documents and meeting folder. www.frankfurt-tourismus.de n■ DüsseldorfCongress – new website

n■ Frankfurt Congress Ticket

now also available as a two-day ticket Already long-established in other metropolitan cities world-wide, this service has now at last reached Frankfurt on Main: Since May 2009 visitors to the Main metropolis have been able to explore the city on an original double-decker bus and hop on and off at the most interesting tourist spots as often as they like. In addition to central highlights like the main station, Römerberg, Museum Embankment and Alt-Sachsenhausen,

In addition to the well-established 1-day ticket the Frankfurt Congress Ticket is now also available in a two-day version. In a handy cheque card format, the Congress Ticket is an extra service for all meeting and convention delegates in the Main metropolis and saves them the need to find a ticket machine. The ticket is available only to meeting and convention organisers and must be bought in advance so that it can be handed to attendees

DüsseldorfCongress Veranstaltungsgesellschaft mbH now presents itself on www. duesseldorfcongress.de in a new and virtual look. Over the past few months the company has given its website and contents a complete make-over.

NEWS - DESTINATIONS

The result is impressive: Apart from an ultramodern design the new website also offers a targeted and extended range of information. Meeting organisers, concert agencies, companies and associations, members of the press and attendees of individual events will find all the information they require here. www.duesseldorfcongress.de

n■ Stuttgart Meeting Guide turns 15

n■ Cologne made easy for event planners

Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB) presented itself at IMEX 2009 for the first time with a new website, detailed convention guide and a wide range of services. All the advantages of this attractive meetings destination are featured on www.conventioncologne.de. An integrated meeting planner enables customers to find suitable solutions

Meeting Germany_dtsch_engl 210x140 2950

for their events online. Information on individual venues and service partners can simply be stored or printed as a PDF file. With this tool the CCB is a pioneer among German convention bureaux. www.conventioncologne.de

28.08.2009

9:29 Uhr

Seite 2

With new offers in its brand new Meeting Guide for 2009/2010, the region of Stuttgart once again emphasises its importance as a mobility location: Opened in late January, the Porsche Museum provides an all-out Porsche experience with attractive

Heritage and innovation, exciting interactive exhibitions and outstanding venues. Perfect for conferences, seminars and events of any size.

BTZ BREMER TOURISTIK-ZENTRALE

Conference and Event Management Service Findorffstrasse 105 · 28215 Bremen, Germany Contact: Andrea Hess

Tel.: +49 (0)421 3080 016 Email: btz-kongress@bremen-tourism.de Website: www.bremen-kongress.de

NEWS - DESTINATIONS

offerings for events with up to 300 attendees. And at the listed site of the former airport in Böblingen Meilenwerk Stuttgart has all kinds of extraordinary car-themed services including the Hall of Legends for up to 800 people since September 2009. Stuttgart’s Wine Region is full of attractive options for a relaxing end to a long day at the trade fair or convention with new wine cellar and vineyard tours. And the Culture Region will open even more museum doors for social programmes in an exclusive setting. www.stuttgart-tourist.de ■■ Congress region Stuttgart: Creativity World Forum makes its debut in Germany this December

In the European Year of Creativity and Innovation the Stuttgart Region will host the Creativity World Forum 2009. From 30th November to 3rd December 2009 the international forum will offer a comprehensive programme in the metropolitan region on the subject of Creative Industries as a Location Factor. The core of the forum will be a two-day congress from 1st to 2nd December 2009 in the creative location of Ludwigsburg with wellknown international speakers, trade conferences and expert forums as well as a co-operation fair for approximately 1,500 expected attendees. There will also be shows from the worlds of music, film and theatre plus an accompanying exhibition to highlight the variety of Baden-Württemberg’s creative scene. And a political kick-off programme for the international delegations of the Districts of Creativity in cooperation with the federal state capital of Stuttgart is planned for 30th November 2009. www.stuttgart-tourist.de

■■ Full hotel beds and priceless

publicity

The 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin came to a successful close. “With an enthusiastic mood in the Olympic stadium and a fantastic atmosphere in the entire city Berlin proved to be an excellent host,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH (BTM). “The city was full, hotels well booked. Many guests decided spontaneously to attend the event in the last few days.“ Around 400,000 persons came to see the competitions in Berlin’s Olympic stadium, while street tournaments at the weekends attracted around 1.3 million spectators. The publicity generated by the world athletics championships for the German capital was priceless. Over 3,500 media representatives reported from Berlin for nine days, their images reaching around four billion TV viewers world-wide. www.visitBerlin.de ■■ Kassel: Fresh from the

printer’s press For the cold season Kassel has compiled highlights from the world of culture and shopping and also from the Fairytale Christmas Market. The brochure Kassel erleben – Kultur, Shopping & Lichterglanz (Experience Kassel – Culture, Shopping & Lights) has

the latest dates, suggestions and recommendations for exhibitions, theatre performances and musicals, for midnight shopping and Casseler Freyheit as well as Kassel’s magical Fairytale Christmas Market. The new Group Catalogue 2010 – Kassel gemeinsam erfahren (Experience Kassel Together) is to serve as a guide, manual and source of inspiration all at the same time. At a glance, this catalogue is full of readymade packages, modules and themes as well as recommendations on all the different ways in which you can “experience” the city of Kassel. www.kassel-tourist.de ■■ Berlin: meeting metropolis

posts new visitor record The German capital is continuing its success story in the meetings industry: 3.97 million trade visitors came to Berlin from January to June 2009. They attended 50,850 events. This means a three per cent increase in visitors and 0.3 per cent gain in events compared to the same period last year according to the latest congress statistics of the Berlin Convention Office (BCO) of Berlin Tourismus Marketing GmbH. According to the figures the share of national meetings and conventions went up two per cent to 81 per cent. The number of German attendees was also up two per cent (82 per cent). There was a slight decline in international events and guests (-2 per cent each). www.berlin-convention-office.de

NEWS - DESTINATIONS

darmstadtcongress: Network moves Darmstadt into the top league of meeting destinations

he alliance now has a central contact for organisers. “With darmstadtcongress we have brought together a large number of providers in the meetings and conventions business from the city and region and further members are welcome,” says darmstadtium CEO Klaus Krumrey. So far 23 companies and institutions from Darmstadt and the surrounding region have joined the darmstadtcongress initiative. Apart from darmstadtium and other

GCB Meet in_270709:Layout 1

27.07.2009

MEET Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH Kongressbüro info@congress-stuttgart.de

venues they include hotels, event agencies, stand construction and taxi companies as well as shops in the city centre but also Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt Marketing GmbH and the Darmstadt Rhine-Main-Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce. A customer magazine named dc will offer customers the latest news from the science city and from alliance members three times a year. www.darmstadtium.de

13:27 Uhr

Seite 1

IN STUTTGART Where Quality is at Home

www.meet-in-stuttgart.com

THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY

Zollverein celebrates

THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY

Meetings in an industrial ambience European Culture Capital: RUHR.2010 n Not just any “old iron”! The Ruhr Area makes the legendary age of coal and steel come alive with an abundance of

industrial heritage sites that serve as a unique stage for art and culture.

