Meetings made in Germany Issue 3 / 2015
The Newspaper of the German Convention Bureau
Interview on the “Travel for All” certificate
360 degrees barrier-free: Scandic Hotels Germany as a best practice example
Intercultural expertise – an essential skill for every conference interpreter
With Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) ... Page 2
The second sentence of Article 3.3 in Germany’s Constitution specifies ... Page 3
If you think interpreting means translating every single word of a speech from ... Page 4
German meetings industry presents itself as professional, innovative and sustainable at IBTM World 2015 ... Page 6
Barrier-free conventions and conferences Exchange and active participation – despite disabilities n the international competition for conferences and conventions, Germany also plays a leading role with respect to sustainability. Sustainability in the meetings industry consists in responsible actions aimed at conserving resources not only in the area of economy and ecology, but also in the area of social concerns and thus with regard to the aspect of accessibility. Germany’s Basic Law and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have established the right of individuals with disabilities to social participation. Conventions and conferences are to be open to all individuals for whom they are important. Individuals with disabilities – whether they are restrictions involving mobility, hearing, sight or of a cognitive nature – are to have the opportunity to participate equally and play a role in shaping their living and working environment.
event - from travel to and from the destination as well as overnight accommodation to catering as well as the programme of fringe events - to the needs of guests. Examples of that are designing a barrier-free internet version for participant management or planning a communicative get-together that dispenses with bistro tables for the benefit of participants in wheelchairs.
Germany offers good options for barrier-free events: in surveys conducted in connection with the “Meeting & EventBarometer 2015”, roughly 80 per cent of service providers stated that the subject is firmly established in their corporate philosophy. However, there is still room for improvement with regard to how accessibility is
White paper on the topic of “Accessibility” The GCB is currently working on a white paper on the subject of “Accessibility” which will provide recommendations, suggestions and inspiration for planning as well as implementing inclusive and barrier-free events. The white paper is
intended to highlight the most important standards and serve as an orientation aid for the industry. As of December 2015, the white paper will be available in German for interested individuals to download free of charge at www.gcb.de
communicated: only half of the event facilities provide information about the corresponding service on their websites and 65 per cent of the international event organisers surveyed evaluated the information content as inadequate. With the aid of measures such as a white paper on the topic of “Accessibility”, the GCB is helping the German meetings industry optimise that aspect as well in order to facilitate planning of barrier-free events. •
Main Focus Inclusion
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For event planning, that specifically means: it is important to tailor all of the elements of an
Preferred Partners
Strategic Partners
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Interview on the “Travel for All” certificate With Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) and Chair of the GCB’s Board of Directors How prominent are inclusive products and services in Germany’s global marketing campaigns as a travel destination? We identified and defined “Tourism for All” as a topic that was relevant to all our product lines many years ago. Target groups include older people, families with young children, people with temporarily restricted mobility (e.g. rehab patients) and people with permanent physical and/or mental disabilities. In order to address this area professionally, the GNTB works closely with the sponsoring members of “Tourism for All, Germany” (National Committee), the working group “Barrier-Free Destinations in Germany”, the state working group “Tourism for All” and further partners in Germany’s tourism sector. How large is the potential market for inclusive travel in Germany? According to current studies by the market research institute GfK, Europe is home to around 140 million people with specific accessibility requirements. Around half this number travelled within the EU in 2012. People of working age with disabilities, i.e. between 15 and 64 years old, make up just over one third of the market. Every year, they complete around 340 million journeys – with or without an overnight stay – and the trend is upwards. Over-64s currently make a further 450 million trips annually. By 2020, the growth of this demographic group alone means the segment is set to expand to around 520 million journeys. If we now include additional target groups, such as families with young children, the potential is clearly enormous.
The current GfK study concludes that inclusive, accessible products and services will significantly increase demand from older or disabled travellers. Assuming the availability of sufficient appropriate facilities, this sector could generate additional demand of approx. 280,000 journeys in Europe. What potential do you see for barrier-free products in the MICE segment? Business travel is an important economic factor in Germany’s tourism industry. Europeans made a total of 61.8 million business trips in 2014 and – according to IPK, a tourism consulting company – 12.3 million of these were to Germany. Germany is not only the market leader in European business travel but also one of the world’s top destinations for business travellers. Overall, our partners in the meetings industry have built a very successful position in the area of sustainability over recent years. Many providers have documented the sustainability of their products and services through the “Right and Fair” sustainability codex or similar certification programmes. However, until now, their efforts in sustainability have focused primarily on environmental protection, energy management, conservation of resources etc. Providers are only gradually recognising that accessibility and inclusion are important aspects of sustainability as well. If German meeting and convention centres position themselves successfully, they will be able to maintain and extend Germany’s competitive advantages as a MICE location. How do you remove barriers, what does it involve?
There are many areas where we can remove barriers, especially in the meetings industry – not only in the venues themselves but in the complete package as perceived by the customer during his business trip. It is an issue for every service provider involved in transporting participants to and from events, the hotel sector, catering, shuttles, activities beyond the core event, city tours etc. Every aspect of the event along the service chain and of the accompanying programme must be adapted to cater for the needs of its guests. Accessibility involves more than technical solutions that offer disabled people physical access to an event or enable them to perceive it. It requires service providers to be aware of special needs and well trained – from event planners to staff on the ground. If we can spread this understanding of accessibility and inclusion far and wide, Germany will become even more attractive as a MICE location in the future. What must we do to communicate the need for and achieve accessibility? The key factors are professional consulting and management as well as communication, which is implemented based on standards and external auditing (not self-disclosure). Disabled guests must be able to find information using standardised and well-understood principles.
Petra Hedorfer, CEO of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) and Chair of the GCB’s Board of Directors
and services. The initiative developed a system for certification, training courses and a national labelling standard, which has been in use since 2014. As a result, we expect that an ever greater number of tourism services will be audited by experts in accordance with a uniform national system over the coming years. Tour operators and people with restricted mobility or other disabilities will then be able to access reliable information for designing their products and planning their journeys. This system could potentially be used in the MICE segment as well to document the level of accessibility and inclusion at events.
This is why the GNTB is participating in a major project being run by the Federal Minstry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), which has created uniform quality criteria and clear labelling standards for barrier-free products
Europe’s largest business travel event: VDR & GBTA Conference 2015 “Future Meeting Space” Innovation Network
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he Business Travel Association of Germany (VDR) and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) have issued an invitation for a joint conference in Frankfurt am Main from November 9th to 11th, 2015. More than 900 participants from over 20 countries are expected to attend the largest European business travel event in 2015. As the keynote speaker, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr will talk about the upcoming changes at airlines, their impact on the industry and the future plans and strategies of Lufthansa. In the course of another keynote address, Rob Greyber, the president of the business travel company Egencia, will describe developments relating to marketing of business trips and
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sales and will provide a look behind the scenes of new distribution strategies. The GCB will also contribute content to the programme of the conference with its “Future Meeting Space” project: in the breakout session entitled “New Broom, New Rooms - Re-Booting The Corporate Meeting Track: Mapping The Road Ahead”, Stefan Rief from the Fraunhofer Institute will talk about the innovation network called “Future Meeting Space” which the GCB has initiated together with the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).
What factors will influence the success of conference and convention locations in future? How important will networking of virtual rooms and participation of attendees be in the year 2030? What challenges will arise in connection with information and data security? Those questions and others are the central focus of the “Future Meeting Space” project, which analyses and systematises developments as well as innovations in the fields of society, methodology and didactics, technology, infrastructure and mobility. As its first result, at the end of 2015 the project will present an innovation catalogue with the highlights from a total of almost 120 innovations that were examined.
In the course of further steps, a “Future Meeting Space” is to be designed as a use case and showcase as well as realised and evaluated in an operational setting, where applicable. Besides the lead managers German Convention Bureau (GCB) and European Association of Event Centres (EVVC) as well as Fraunhofer IAO as the project consultant, additional members of the innovation network are the research partners KFP Five Star Conference Service, SevenCenters of Germany, visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office, Tourismus NRW and Drees & Sommer. Interested companies are invited to also take part in the project as research partners. www.gcb.de/en/future-meeting-space
360 degrees barrier-free: Scandic Hotels Germany as a best practice example The second sentence of Article 3.3 in Germany’s Constitution specifies that “no one must suffer discrimination on account of their disability”. This may sound very simple, but for nearly 9.6 million Germans with officially recognised disabilities it means no less than the ability to participate in the life of society. Thanks to barrier-free facilities, disabled persons and the elderly can be integrated and included in public life and particularly also in the workplace.
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or event planners accessibility is becoming increasingly relevant against the background of demographic change and the need for inclusion. Any planning of barrierfree conferences and meetings presents a number of challenges: Is the venue reasonably accessible for disabled persons? Are the facilities suitable for people with a variety of disabilities? For instance, can visually impaired persons and wheelchair users move around the venue with sufficient ease? Are there enough barrier-free toilets and accommodation options? Are technical facilities available, such as induction loops for people with hearing impairments? The questions that need to be addressed in the run-up to a barrier-free meeting are numerous and vary from case to case.
to ensure that guests can stay in a barrierfree environment. This includes extra-wide corridors and doors, inductive sound systems, wheelchair-friendly parquet flooring, Braille on all signs and buttons as well as door viewers at seat height. These are just some of the many measures taken by Scandic Hotels Germany at its conference facilities.