ld coalmines and steelworks now have a touch of class and industrial heritage is a big trend. The best proof of this is that the Ruhr Area – a region marked by the industrial revolution like no other – will be European Culture Capital in 2010. 53 cities and municipalities with a population of 5.3 million have joined forces in the RUHR.2010 project presenting the Ruhr Area as an exciting culture metropolis full of contrasts. The focus is on authentic sites that make history come alive and impress as (mega-) culture venues that lend themselves to many purposes. Many industrial monuments in the Ruhr Area have already sprung to a new life, while many others are still being converted. One of the major projects of RUHR.2010 promises to become an exciting new venue: The Dortmunder U. The distinctive 70-metre high fermentation plant and depot of the former Union Brewery will become the centre of an 80,000-sqm creative quarter as of 2010. A Museum of 20th and 21st Century Art will also move into the spectacular building under the shining golden U. The major Schachtzeichen installation will become one of the most memorable images of the Culture Capital: All over the Ruhr Area hundreds of orange air sculptures will tower in the skies marking the roots of the Ruhr Area - the coalmines. Further highlights of the Culture Capital year include the new opening of Essen’s Folkwang Museum with three major exhibitions, the world’s first biennial for international light art in Unna and the largest Middle Ages exhibition of the last few decades ‘AufRuhr 1225! Knights, Castles and Intrigues’ in Herne.

n Meetings in the World Heritage site

Once it was the world’s most modern coalmine – and now it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and hence one of only three former industrial sites that have been elevated to the status of “world industrial heritage sites” in Germany: the Zollverein Coalmine Industrial Complex in Essen. Designed in pure Bauhaus style, the imposing coalmine complex has rapidly become a centre of art and design since being closed down in 1986. It received a Conga Award in June 2009 from representatives of the German event industry as the most attractive event location in Germany. From a small studio to a large fair and exhibition hall, it offers over forty rooms, halls and buildings with a total space of 14,000 square metres for events. As a special gem, star architect Lord Norman Foster has carefully integrated the red dot design museum in the old boiler house. Another highlight is the Erich Brost Pavilion, a glass cube with breath-taking panorama views from the roof of the coal washing plant at a height of 38 metres. And the well-known Casino restaurant will cater to connoisseurs of fine cuisine in a distinctive industrial ambience. www.zollverein.de

Important dates of the Culture Capital year 2010 5 June 2010

!SING - DAY OF SONG, gigantic choir production with around 22,000 singers

19 June 2010

“Extraschicht” Industrial Heritage Night

18 July 2010

“Still-Leben Ruhrschnellweg“. The metropolis celebrates in style on the closed-down A40 motorway

27 February – 28 November 2010

“AufRuhr1225!“ – Knights, Castles and Intrigues, exhibition at the LWL Museum for Archaeology, Herne

n Meetings, myths and modernity

28 March – 27 May 2010

Biennale for International Light Art, Unna

The existing old industrial plants and many of the cultural sites created for this mega-project will offer a fascinating ambience for meetings and incentives not only during, but also after the eventful year.

12 March – 31 October 2010

“Heroes. A Yearning for Something Special,” exhibition at the LWL Industry Museum Zollern coalmine, Dortmund

20 March – 25 July 2010

“The World’s Most Beautiful Museum“. The Folkwang Museum until 1933. Exhibition in the new Folkwang Museum, Essen

THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY

n Green idyll in the Ruhr Area Change of scene: If you prefer romantic timber-framed buildings to rusty pipes, you should opt for a bit of industrial heritage for beginners at Margarethenhöhe. Named after its founder Margarethe Krupp, the housing estate in the south of Essen is generally acknowledged to be one of the finest examples of a garden city estate in Germany: With its timber-framed buildings and picturesque streets and squares it has preserved an almost rural charm. Meeting suggestion: Mintrops Stadt Hotel Margarethenhöhe – a listed monument, as is the entire estate – with a magnificent view of the idyllic market square. www.margarethenhoehe.com Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

Dortmunder U

Landscape Park Duisburg North

n Meetings in the Castle of Work Opulent brick facades, lavish castellated gables around a green courtyard – at a first glance the Zollern coalmine in Dortmund looks more like a stately home than a mine complex for coal production. And this was part of its construction concept. Today the “Castle of Work” in the west of Dortmund is regarded as one of the most beautiful and extraordinary witnesses of Germany’s industrial past. It boasts a museum and a sumptuous industrial ambience suitable for meetings and conventions. The engine room with its ornate Art Nouveau doorway was the first industrial building in Germany to become a listed monument in 1969. www.lwl.org

n Need some enlightening? Unna is in the limelight not only in its culture capital year: the Centre for International Light Art in Unna is the world’s first and only museum that is dedicated exclusively to light art. Opened in 2001 in the former Linden Brewery, the museum provides a presentation space for light art which could hardly be anymore fascinating or effective: Highly visible with its 52-metre sky-scraping chimney this contemporary work of art has found a home deep underground on a space of 2,400 square metres. The maze-like corridors, cold stores and fermentation basins of the former brewery, where the traditional Linden Adler Pils was produced between 1852 and 1979, are now creatively showcased and throw a new light on meetings and workshops. www.lichtkunst-unna.de

n Want it a bit bigger? Talking of light: When Duisburg’s 90-year-old blast furnace is bathed in colourful light as dusk falls, the site takes on a mysterious and dramatic appearance like hardly any other. Landschaftspark (Landscape Park) Duisburg Nord which surrounds the former steel mill is now one of the most fascinating places in Germany. But even by day the location, which is often used for movie productions, provides a simply indescribable setting for very special meetings. Think Big! The 170-metre long Engine House alone - the nave of this industrial cathedral – can accommodate up to 4,140 people. www.landschaftspark.de

Meetings in the Culture Cathedral Bochum’s Jahrhunderthalle is just as generous in space terms. It was built in 1902 with an airy steel construction as an exhibition hall for the Düsseldorf trade exhibition and later re-erected in Bochum’s cast steel works and used as a blower hall for the furnaces. Today it is one of Europe’s most impressive and innovative festival theatres and a central venue for the Ruhr Triennale music and theatre festival. The grand hall has a length of 130 metres and a floor space of around 3,360 square metres suitable for all kinds of events. www.jahrhunderthalle-bochum.de

Gasometer Oberhausen

n A space that Christo loved Gigantic dimensions and unique impressions are also the hallmarks of Gasometer Oberhausen, which made a name for itself world-wide not least due to Christo’s spectacular staging of The Wall there in 1999. With a height of 117 metres it is almost as high as the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum is long. But you will only find real floor levels lower down: From the manege upwards, the empty shell of the building stretches up to the roof at a height of 100 metres. A sevenfold echo that reverberates from the matte steel walls, diffuse light and aura of the industrial past make the Gasometer an almost mythical site. The room below the former gas pressure disk is more suitable for

room Dreams. Goals. The future. Ideas and innovations. Visions need to be communicated. They need to be convincing.

for visions KölnKongress offers you the know-how and services that produce success.

n More Info on Culture Capital RUHR.2010 You will find more information on the projects and programme of the Culture Capital RUHR.2010 at www.ruhr2010.de. Tickets for events of the Culture Capital programme and further events in the entire Ruhr metropolis can be booked online at www.ruhr2010.de/ tickets or by telephone on via the RUHR.2010 ticket hotline 0180 515 2010.

KölnKongress | fon +49 2 21 . 8 21 - 21 21 | www.koelnkongress.de

THE ART OF MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY / NEWS - HOTELS

meetings and corporate functions with its more balanced acoustics. A glass panorama lift takes guests to the roof of the Gasometer with its three viewing platforms. www.gasometer.de n Industry – Cuisine - Culture The region also caters to culinary tastes in its own distinctive manner: For example, the FC Ruhr Area

cooking alliance offers authentic and stylish catering with local cuisine that blends tradition with innovation. The fact that 170 nations alone live in the Ruhr Area melting pot has a considerable influence on regional specialities. The FC Ruhr Area is an official partner of the Culture Capital programme with a gourmet festival focusing on food and dining in the Ruhr metropolis. www.fcruhrgebiet.de

n Culture Meeting Planner Germany In the land of poets and thinkers, painters and composers you can meet and celebrate in hundreds of museums and historical buildings, in authentic sites marked by great personalities – places and experiences you can only get in Germany. The GCB has developed an attractive planning tool that offers you an overview of the most interesting cultural meeting and event options in Germany. It will inspire you and offer you new insights into culture meeting destination Germany. We will send you our bilingual Culture Meeting Planner Germany as a poster in a handy folded format and free of charge! Order a free copy at: info@gcb.de

■■ 5th anniversary of

Kongresshotel Potsdam am Templiner See

“When I said ‘Welcome on board our airships’ five years ago, many people were sceptical whether it was really possible to transform an educational institution into a hotel – today I can say with a clear conscience:Yes, it is!,” says Managing Director Jutta Braun about the building’s conversion into a

sport, meeting and event hotel. The hotel already had quite an eventful history when she started out. After reunification there was great demand for staff training in the eastern German savings banks which led to the creation of a five-part building complex with a meetings area integrating an existing shed of the airship port historical site in 1996. After many successful years there was growing demand from the world of business, culture and politics to open the venue for external customers who are not part of the savings banks association. In 2004 change finally came. This was when the conversion into a full hotel kicked off and the history of Kongresshotel Potsdam started. The Zeppelin theme restaurant, Lemon a-la-carte restaurant and

stylish Blue Sky Bar & Lounge were opened in the summer of 2005 and the hotel is one of Germany’s Top Ten meeting hotels today. www.kongresshotel-potsdam.de ■■ New hotel in Bremen blends tradition with modernity

A new address for travellers is currently being built in the heart of Bremen, right at the historic central station: Hotel Courtyard by Mariott with 155 rooms. It offers a beautiful combination of tradition and modernity. Part of the hotel is in the refurbished historical Lloyd House from 1913, which used to serve as a station building for emigrants to the USA. Next door a new building is under construction which will later be connected to the Lloyd House.

The six storeys of the new building will house the conference rooms and most of the guest rooms. The adjacent historical structure is partly a listed building and will accommodate a restaurant, gym, 69 rooms and around 3,650 square metres of office space in future. The entrance hall and lounge will connect the two wings. Thanks to its central location, the hotel is particularly suitable for companies and for meeting and convention attendees. The central station is right next door and opposite the exhibition centre. The old city area is within walking distance and a tram stop to the airport is also located nearby. www.bremen-kongress.de ■■ The Leonardo hotel chain

opens its first Royal brand hotel and fourth establishment in the capital The exclusive Royal brand hotel owned by the Leonardo chain opened its doors in August near Alexanderplatz – as the first in the superior category and Leonardo’s fourth in Berlin. The first guest was welcomed with flowers and a free overnight stay.

NEWS - HOTELS

The Leonardo Royal Hotel Berlin offers guests an extraordinary ambience: a listed hotel building combined with a tasteful interior, a restaurant, bar/lounge and conference area of over 1,000 sqm plus 346 attractive rooms and suites. An exclusive spa area on the 7th floor offers breath-taking views of Berlin’s television tower. Leonardo Royal Hotel Berlin celebrated its official grand opening with lots of VIPs on 9th September 2009. www.leonardo-hotels.com

sqm, housing the elegantly designed executive rooms and suites. “This category is particularly popular with our guests,” says hotel director Bertold Reul and explains why: “With nikko they book a 4-star superior hotel but get a 5-star product as far as size, comfort and elegance are concerned.” In total, hotel nikko will have 386 rooms and suites in eight different categories after completion of the expansion. www.nikko-hotel.de ■■ Frankfurt Marriott Hotel: Green events protect the environment

■■ hotel nikko düsseldorf

continues to grow Located in the heart of the federal state capital, hotel nikko düsseldorf will be offering 42 more rooms and suites from the end of this year. As in 2008, the 4-star superior hotel will be expanded by a hotel wing with a total floor space of 1,740

The days are gone when going green meant using brown “recycling paper” and wearing wooden sandals. The Frankfurt Marriott Hotel focuses on sustainability not only with its rooms but now also with its events. This starts, for example, with the use

NEWS - HOTELS

of Bic Ecolutions® pens that are made of recyclable and biodegradable materials, through environmentfriendly presentation materials to the use of mineral water served with seasonal aromas in reusable glass decanters. The Frankfurt Marriott Hotel additionally offers seasonal fruits in the coffee breaks and dispenses with most sweet packaging. A new energy-saving heating

system for the entire hotel reduces noxious emissions, and energy-saving light bulbs and LED signs indoors and outdoors also make their contribution. Water consumption is minimised by the use of water-saving shower heads and taps, while green detergents and soaps reduce pollutants. But that’s not all: A co-operation with Deutsche Bahn offers conference delegates very favourable special ticket rates. This not

only helps the environment but also delegates’ budget. www.marriott.de ■■ Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg: New conference floor perfect for holding meetings

Following a thorough renovation, the Radisson Blu Hotel Hamburg reopened on 31st August 2009 and

Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport now open n Rezidor announces the opening of the new Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport in Germany’s second largest city

television screen with MP3 player plug, free high-speed Internet access and individual climate control.

n An Unbeatable Location! The stylish new Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport is ideally positioned opposite Terminal 1 and 2 of Hamburg Airport, home to major airlines including Lufthansa and other Star Alliance partners. But the latest Radisson Blu hotel is so much more than just a handy place to sleep: it’s beautifully appointed rooms, impeccable Yes I Can! service and outstanding range of facilities make it a destination in its own right, perfect as a conference venue or for enjoying all the

opportunities and excitement that Hamburg has to offer. n World Class Modern Design, Comfort and Amenities The highly contemporary hotel offers 266 stylish, ultra-modern standard rooms, with 5 suites and 3 rooms suitable for disabled guests. Smoking accommodation will be available on request. All rooms offer the excellent, top of the range amenities you would expect of a first-class hotel, including a LCD

n Meetings That Make Their Mark With its unbeatable airport location beside Hamburg Airport and an impressive total of 15 flexible, ultra modern meeting rooms - covering an area of over 1000 m2 including foyers - the hotel is the perfect venue for both small meetings and major conferences. All rooms have natural daylight, offer free high-speed Internet access and will be equipped with the latest AV equipment. And the attractive bonus of ample outdoor and indoor airport parking means it is hard to imagine a better base for travellers to Hamburg. The new Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg Airport is a valuable addition to both this incredible city and to the growing Rezidor portfolio. www.radissonblu.com/ hotel-hamburgairport

can now offer guests the perfect location for conferences, board meetings, seminars and all manner of events with its 2,122m2 conference facilities. Guests can now benefit from 12 multifunctional rooms with the latest seminar equipment, most of which have natural light, as well as a 533 m2 divisible ballroom and a foyer area. The spectacular ‘High End’ event location on the 26th and 27th floors along with the elegant multifunctional area on the ground floor complete the portfolio of facilities on offer for conducting business. The first-class hotel is located right next to the Dammtor express railway station and is the only hotel in the city that is directly linked to the CCH - Congress Centre Hamburg. www.radissonblu.de/hotel-hamburg