“Barrier-free facilities always need space,” says Klaas Brose, CEO of the Berlin Disabled Sports Association. For example, when he planned the executive committee meeting of his association, he made particularly sure that wheelchair users could move around easily. “There are a large variety of disabilities among our workforce. This makes it all the more important to have a wide range of barrier-free facilities,” says Perdita Müller, who represents disabled employees at Bertelsmann SE & Co. KG.
At the Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz and Scandic Hamburg Emporio at least ten per cent of all rooms are barrier-free, i.e. more than stipulated by German law. With its 33 barrierfree rooms, the Scandic Hamburg Emporio would have enough space to accommodate an entire wheelchair basketball team – a fact which may become particularly relevant when various cities will be competing to hold the 2024 Paralympics. It was this wide range of facilities that prompted IRMA to hold its event in Hamburg instead of Bremen this year, showing that accessibility is a major economic factor.
When planning and conducting barrier-free meetings and events, these two institutions have found a reliable partner in Scandic Hotels Germany, a chain which has also served the International Rehabilitation and Mobility Trade Fair for Everybody (IRMA). Scandic Hotels are a chain that sees itself as being there for everyone, with accessibility as an integral part of its comprehensive sustainability policy. Scandic’s Accessibility Standards specify 135 technical and architectural measures
“Uncompromising attention to accessibility is outstanding at Scandic,” says Klaas Brose. The chain’s barrier-free policy covers all five senses, e.g. through the use of coloured routing systems and announcement systems in lifts. Even the websites of the hotels have been optimised in such a way that they can be read by visually impaired persons via screen readers, enabling them to plan their stay independently.
However, accessibility is not just a matter of architectural and technical aspects. It is also substantially related to issues of awareness and the creation of awareness. For over 10 years now Scandic Hotels have had a specially designated Disability Officer, Magnus Berglund, who is responsible for the further development of the chain’s 135-point plan and for the provision of staff training. Regular training and awareness workshops are held for hotel staff
Magnus Berlund, Accessibility Officer of the Scandic Group since 2003, is always accompanied by his guide dog, Dixie.
on how to serve people with special needs. Thanks to this 360-degree approach, Scandic
Hotels are seen as exemplary in matters of barrier-free travelling and conferences.
Awards Germany has a nationwide accessibility marking system, called “Travelling for Everyone”. For the first time the information that is required by guests has been recorded by specially trained data gatherers and rated on the basis of clear and transparent quality criteria. The Scandic Hamburg Emporio has received certification as being “barrier-free for people with walking disabilities” and also “barrier-free for
wheelchair users”. This makes it the only wheelchair-friendly hotel in Hamburg. The Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz has been certified as “barrier-free for people with walking disabilities and partly for people with visual impairments”. Scandic Hotels Germany have received the 2015 Golden Wheelchair Award for their comprehensive accessibility policy from the Centre of Independent Living (ZsL) in Stuttgart.
Lufthansa offers many services for passengers with restricted mobility Above all, we offer support for a wide range of special needs when booking flights, at the airport and on board the aircraft. To help us to make the best possible preparations, please register your additional needs immediately when booking your flight – but no later than 48 hours before departure. Allow enough time to travel to the airport, check in, relax and use any support services you may require at the airport.
If you have any additional questions, please contact your travel agent or us directly. We offer detailed information at Tel. +49 (0) 800 - 838 4267 (free of charge from German landlines). You can find further information at: ˜˜ www.lufthansa.com/de/en/ Travelers-with-special-needs
Depending on the service reserved, passengers with restricted mobility receive preferential treatment and are accompanied onto the aircraft before other passengers if necessary. Many airports offer special services for guests with restricted mobility. For details please visit the websites of the airports you will be using.
MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY – 3/2015 – 3
Intercultural expertise – an essential skill for every conference interpreter I f you think interpreting means translating every single word of a speech from one language into another – think again! You have overlooked the many thought processes, which an interpreter has to master instinctively. To avoid confusion, an interpreter must know something of the background of the speaker and audience. For example, a “public school” in America is a state run school open to all. In England, it is a private boarding school. In Portugal, “rapariga” is the word for a girl while in Brazil it means prostitute. To translate a word correctly, it is sometimes important to know the nationality of the speaker. Here is an example from the Arab world: an English politician and his Arab counterpart had just concluded some unsuccessful negotiations. The Englishman was disappointed that he had not achieved his aims. “I feel like a beaten dog,” he said. “I’m going home with my tail between my legs.” For an Arab, it is unthinkable to describe oneself or anyone else as a “dog”. It is an intolerable insult. The interpreter found an Arabic word, which communicated the same meaning but excluded dogs or other animals and was aesthetically acceptable to the Arab politician. Interpreters often filter expressions – without altering the meaning – in order to soften the edges and take account of the rules of etiquette in both cultures. Italian, for example, is spiked with swear words and insults, which may sound very nice but are entirely below
the belt. They have lost their true meaning and are only intended to add emphasis. The interpreter must remember this when finding a suitable German formulation. He must adequately communicate the content in such a way that the German and Italian interlocutors can understand each other perfectly – both linguistically and culturally. At a meeting of the supervisory board of a major German company, tempers flared when the CEO drew a guest’s attention to an unpaid sum of approx. € 1 million although the discussion was about a sum in the billions. The guest was a high ranking Arab politician, who commented casually, “That’s OK”. Once again, the CEO asked whether he could assume that the country would pay. The guest lost his temper. The interpreter had to pour oil on
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troubled waters, expressing the feelings of the furious guest – but with greater courtesy, diplomacy and avoiding any insult. He also had to make the CEO understand “that’s OK” implied an absolute guarantee of payment! Gestures, too, have different meanings in different cultures. One interpreter visited an Indian lady in hospital. The staff told her that the lady always shook her head when offered tea or water! Fortunately, the interpreter knew that shaking the head is the Indian way of showing agreement. These are just a few examples of the challenges interpreters can face every day. It is an exhilarating, multi-faceted job. Cultural differences mean that interpreters must always be prepared and expect the unexpected!
When carefully preparing for a job, any support they find is all the more welcome.
Ms Heidi Kokkinis-Brotz graduated in interpreting at the Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies of the University of Mainz in Germersheim. While working as a freelance conference interpreter, she founded the company BBK Gesellschaft für moderne Sprachen mbH in Germersheim together with her husband. BBK has been the official interpreting partner of Messe Frankfurt for 45 years. Teams of BBK conference interpreters work in a wide range of specialist areas and languages at conventions throughout Germany. BBK has been a member of the GCB for approximately 25 years.
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German Convention Bureau (GCB) announces head for new China office Henghong Yang to bring Destination, Meetings & Local Market Expertise to In-Country Meeting Planners and German supplier partners
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s a key part of the German Convention Bureau’s (GCB) already announced plans to step up its efforts in the international meetings market and specifically China, the GCB today announced that it has appointed Mr. Henghong Yang to head its new Beijing office, which opened September 1, 2015. This new China office joins as the second international location of the GCB (headquartered in Frankfurt), along with its New York City office that covers the US and Canadian meetings markets. Mr. Yang will offer his extensive experience in marketing European destinations in the China market through his previous work for the Austrian National Tourist Office and Switzerland Tourism. He also worked in the MICE practice, and other areas, at tour operator China CYTS. This latest development with the GCB in China builds on initial marketing and outreach work done with its strategic partner, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) in 2014, including media interviews, education tours and an online training class, which has been completed by over 1,000 Chinese planners and meetings professionals to date.
With the joining of Mr. Yang, Chinese planners and partners will now be able to fully enjoy all of the benefits that a local GCB office provides including knowledgeable and extensive support that addresses the specific needs, requirements and guidelines of local meetings markets. For example, more and more companies and associations in China are looking to place events in locations that correspond with their fields of interest such as automotive, pharmaceutical & health, technology, energy and much more which lines up with the GCB’s industries expertise strategy. This synergy can lead to even more meetings potential for Germany, as the two countries have strong business ties and Chinese meetings in Germany are on the rise. “16 per cent of all outbound trips taken by Chinese travelers in 2014 were business trips. Of the Chinese travelers who visited Germany, 32 per cent came on business. A long-term marketing strategy is required to tap into this huge and ever-growing potential,” explains Petra Hedorfer, Chief Executive Officer of the GNTB and Chair of the Board of Directors of the GCB.