NEWS - HOTELS / LOCATIONS

■■ Swissôtel Düsseldorf/ Neuss

with fully modernised event area

square metres) and two Diana halls combined offer 2,100 square metres of space, making it the largest hall on one level of all meeting hotels in NRW. www.swissotel-duesseldorf.de ■■ New business lounge at CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf officially opened

After modernising its public areas and rooms in 2008, Swissôtel Düsseldorf / Neuss has also completed work on its event area. The hotel offers a unique, flexible room concept. Meetings with up to 2,100 people can be held there as well as functions for up to 2,500 guests. The four-star superior hotel has a 4,000 square metres event and meetings area. The Jupiter hall (1,400

Your independent Service Partner in Hamburg

NEW!

The Hamburg Convention Bureau GmbH (HCB) has been founded with the aim of promoting Hamburg internationally and domestically as a venue for conventions, conferences, events and incentive travel. It is the first port of call and service provider of choice for anyone planning business events in the Greater Hamburg region. The Hamburg Convention Bureau provides a full range of products and services for the city of Hamburg. Our policy is to make your event perfect in our wonderful city. Hamburg Convention Bureau | Phone +49(0)40-300 51 610 info@hamburg-convention.com | www.hamburg-convention.com

Hamburg Convention Bureau

NEWS - LOCATIONS / AGENCIES

Extensive modernisation measures already started at CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf early this year. One of the most important new features celebrated its official opening on 19th August 2009: the CCD Business Lounge. Customers and visitors to the CCD Congress Center Düsseldorf have with the Business Lounge an information and communications headquarters with cutting-edge technical facilities, where up to 24 people can hold focused meetings or work individually during events. The new lounge offers eight fully equipped computer workstations, further Internet connections and a stationary plasma screen. The lightfilled friendly room structure and an open barrier-free access situation facilitate the workflow. www.ccd.de

■■ 12th European AIDS Conference in Cologne

Just under half a million visitors and over 1,100 events – these are the successful results for the first half of 2009. And for the second halfyear KölnKongress also expects to welcome several thousands of visitors at numerous, partly international (congress) events. The 12th European AIDS Conference from 11th to 14th November 2009 at CongressCentrum Koelnmesse will attract over 3,000 attendees from all over Europe. Organised by the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS), which unites physicians, clinicians and researchers, the conference has taken place every two years since 1991 in large European cities such as Paris, Athens or Madrid. www.koelnkongress.de

■■ Après-ski and lodge atmosphere in Hamburg’s Speicherstadt

Après-Ski up in the north? No problem! Celebrate your next winter event under the motto “Party All the Time” and invite staff, customers or partners to a rustic lodge party! With hot drinks, beer on tap and a generous buffet we will transform a historical warehouse floor into a rustic après-ski lodge. Want a unique live act? Then book Tim Toupet, the “superman of the party scene”! www.nordevent.de

Riccardo Chailly, Gewandhaus music director

■■ Perfect acoustics and

atmospheric lighting at the ADAC Truck Grand Prix

More than 170,000 visitors came to the Nürburgring from 24th to 26th July to attend the International Truck Grand Prix live. This was the 24th time the ADAC hosted this event which offered guests a colourful mix of races, shows and entertainment. Once again Gahrens + Battermann were in charge of technical execution

NEWS - SERVICE PROVIDERS

for the show part of the musical country event at the Müllenbach Loop. The media house installed an impressive open-air stage of just under 260 sqm for the performances of pop star Sasha and country stars Tom Astor, Truck Stop and Gunter Gabriel. The band area covered 150 sqm alone. Atmospheric lighting during the performances was provided by numerous Vari Lite and Robe spotlights and further conventional lighting. Gahrens + Battermann were also responsible for perfect sound turning the event into a successful acoustic experience thanks to line array modules from EAW and brand-new MicroWedges. www.gb-mediensysteme.de

■■ New tool for your attendee management

The smart and more team launched a brand-new attendee management tool this summer which had already been successfully used by its customers. Seminars, meetings and conventions are linked with the tool via a company’s own Intranet pages. Staff members can register online for events. The menu is user-friendly and can be adapted to corporate design. The tool controls maximum attendee figures and hotel allotments. Statistical assessments show exactly which seminars have taken place and on what date staff members attended them. www.smartandmore.de

Leipzig – where tradition and innovation are closely intertwined. As the 19th Gewandhaus music director, Riccardo Chailly lends the Leipzig orchestra a distinctive and passionate profile and attracts worldwide attention. Leipzig is equally excellent for meetings and events - thanks to first-class congress and convention centres, exceptional event venues and hotels as well as the appropriate service partners. Potential meeting or event organisers will find everything at a glance on www.do-it-at-leipzig.de. Leipzig offers the perfect framework for unforgettable events.

Want to find out more? Plan your event in Leipzig online: www.do-it-at-leipzig.de Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH Richard-Wagner-Str. 1, D-04109 Leipzig Telephone: +49 (0)341 7104-240, e-mail: kongress@ltm-leipzig.de

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL

Boundless Pleasure Parks, passages and the picturesque Baltic n Climbing the chalk cliffs, walks on Walpurgis night, fear in the forbidden zone, treats in the “world’s smartest

tower” – the fall of the Iron Curtain has definitely doubled Germany’s cultural legacy and variety as an event destination. Especially the seaside resorts of the nobility, feudal parks and avant-garde courtyards in the east are attractive destinations for MICE planners seeking an adventure with a difference.

f course, Trabant safaris through Berlin are now a fixture on the repertoire of all event planners – especially when groups from outside Germany come to visit the new old capital of former East Germany. And champagne receptions in the glass dome of the historical Reichstag and stop-offs at Checkpoint Charlie are a must. But eastern Germany’s beautiful landscapes and cultural gems are still largely unexplored – and offer great potential for planners.

n Baltic Gems

The seaside resorts of Mecklenburg West Pomerania are just one example. Reunification in 1990 marked the start of a new age for spa towns that had been famous summer residences of the nobility in the 19th century: Dilapidated historical gems were rediscovered and restored to their former splendour by extensive renovation and reconstruction work. Heiligendamm, which shortly after its foundation in 1793 became the holiday headquarters of the European peerage and of the Russian Tsar and his family is one

T HE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL

of the oldest spas. The G8 summit in 2007 brought the all-season destination of Heiligendamm world fame once again in the 21st century. www.heiligendamm.de Germany’s largest islands - Rügen and Usedom – are famous for their magnificent spa architecture with white as the pre-dominant shade of the facades (“white gems“). While Rügen presents itself above all as a theme island for holiday-makers and MICE planners due to its variety of landscapes with chalk cliffs, wild and picturesque Cape Arkona, endless avenues, cosy fishing villages, chic promenades, sea bridges and the peaceful bodden landscape, Usedom with its fashionable spa architecture and endless sandy beaches is a dorado for culture lovers and wellness fans. www.ostseebad-binz.de www.heringsdorf.usedom.de But its greatest bonus is that most Germans only know the islands in the Bay of Pomerania by name. “The fact that we are so little known is our advantage and USP,” says the director of Maritim Hotel Kaiserhof in Heringsdorf. For MICE planners this has the priceless advantage of being able to offer meeting, incentive or event attendees something really new, be it for a board meeting in concerted isolation or team-building between historical tree-lined avenues, rustic fishing villages, in spacious national parks or on fine sandy beaches. www.auf-nach-mv.de

n Gardens and Parks The many parks that were created, recreated or restored after the fall of the Wall also offer a wonderful blend of culture and nature. The German-Polish UNESCO World Heritage site Muskau Park in Saxony is one of the model projects of cross-border monument projection. Designed by Prince Hermann of Pückler-Muskau in the early 19th century in the style of English landscape architecture, the park had been divided since 1945 by the German-Polish border. The two halves of the park were reunited in 2003 and now form a work of art composed of large meadows, picturesque lakes, rivers, unique bridges and buildings. Even the freshly restored castle of the park’s creator and adventurer Prince Pückler is open to the public once again. www.muskauer-park.de

Six palaces, seven historical parks and gardens and more than 100 smaller structures invite you to walk in the more than 200-year-old Garden Kingdom of DessauWörlitz. The UNESCO World Heritage site is located between Dessau and Luther’s home town Wittenberg on a generous 142 sq km. The first English-style landscape garden on the European mainland captivates visitors with palaces, mansions, churches, ruins and beautifully designed gardens in the meadows lining the Elbe and Mulde rivers. www.gartenreich.com The Elbauenpark in Saxony-Anhalt is one of the latest garden creations. Despite its young age the site

Seebrücke Ahlbeck

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL

designed for the German Garden Show in 1999 is one of Magdeburg’s most important attractions today. The Seebühne (Lake Stage) is the architectural highlight of this cultural landscape: Five stands arranged like petals are surrounded by water and provide magnificent views of the unique natural setting with the Butterfly House, works of art and theme gardens. In addition, the 60-metre high Millennium Tower attracts countless visitors to look inside every year. Nicknamed the “World’s Smartest Tower”, the building tells the story of humankind and the environment over the last 6,000 years on six exhibition levels. www.mvgm-online.de n Walks in a Green History Book

But German reunification has not only restored many cultural heritage sites in eastern Germany to their former splendour – unique nature areas have come to life in many formerly restricted military zones which show the history of the inner German border from a special angle as “Green History Books”. Formerly separated hiking areas have been reunified and trail networks have been restored or newly created. 20 years after the fall of the Wall they offer hikers boundless pleasure on trails that lead them across, on and behind the former Iron Curtain. From the Green Belt to the Harz Hexenstieg: From Osterode in Lower Saxony to the romantic Bode Valley in Saxony-Anhalt planners can organise an idyllic crossing of the once heavily guarded inner German border. The

highlight of this tour is a climb up the Brocken: The highest mountain in the Harz region (1,141.1 m) was a restricted zone under the East German SED regime; to-date gigantic listening systems evoke the Cold War period. www.hexenstieg.de The Green Belt runs right along the former Iron Curtain: In the 40 years of German separation unique enchanted bush and forest landscapes, swamps and moors grew here undisturbed. A unique cross-border biotope system with a length of over 1,393 km connects over 100 rare habitats with each other. From Ilsenburg to Walkenried the Harz border walk leads hikers along the Green Belt on a varied and challenging route with a length of 75 km through the Harz Mountains. www.gruenes-band-harz.de www.erlebnisgruenesband.de Deep into - or better put - high up in the forest is where the Hainich Tree Top Path will lead you. At a height of ten to 24 metres the path takes team builders through dense vegetation of nine different deciduous tree types to normally inaccessible parts of the Thuringia Nature Park. High over the treetops a tree tower with a tree house extends to a height of over 40 metres. This is the start and finish of the lofty path. The Hainich district covers an area of 160 sq km. Just under half of this area was a restricted military zone in former East Germany. www.nationalpark-hainich.de

Shopping and Lifestyle at the Quartier 206 Friedrichstrasse, Berlin

n Shopping and Lifestyle

Dresden, Leipzig and (East) Berlin have been the most popular cities since German reunification. Event planners and attendees of meetings and events will find a wide range of extraordinary social programme options especially in these cities which have seen the greatest changes since 1989. They owe their great charm to the many restored old buildings, unconventional cafés, trendy boutiques, contemporary galleries and industrial buildings, where artists and designers offer original products. For example, in Leipzig’s Spinnerei: Around 1900 it was the largest cotton spinning mill on the European continent. Today, the old factory town is more densely packed with art and culture than any other town or city in Germany: Eleven galleries and exhibition places invite you to shop and take a look. Cafés and restaurants, theatre and dance ensembles, art and culture initiatives, small specialist shops and individual lofts reinforce the charming urban atmosphere of the complex. Art production, art presentation and art trade have become a focus. Worldfamous painter Neo Rauch, member of the new Leipzig School, has a studio there. www.spinnerei.de Culture: Until December 2009 the Museum in the “Round Corner” will be hosting a special exhibition dedicated to “Leipzig on the Road to the Peaceful Revolution”. The museum is located in the building of the former Stasi secret service. In its former offices visitors can find out about the function, work methods and history of the East German secret police. The Kunsthofpassage in Dresden’s Neustadt also tempts visitors with

art and shopping treats.Various local artists have designed and revitalised the six courtyard houses after the fall of the Iron Curtain. For example, huge metal mirrors reflect sunlight in the formerly dark Courtyard of Light. Today, there are two stages and further projection spaces for temporary multimedia performances and installations, film projections and action theatre. In the “Courtyard of the Elements“, water games make artistically arranged drainpipes sing and the Courtyard of fairy-tale creatures has a detailed façade design. www.kunsthof-dresden.de Culture: the Goethe Institute will be celebrating the anniversary of the fall of Wall and Dresden with a European theatre festival from 31 October to 8 November 2009. Six pieces under the motto “After the Fall” will mirror different perceptions and effects of this major historical event on European society. www.goethe.de They form Germany’s largest enclosed courtyard complex: the Hackesche Höfe in Berlin. The courtyards with their unique Art Nouveau façade were restored in the mid-1990s and are now among the capital’s major attractions.Visitors will find a mix of culture offerings, restaurants, shops and offices in the historical buildings. Fashion boutiques with Parisian haute couture labels and avant-garde fashion studios have settled in the neighbourhood, renewing Berlin’s international reputation as a major fashion centre. www.hackesche-hoefe.com Culture: Berlin’s “Way of the Wall” leads around the former island city on a historically interesting section where one can still find remainders or traces of the wall, alternating with attractive landscapes.