Mr. Henghong Yang, head of GCB Beijing office
“Our new team member Mr. Yang brings just the experience we need to solidify our marketing and relationship development work in China. The Chinese market holds great promise and we are delighted to have the office up and running under Mr. Yang’s leadership,” added
Matthias Schultze, Managing Director of the GCB. Further information is available at ˜˜ www.germany-meetings.com
New locations as of 2016 Bodenseeforum Konstanz
marinaForum Regensburg
The new Bodenseeforum Konstanz is located right on the banks of the waterway called Seerhein, which connects the two basins of Lake Constance; the opening is scheduled for autumn 2016. After purchasing a light-filled solar research centre for 4 million Euros Euro and remodelling it to create an ultra-modern conference and convention facility for the amount of 13 million Euros, Bodenseeforum Konstanz will offer an extremely variable spatial concept: all in all, the total area of 2,000 square metres will be able to accommodate up to 14 event venues with between 63 and 1,560 square metres of floor space. The large hall alone contains up to 1,100 seats and can be reconfigured in eleven different ways. Huge glassed-in walls in almost every room provide views of the water and the nearby old town centre.
As of the spring of 2017, the conference and convention centre marinaForum Regensburg will expand the range of options for event planners in eastern Bavaria. The marinaForum, another protected historical landmark in the UNESCO World Heritage City Regensburg, will be available for conferences and events. The most impressive feature of the marinaForum, which is an industrial monument that was built in the year 1888, is a ceiling structure called “Zollinger ceiling” named after its architect: it is protected under a preservation order. In the new Marina Quartier in the eastern part of the city, the marinaForum will facilitate conferences and conventions on an area of almost 4,200 square metres.
The conference and convention centre is located in the heart of the Lake Constance region with its four adjacent countries – Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein – one of the most innovative and attractive regions in Europe. The city of Konstanz itself makes a terrific impression thanks to its modern hotel sector, first-class restaurants and a large number of leisure and cultural options.
CCH – Congress Center Hamburg As of 2017, the CCH - Congress Center Hamburg will be remodelled and two years later it will be available for use in line with state-of-the-art standards – still as one of Europe’s largest convention centres with 12,000 square metres of exhibition floor space, a foyer area that is just as large and 12,000 seats in up to 50 halls and rooms. Then it will be possible for several events to be held simultaneously with virtually no limitations, and the extremely spacious foyer will be ideal for product presentations and marketing events. The location of the CCH - Congress Center Hamburg – in the heart of the city, close to hotels and the ICE railway station at Dammtor – also contributes to the attractiveness of the event facility. After the remodelling and expansion of the CCH for a total of 194 million Euros, the convention centre intends to achieve the same successes as in the past decades and would even like to intensify them: for example, CCH is already one of the Top 3 venues for annual general meetings in Germany with over 15,000 events in 42 years as well as 17 million visitors from Germany and abroad. In future, its strategy will continue to focus primarily on large international conventions.
The marinaForum will set standards especially with regard to sustainability of construction and operation: thus, right from the start it will be certified as a sustainable building and will be integrated into the existing sustainability system for event management of the tourism organisation Regensburg Tourismus. For example, existing well water systems will be used to cool the barrier-free building; LEDs for the lighting systems will ensure energy conservation. Sustainability goals with respect to mobility are supported by provision of free parking spaces for car pools as well as bicycle lockers and proximity to the old town centre.
Rhein-Main-Hallen Wiesbaden In the past 60 years, the Rhein-Main-Hallen fair and exhibition facility has made a decisive contribution towards the establishment of Wiesbaden as a convention location. With the aid of a total investment of 194 million Euros, since June 2014 the future Rhein-Main-Hallen facility is being newly built at the same location; as of January 2018 it will serve as a regionally and nationally leading event centre with a one-of-a-kind architectural design and the highest level of functionality and flexibility. The basic structure of the future Rhein-Main-Hallen facility will consist of two large halls on the ground floor with a total floor area of almost 8,000 square metres. On the upper level, there is a hall with 2,400 square metres of floor area as well as a large number of breakout rooms for small group sessions and lounges. Each of the rooms can be divided with the aid of mobile partitions. Thanks to the flexible spatial concept, several events can be held simultaneously with attractive subzones, separate access and their own infrastructure. The proximity of Frankfurt Airport, which is about 30 minutes away, as well as its central location in the capital city of the State of Hesse are unbeatable locational advantages.
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German meetings industry presents itself as professional, innovative and sustainable at IBTM World 2015
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BTM World (formerly EIBTM), one of the world’s biggest trade fairs for meetings, incentive events, conventions and other events, will be held in Barcelona from 17 to 19 November 2015. Working together with 55 German event locations as well as with marketing organisations of local councils and also with hotels and further service providers, the German Convention Bureau (GCB) will showcase Germany as the leading international location for meetings, conferences and other events. Germany has now been the number one among Europe’s conference and meeting locations for over a decade. It owes this success to its outstanding infrastructure, excellent value for money and the expertise of German local councils and regions in significant spheres of business and research which are of relevance to the various focal areas of events. These areas of expertise will be highlighted at the German stand together with the innovative potential of the German meetings industry and the available options for “green” meetings in Germany. In addition, event planners will be given valuable tips on how to assess a venue and how to create customer loyalty. They will also receive up-to-date information on current trends in products and services.
Targeting hosted buyers, in particular, GCB will give three destination-specific presentations on each day. The German group stands form part of the foreign trade fair programme of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is participating with its German Pavilions in collaboration with the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA). Companies with products and services “made in Germany” thus have a tool to promote their international trade operations on favourable conditions. In 2014 EIBTM attracted over 8,700 trade visitors, hosted buyers and journalists from all over the world wanting to learn about the products and services which were offered by more than 2,900 international exhibitors. Around 4,000 top buyers were invited and took part in the trade fair under the hosted buyers’ programme, conducting about 78,000 meetings with exhibitors.
Conferences Events Conventions Incentive travel
· Conference capacity up to 10.500 people · Centrally located in the city centre · Historic old town/UNESCO World Heritage · 100 hotels with more than 10.000 beds · International airport with easy access
Looking for ideas? We’ll deliver them! Bremen Convention Bureau Tel.: +49 (0)421 30 800 16 kongress@bremen-tourism.de 6 – MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY – 3/2015
www.bremen-convention.com
BTZ BREMER TOURISTIK-ZENTRALE
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Find an overview of the German exhibitors under www.ibtmworld.com and www.germany-meetings.com
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Hamburg Convention Bureau GmbH F50/09 Hamburg Saskia Müller saskia.mueller@hamburg-convention.com www.hamburg-convention.com
Crowne Plaza Berlin Potsdamer Platz F50/41 Berlin Alia Nofal alia.nofal@ihg.com www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/ berlin/bercp/hoteldetail
InterContinental Hotel Berlin GmbH F50/41 Berlin Jennifer Blaurock jennifer.blaurock@ihg.com www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/ berlin/berha/hoteldetail
ARCOTEL Hotels F50/19 Wien Eva Eisenberger eva.eisenberger@arcotelhotels.com www.arcotelhotels.com
Dorint Hotel an der Messe Köln GmbH F50/ Köln Domenico Zampirri domenico.zampirri@dorint.com www.dorint.com
Interline Hamburg Hamburg Michael Schnute michael.schnute@interline.de www.limousinenservice.de
F50/10
ATLANTIC Hotels Bremen Ulrich Ponty info@atlantic-hotels.de www.atlantic-hotels.de/en/
Dresden Convention Bureau F50/18 c/o Dresden Marketing Board Dresden Susan Maiwald susan.maiwald@marketing.dresden.de www.dresden.de/convention
KölnKongress GmbH Köln Franca Wenzl f.wenzl@koelnkongress.de www.koelnkongress.de
F50/13
Kongresshotel Potsdam am Templiner See Potsdam Ute Doering ute.doering@hukg.de www.kongresshotel-potsdam.de
F50/07
Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH Leipzig Hiskia Wiesner congress@ltm-leipzig.de www.do-it-at-leipzig.com
F50/40
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Bonn Region Convention Bureau F50/16 (Tourismus & Congress GmbH Region Bonn / Rhein-Sieg / Ahrweiler) Bonn Ulrich Jünger u.juenger@bonn-region.de www.bonn-region.de/convention
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Düsseldorf Congress Sport & F50/15 Event GmbH Düsseldorf Barbara Himmes himmesb@d-cse.de www.d-cse.de
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Maritim Hotel & Internationales Congress Center Dresden Dresden Jörg Bacher jbacher.dre@maritim.de www.maritim.com
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Maritim Hotels Darmstadt Kristina Schmitz info.vki@maritim.com www.maritim.com
F50/21
Messe Berlin GmbH | Messe Berlin Guest Events Berlin Messe Berlin Guest Events guestevents@messe-berlin.de www.messe-berlin.de
F50/31
MR Congress & Incentive GmbH Berlin Mari Sáez m.saez@mr-congress.com www.mr-congress.com
F50/38
Ostrapark Dresden - Event & Congress Center Dresden Jörg Ullrich info@ostrapark.de www.ostrapark.de
F50/17
Tempelhof Projekt GmbH Berlin Susann Knießner info@tempelhof-projekt.de www.thf-berlin.de
F50/33
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The George-Hotel Hamburg Hamburg Oriana Hertlein ohertlein@thegeorge-hotel.de www.thegeorge-hotel.de
F50/09
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Leonardo Hotels Berlin Franziska Hartung sales@leonardo-hotels.com www.leonardo-hotels.com
F50/08