First class destination service all over Germany

You love our work! - SI Meetings | Conferences Full service and destination management all over Germany for your successful meetings

- Hotel reservations - Full trade fair service For group bookings, room allotments and last minute reservations contact our trade fair department fairs@scandi.de

- City sightseeing - Coach and limousine transfers - Aircraft chartering - Excursions - Cultural programs and tickets - Guide and interpreter services - Sport events - Motorsport: Formula 1

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Destination Management Germany GmbH Mönckebergstrasse 17 20095 Hamburg Phone +49-40-32 32 89 0 Fax +49-40-32 32 89 32 E-Mail: mice@scandi.de

www.scandi.de

THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF THE WALL

Culture II: the German capital will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall with a “Feast of Freedom” around the Brandenburg

Gate. A highlight will be a symbolic re-enactment of the fall of the wall: In the evening well-known artists, culture creators and politicians will

together make a two kilometre line of huge domino stones topple and fall. www.mauerfall09.de

“A glimpse of Germany” n International photo competition

s part of its key theme “The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall”, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) last year announced an international photo competition for the HanseMerkur Prize, worth €10,000 in total. The theme of the competition is “2009: The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall - Germany, a fascinating travel destination”. HanseMerkur insurance is the competition’s main sponsor. Other partners that have supported the GNTB in organising the competition include Accor Hotellerie Deutschland, Steigenberger Hotels and NH Hoteles Deutschland. A total of 31 journalists from 18 European countries, Japan and the United States have submitted photographic works created between September 2008 and January 2009 during their three to fourday individual research trips to Berlin and other federal states that once bordered the “Iron Curtain”. “The pictures show a tension between artistic representation and documentation that opens up entirely new perspectives on Germany as a travel destination,” said a delighted Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB. With the theme “A glimpse of Germany” in mind, the distinguished jury started by evaluating 93 works

1 Price: Gianluca Santoni (Italy) Regierungsviertel Berlin

online according to their artistic merit, historical references and relevance to tourism. At a final meeting in Berlin, jury members

2 Price: Eduardo Grund (Spain) Brandenburger Tor Berlin

decided on the prize winners: Gianluca Santoni from Italy, Eduardo Grund from Spain and Irisz Lukács from Hungary.

3 Price: Irisz Lukacs (Hungary ) Brandenburger Tor Berlin

ADVERTORIAL - PROSKE | group

Maximum Performance in the Disciplines Planning and Organisation PROSKE | group powerful in sport business n Within just a few years, PROSKE | group has developed a strong position as a hospitality expert for major international

sporting events. Focussing on upcoming global sports events, the sponsor and corporate hospitality management provider strengthens its competence in the sports business and proceeds with its dynamic and consistent growth.

be a huge assett for PROSKE | group. Dr. Andreja Wieser was Program Manager of IOC Services & Protocol of the ATHENS 2004 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For the Olympic/Paralympic Winter Games Torino 2006, Andreja successfully managed the International Dignitary and VIP Program. In Beijing 2008, she was responsible for the IOC Guest and VIP Program.

ne year after delivering successful Hospitality Programs for EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, the preparations for upcoming major sporting events are in full swing. The meeting and hospitality specialist based in the Munich area is continuously working towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, future Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. With over 23 years of professional experience in managing events with up to 30.000 attendees in 50 countries all over the world, PROSKE | group proves to be a competent partner for global corporations and sponsors.

n Professional support for upcoming international sporting events 2009 is a year of growth for PROSKE | group. “Besides expanding our office space and recruiting ten new fulltime staff, we gained a top-class expert for our Sports Department”, states René Proske, Managing Director of the agency. Since September 2009, Dr. Andreja Wieser supports the company as new “Head of Sports”. Her excellent Olympic and Paralympic references promise to

The formula for success: Creativity and professionalism PROSKE | group developed its position as an expert for sport events, for example, as partner of the popular FIS Tour de Ski. During UEFA EURO 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, the agency created, developed and provided full hospitality programs for 21 international customers at all eight sports venues. Coca-Cola placed a major order with PROSKE | group for the activation of their international hospitality program with a total of over 14.000 tickets and hospitality packages. Creativity and professionalism were reflected by the clients’ satisfaction: 92 percent evaluated the service with “excellent” or “very good”. “Our clients expect that the high costs for large events turn out to be a secure investment. Therefore they need a reliable and competent partner”, states René Proske. “Every new sports event offers a new opportunity to further develop our high level of performance.”

OUTLOOK

What you should know for 2015 n Be honest: Today’s acute reality is much more thrilling than any forecast for the future, is it not? While we used to

be able to look into the future from a rather secure (economic) situation, we hardly know anymore what things will look like the day after tomorrow. The future has caught up with us.

e live and work in increasingly uncertain times. There are no longer any decisive criteria for “sure success”. Everybody is now required to find and insist on their own viewpoint in this all-

embracing transformation of the world (economy). But in return we must first identify and comprehend what is actually going on: What is really happening right now in our “western” society? And what are

the important developments for the future? We have dealt with these questions intensively and found a complex constellation with good prospects:

n Fact 1: Things are becoming impenetrably complex Global, impenetrable systems increasingly influence and steer our local existence. Everything is interconnected and of a complexity that nobody can completely understand anymore. At the same time, reality is becoming ever faster, permanently unstable and marked by huge contradictions and new influences every day!

In this scenario, the analyses and forecasts of the traditional (economic) sciences are increasingly at a loss. As an example, see the failed risk calculations of the financial institutions. The same business mathematicians now openly confess that they were never validly calculable. As a consequence, many people are experiencing more stress

OUTLOOK

than ever before. They miss simplicity, credibility, predictability and honest support in their everyday lives.

never as alone and insignificant as today. This gives rise to a mute feeling of powerlessness, a deep agony inside us as human beings.

n Fact 2: We live in and with

perverted systems (Almost) all systems that were originally created for the well-being of humankind have taken on a life of their own and become “perverted”. Be it the political system, education system, health care system, global finance system, social system. People intuitively realise that all systems are panicking to keep the status quo – they feel that they are just a subfunction of maintaining a system that makes them irrelevant as individuals. Or do you seriously believe that your pension is really safe or that anybody will fight for it heart and soul? We all feel one thing: In reality we were

n Fact 3: The error of “growth” as an ideal for society Over the last few decades we have accepted a creed of “economic growth” as a goal for society without thinking – and by doing so prevented more profound social progress! “Growth” was the panacea – but offers no ideological, humane or social guidance or identity. The crisis makes it very clear to us: There is no idea, no gripping philosophical direction, no vision of the future for our (global) democratic society as a community. For almost 30 years there has been a huge development vacuum in our “western” community.

25 Years of Global Event Solutions

CONFERENCE – EVENT – DESTINATION – ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT

We organise your success! Please visit our booth at the EIBTM in Barcelona. www.cpo-hanser.de

Office Berlin

phone: +49-30-300 669-0

email: berlin@cpo-hanser.de

further offices in Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main

I N I

C O

O N N

OUTLOOK

As a consequence, people feel a growing and inescapable wish for real social progress, a renewal and liberation that will benefit everybody. n Fact 4: The ‘digividual’ is born Broadband gives rise to a huge wireless, digital universe, which “I can travel in seconds“, “where I spend, share and organise part of my life“.