Palazzo Italia - Römischer Hof Berlin Evelin Ratti evelin.ratti@fieramilano.it www.palazzo-italia.com
CCH - Congress Center Hamburg Hamburg Vera Többen vera.toebben@cch.de www.the-new-cch.com
F50/09
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Lindner Hotel City Plaza Köln Köln Diana Sieger diana.sieger@lindner.de www.lindner.de
F50/14
Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin F50/38 Berlin Anika Kittler anika.kittler@radissonblu.com www.radissonblu.com/de/hotel-berlin
Cologne Convention Bureau - The Meetropolis Köln Lea Scholtysik info@conventioncologne.de www.conventioncologne.de
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Estrel Berlin / Estrel Congress & Messe Center Berlin Diane Pentaleri-Otto d.pentaleri-otto@estrel.com www.estrel.com/en/home.html
Lindner Hotels & Resorts Düsseldorf Michael Wilkens michael.wilkens@lindner.de www.lindner.de
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Radisson Blu Hotel, Hamburg F50/09 Hamburg Kathrin Sichau kathrin.sichau@radissonblu.com www.radissonblu.com/hotel-hamburg
Conference & Touring GmbH Berlin Maika Richter maika.richter@dmcgermany.de www.dmcgermany.de
F50/32
Lobster Experience GmbH & Co. KG F50/22 Offenbach Dominique Liggins dominique@lobster-experience.com www.lobster-collection.com
Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz F50/34 Berlin Claudia Gensert claudia.gensert@scandichotels.com www.scandichotels.com/Hotels/Germany/
Lufthansa Group Airlines Frankfurt am Main Claudia Wilhelm fraspecialsegmentsaxp@dlh.de www.lufthansagroup.com
F50/03
Scandic Hamburg Emporio Hamburg Janine Rhode janine.rhode@scandichotels.com www.scandichotels.com
Lufthansa Training & Conference Center Seeheim Seeheim-Jugenheim Kristian Straub Kristian.Straub@dlh.de www.lufthansa-seeheim.de
F50/02
German Convention Bureau Frankfurt am Main Ursula Winterbauer winterbauer@gcb.de www.germany-meetings.com
F50/01
Steigenberger Hotel Drei Mohren F50/10 Augsburg Sebastian Werner sebastian.werner@augsburg.steigenberger.de www.augsburg.steigenberger.de
F50/23
ELLINGTON HOTEL BERLIN Berlin Sales Office sales@ellington-hotel.com www.ellington-hotel.com
F50/09
Steigenberger Airport Hotel Frankfurt F50/10 Frankfurt am Main Verena Held verena.held@steigenberger.com www.airporthotel-frankfurt.steigenberger.com
F50/07
F50/25
Gastwerk Hotel Hamburg (GmbH + Co. KG) Hamburg Stefan Pallasch spallasch@fortune-hotels.com www.gastwerk.com
Sofitel Berlin Kurfuerstendamm F50/35 Berlin Nikolaus B. Grasmugg nikolaus.grasmugg@sofitel.com www.sofitel-berlin-kurfuerstendamm.com
Teamgeist GmbH Berlin Isabel Lippold i.lippold@web.de www.teamgeist.com
capricorn NUERBURGRING GmbH Nuerburg Silke Hoffmann business@nuerburgring.de www.nuerburgring.de/business
Freiburg Convention Bureau / F50/06 Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co.KG Freiburg i. Breisgau Friederike Lang friederike.lang@fwtm.de www.messen-kongresse-events.freiburg.de
30
NürnbergConvention F50/11 Nürnberg Sabina Linke sabina.linke@nuernberg-convention.de www.nuernberg-convention.de
F50/09
convention bureau DÜSSELDORF - F50/12 The Meetropolis Düsseldorf Nathalie Odermann info@convention-duesseldorf.com www.convention-duesseldorf.com
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F50/05
east Hotel Hamburg Hamburg Philipp Tu p.tu@east-hamburg.de www.east-hamburg.de
Frankfurt Convention Bureau F50/04 Frankfurt am Main Mareike Kitz congress@infofrankfurt.de www.frankfurt-convention-bureau.com
20
Stuttgart Convention Bureau | Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH Stuttgart Convention Bureau Stuttgart Heike Ade heike.ade@congress-stuttgart.de www.congress-stuttgart.com
BRÄHLER ICS Konferenztechnik AG F50/17 Dresden Holger Lange dresden@braehler.com www.braehler.com
Congress Frankfurt, F50/04 Messe Frankfurt Venue GmbH Frankfurt am Main Christine Grimm christine.grimm@messefrankfurt.com www.congressfrankfurt.de
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29
F50/37
Andel´s Hotel Berlin Berlin Monika Will monika.will@andelsberlin.com www.andelsberlin.com
19
36
Exhibitors at the German Pavilion, booth F50 CPO HANSER SERVICE GmbH Berlin Katrin Suchi ksuchi@cpo-hanser.de www.cpo-hanser.de
18
06 22
IBTM World Date: 17.-19. November 2015 Venue: “Fira Barcelona” Barcelona, Spain Exhibitors: around 3.000 international exhibitors Website: www.ibtmworld.com