We are increasingly economical with our physical presence. I am only physically present in places where I can expect a (reasonably) good experience or feeling. In other places I am not or only digitally present. As a consequence, an authentic emotional quality in face-to-face customer contacts is more important than ever. The winners are those who also know how to generate this emotionality on a digital level. n Fact 5: The future belongs to

“feminine thinking“ The development of the knowledge society with informal networks and flat hierarchies encourages the advance of women. The share of women who gain university entrance qualifications has doubled since 1950. Worldwide, women gain a university degree faster and more successfully. In the USA the ratio of female to male students is 140 to 100. In future-forward smaller networks where emotional intelligence, team and communication skills are crucial, women play a central role. However, the real central power of women is their direct – and indirect (!) – power as consumers: Today, women already make up to 80% of all household purchase decisions!

n Fact 6: The deep yearning for liberation and renewal Our western society is ageing enormously.Young people are expected to achieve more and more and just can’t anymore – but they cannot escape! Performance has become a burden. This leads to internal opposition against this enforced “social functioning”. At the same time, belief in the support and changeability of systems is very rapidly eroding. People are boycotting the system wherever they can by doing their “own thing”. As a consequence: 1. Individuals and entire groups are deliberately dropping out of the system  ”private cultures“ are emerging and gaining huge importance (e.g. never before have there been so many private schools and nurseries). 2. The wish to find a meaning in life is growing – especially if I have to function “in the system”  ideals have started to make a comeback. 3. The educated classes / intelligentsia / knowledge elite are increasingly aware of their economic importance for the respective system  the power of talents is growing rapidly. They want to be recognised and served. 4. Constant change will become a normal part of life  further training will become increasingly more important than education. 5. More and more standards and standardisations will rule our life almost to the extreme  authentic non-conformity will become a major quality criterion (free spirit, free heart, free ideas) and an orientation for many people.

The age of strong brands and people who serve the community will start – they will shape and/or lead to new solutions openly and authentically. A strong attitude and idea will become

a key criterion! Everybody who “makes a stand” and dares to escape conformity and create something authentic and new will find many “supporters”. The future clearly belongs to authentic brands and individuals with strong ethics – so try and make something of that!

Michael Wiegel is the owner and director of the BRANDBEAT NETWORK, which he founded himself. “This is a very rare team of outstanding creative minds, who can find, activate and train the “heartbeat of the brand”. Our passion and our goal are an effective, authentic self-empowerment of brands, teams and executives.” Customers include Barclays Bank, DHL/Deutsche Post, OMV, TUI, G+J and many medium-sized brand companies and associations inside and outside Germany. Contact via: welcome@brandbeat.de

LANDESHAUPTSTADT

Wiesbaden Venues

Kurhaus Wiesbaden GmbH Kurhausplatz 1 D-65189 Wiesbaden Tel.: +49 (0) 611-17 29 290 Fax: +49 (0) 611-17 29 299 E-Mail: info@kurhaus-wiesbaden.de Kurhaus Wiesbaden www.wiesbaden.de/kurhaus

For booking please contact: Kurhaus Wiesbaden GmbH Tel.: + 49 (0) 611-1729-291 Fax: + 49 (0) 611-1729-299 E-Mail: jagdschloss-platte@kurhaus-wiesbaden.de Jagdschloss Platte www.wiesbaden.de/jagdschloss

Rhein-Main-Hallen GmbH RheinstraĂ&#x;e 20 D-65185 Wiesbaden Tel.: + 49 (0) 611-144 0 Fax: + 49 (0) 611-144 6245 E-Mail: info@rhein-main-hallen.de Rhein-Main-Hallen www.rhein-main-hallen.de

www.wiesbaden.eu

NEWS - TRANSPORT

Lufthansa: new flexibility for your flight management

ufthansa Meetings & Events is the new booking tool for all event planners and organisers. Be it fairs, conventions or incentive trips, be it in Germany, Europe or anywhere else in the world, be it for a few dozen attendees or several thousands – Lufthansa will support you with your event planning. The new tool stands out for easy handling, fast requests for proposals and tailor-made solutions. For your request you simply complete a concise at-a-glance online form, and Lufthansa will create a proposal that is tailor-made to your needs. Flights for your attendees will be co-ordinated in an uncomplicated

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manner without any further expense for you as an event organiser. Attendees receive individual access data to the Lufthansa booking portal where only the flights based on agreed terms will appear and can be booked directly. Travel dates can be freely selected up to two weeks before and after the event. Attendees may also travel with a partner. Enjoy an excellent service with Lufthansa Meetings & Events and - thanks to the world-wide route network with over 200 destinations in around 80 countries - an optimum connection to your national and international events. lufthansa.com/meetingsandevents

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MEHR FACETTEN FÜR IHR BUSINESS GREAT VARIETY FOR YOUR BUSINESS AMERONHOTELS.COM WCHBONN.COM

Willkommen auf dem neuen 4 Sterne Niveau - 336 Zimmer und Suiten, 4 Tagungsräume und Ballsaal, faszinierende Perspektiven aus der Sky Lounge in der 17. Etage, französischer Genuss in der Brasserie “le monde” & pure Erholung im “Ameron World of Spa”. Welcome to the new 4-star-level - 336 rooms and suites, 4 meeting rooms and ball room, a breathtaking view from the Sky Lounge on the 17th floor, french pleasure in the brasserie “le monde” & pure recreation at the “Ameron World of Spa”.

Ameron World Conference Hotel Bonn, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 6, D-53113 Bonn, +49 (0) 228/9267-0, info@wchbonn.com

inspired by Althoff Hotel Collection

CONVENTION PLANNING

How to innovate your association and congress organisation

he number of associations, professional organisations and organisations in Germany is growing. Germany alone currently has around 550,000 registered associations (source: FAZ of 8.07.09) that compete with each other in their respective areas. This trend will probably become even stronger in future. Finding an optimum position

in this competitive environment and creating sustainable concepts for organisational structures and processes are key success factors. It is important to have an approach that focuses on the entire range of an organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities and possibilities and provides integrated solutions for individual fields.

n Successful implementation of complex tasks The German Society of Oral Implantology (DGI) was founded as DGI GmbH in 2002. In view of ever more exacting standards in the field of further training and conventions it needed a professional agency that could take care of corresponding management tasks.

CONVENTION PLANNING

DGI GmbH no longer just acts as a PCO as its tasks have grown along with the new requirements. DGI GmbH offers a full range of professional association management services. They include managing branch offices and consulting services in the fields of strategy, marketing, taxes, insurance, receivables and financial management. These services have become its core business. n Strategy consulting In the field of strategy the aim is mostly to ensure continuous growth of a company or organisation. How can one win new members? What possibilities are there to help new talents? As the membership potential of an organisation is limited, one can explore new avenues, e.g. by going international with suitable services or products.

n Marketing consulting When societies or associations develop very fast, the constant growth in member figures can pose new challenges for internal communication. The core competences and resulting added value for members must be clearly positioned and communicated – what use is the best offer, if it doesn’t reach the individual? Communication solutions like Internet communities, for example, will also come to play a major role for associations. For example, members can see all the services offered by an association on an Internet portal and help shape them interactively in certain areas. From web-based member management through e-learning and the latest press releases to making an active contribution to offers for other members to facilitate communication

between members. An organisation thrives primarily on the dynamism and performance of its members. Especially for large associations with many members it is vital to have simple, well-structured and interactive communication concepts. Establishing an organisation as a brand with a corresponding message is another success factor. For example, the positive image of an association helps not only gain new members but also - far from costbenefit considerations - to motivate members to remain loyal to the organisation even beyond the term of their active membership. n Perfect internal organisation A multi-faceted and high-quality range of association offerings sets high standards for management and organisation. Quite often historically grown structures in organisations make it difficult for staff members to co-operate. Communication and process deficits may easily lead to a negative public image. Central data management and updating is a first step. A uniform, audited forms system is another necessary requirement. Staff substitution plans and related measures such as automatic call forwarding or written substitution messages are important for a good public image. The financial capital and related financial risk of an association increases with the size of the association and the growing number of services. Detailed data collection including monthly monitoring and analysis of business reports to management are important for sound decision-making and for an association’s further development. The question of optimised insurance cover, aligned with other

contracts, is also an important issue. Fiscal questions, for example in the field of property administration, are also important for minimising the risk of losses. n Experience pays – pays rewards DGI GmbH’s expertise in association management will be reinforced in future and available also to other professional organisations and associations. The management of congresses and further training remains a central issue in this field. Event management entails complex demands that call for co-operating with other institutions in networked structures. DGI GmbH has developed a range of appropriate services due to demand for professional support for this area. Naturally, a congress organiser expects high-quality services in the field of attendee management, technology, accommodation and catering. In many of these fields professional realization in general and work in detail play a decisive and major role. For example, an intelligent placement of logos and congress signage in the speakers’ area will ensure that an organisation’s logo or the name of the event will appear visibly on every press photo. This type of free publicity is definitely not new but it is rarely used intensively in the association segment. Another example, DGI GmbH saved half of the projected costs for one association in the motor industry by switching from plastic to paper badges.

n What makes a congress

successful? Searching for success factors! The quality of topics and content is normally a key success factor.

Modern congress management also comprises helping an organisation to find topics for its events– e.g. via surveys and research work. Optimally editing content is equally important. Congress marketing needs to be cost efficient. This not only means optimising postage rates for programme mailings. Selecting media for information and advertising according to target groups and without costly scatter is just as crucial as designing programme content that focuses on added value for attendees. Trust is a major success factor of communication with potential attendees. Whether they will attend a congress or not depends crucially on the credibility of the offering. An attendee disappointed by a congress will not attend the event again.

CONVENTION PLANNING

n Event format also plays a major role For example, congresses that take place on one weekend from Friday to Sunday compete directly with attendees’ leisure activities. If staged during the week, these events may be better attended.

The failure or success of an event often depends not only on the professional realisation of “major” management challenges but also on small creative details that may not be visible on the face of it but are vital for the atmosphere of the meeting and hence for its overall success.

Stefan C. Werner Head of the Meetings and Conventions Office of DGI GmbH DGI GmbH Henkestraße 91 91052 Erlangen www.dgi-gmbh.com

GRAND Meeting The art of meeting: With our 24 individually designed function rooms, the hotel’s own “Gallery at the Elysée” and the renowned Block Collection comprising more than 600 exhibits, we offer the perfect cultural backdrop for your event, while our 511 spacious rooms and suites provide exquisite comfort for true relaxation.

Grand Elysée Hamburg Rothenbaumchaussee 10 | 20148 Hamburg | Germany | T +49 (0)40 / 41 41 2 -0 info@grand-elysee.com | www.grand-elysee.com

For more information and to make bookings, please call T+49 (0) 40 41 41 2 - 888 or email events@grand-elysee.com

CONGRESS DESTINATION GERMANY

Opportunities in the crisis thanks to great value for money and an ever brighter image n Even in the crisis Germany benefits from great value for money and an ever brighter image

SUPPLY

DEMAND

Total no. of conference and event venues

6,330

Convention and events cebtres (EC) Conference hotels (CH) Special venues

Events

2.76 mil. (-0.6%)

(+2%)

Average duration

1.7 days

(+0.3)

1,530 (+2.1%) 3,120 (+0.9%) 1,680 (+4.3%)

Total attendees

318 mil.

(+1%)

Thereof international

5.5 %

uropean organisers consider Germany as Europe’s number one meetings destination – outpacing all other EU member states: Asked to quote their favourite meetings destination, 36.7 per cent of organisers named Germany.

Tourist Board (DZT) and the German Convention Bureau (GCB) commissioned the European Institute for the Meetings Industry to examine the German meetings and events markets.

The events market is operating on a high level again in 2009: Germany boasts 6,330 meeting and event venues, two per cent more than last year. A total of 2.76 million events were held in 2008 and attendance was slightly up (+1%) on the previous year – 318 million delegates: almost four times as many as the German population.

n Key data and the most important

These are the key results of the Meeting & Event Barometer 2009, a survey of the German meetings and events market, unveiled at IMEX 2009. For the third time running, the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC), German National

findings at a glance A majority of experts forecast restrained development of meetings and events in external venues: nevertheless, 21.5 per cent agree that the number of outsourced events will grow despite the current economic situation. Over 40 per cent of all experts interviewed expressly stated that meetings and seminars – i.e. events of a more “work-focused” nature than incentives – will enjoy increasing importance. So, compared to other segments, most experts clearly see growth potential there.

(+0.2%)

Environmental and climate protection also plays a major role in the survey: Over half of all organisers (58 per cent) rates climate protection as either “important“ or as “very important“. At present, 15 per cent of organisers are “definitely” influenced by climate protection concerns when choosing a venue for their meeting or event. And 39 per cent believe that the subject has a “slight influence” on the choice of their preferred venue. Over half of all companies, associations and agencies would recommend projects with specific measures to protect the climate and the environment. You will find all the detailed results of the survey at: www.gcb.de

(Infocenter  MICE Info  Statistics)

www.manok.de, foto: juergenmai.com

WHAT TO WEAR DURING THE COMING CONGRESS SEASON.

Tailor-made solutions achieved through multifunctionality The darmstadtium science and congress centre offers numerous possibilities for combining and figuring its various rooms to exactly suit your own particular event. ❙ The “Spectrum” congress hall with a maximum capacity of 1,677 seats can be divided into two or three smaller halls; elevating platforms in the seating areas allow the hall to be transformed quickly from a smooth dance floor into an ascending auditorium. ❙ The surrounding foyer areas can be used in a multitude of ways, e.g. for exhibitions accompanying the main events. ❙ The 18 conference rooms can be combined flexibly and offer seating for a total of up to 1,300 persons. Enjoy the maximum degree of freedom when planning your event – thanks to multifunctionality in perfection.

TOP OPVEN VENU VEN UE FORGREEN FOR GREEN MEE EET TING INGS S

www.darmstadtium.de

www.germany-tourism.de

Conferences and conventions – perfectly organised and affordable

Business travel with a green bill of health

The number one country for conferences and conventions – Destination Germany, leading by example. Around 11,000 venues up and down the country offer a range of attractive packages for conferences and conventions. Some, for example, include heavily discounted train tickets for a relaxing and environmentally friendly journey to your conference destination. For more information on our business travel packages, visit Welcome to Destination Germany. Excellent value and extremely affordable.