25hours Hotel Number One & F50/09 25hours Hotel HafenCity Hamburg Stefan Pallasch spallasch@fortune-hotels.com www.25hours-hotels.com/de/hamburg-hotels.html
23
F50/09
TITANIC Business Berlin F50/39 Berlin Antonios Salapatas a.salapatas@titanic-hotels.de www.titanic.com.tr/titanicdeluxeberlin vairRes GmbH Augsburg Herwig Mayr info@vairres.com www.vairres.com
F50/26
visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office F50/29 Berlin Katharina Waschke convention@visitBerlin.de convention.visitberlin.de/en Wiesbaden Congress Alliance F50/20 Wiesbaden Anne Motzki anne.motzki@wiesbaden-marketing.de www.wiesbaden.de/kongressallianz
MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY – 3/2015 – 7
Cologne – New Meeting Point Cologne and Meeting Planner Whether it is a conference, congress or trade fair, Cologne offers ideal conditions for congress organizers and participants: optimal accessibility, 165 venues, a congress centre with its own ICE train connection, first class-hotels and excellent connections between the science and business sector.
I
ndeed, as far as science goes Cologne has 14 universities with a huge potential of knowledge transfer. And this potential is also reflected in various social programmes on offer. Likewise, Cologne’s mentality and creativity define the city permanently and provide the ingredients required to offer the guests an exciting range of entertainment. The new Meeting Point Cologne 2015 | 2016 brochure published by the Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB) puts the city in the limelight as a destination for conferences, meetings and events. The 138-page handbook for the event management sector presents in seven chapters the various facets of Cologne as a convention destination. These includes the city’s strong scientific and economy sector, its numerous congresses and trade fairs, its multifaceted cultural scene and its top-class events – just as the special Rhenish way of life that makes Cologne unique. In the service section of the „Meeting Point Cologne“ more than 100 location and service partners are presented, such as meeting venues, catering services and providers for social programmes. In order to adapt to digitization, the Cologne Convention Bureau is offering its online service for event planners in a new innovative format. At www.locations. cologne, you can find all information about conference hotels, event centres and locations and providers of event services such as transport companies and caterers. The newly designed interactive website of the meeting planner optimally adapts itself to end-user devices such as smartphones, personal computers and tablets. The meeting planner’s user-friendliness is guaranteed by its clear structure, simple operation and attractive high-quality images. ˜˜ www.conventioncologne.com ˜˜ www.locations.cologne
Enter stage left! Longevity and diversity in Cologne.
Age fast for a photo shoot*. The Cologne Convention Bureau shows you how. The team, young and old alike, would also be delighted to help you put on the perfect event. Independently, authentically, at no cost, and just as fast. ted in re crea ons we part of the ti a rm o s transf Opera a , “longevit y and the ologne e *Photos on with the C current them sition”. ti ’s ra m tran ru in Fo coope ty ie ce Scien — a soc Cologne it y in Cologne rs and dive
www.conventioncologne.de www.locations.cologne
8 – MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY – 3/2015
Frankfurt: “We are the champions” – of the Internet! Event planners looking for locations that feature specific industries bundled together alongside business-relevant IT networks are certain to find Frankfurt and its comprehensive service offer to their liking. That’s because the metropolis on the River Main is home to one of the most important technical fields of expertise – the field of IT and Telecommunications.
W
hen people speak of Germany’s “hidden champions”, they speak of the so-called “Mittelstand” – medium-sized businesses. When people speak of Frankfurt, they speak of the city’s international airport, the financial institutions, the much-used Autobahn interchange and the many historical sightseeing attractions.
What people generally do no mention when speaking of Frankfurt is the Internet. In the eyes of history, the Internet is merely a child. Today, however, nearly 2.5 billion people are online all around the world. Every minute, some 25,000 online purchases are made with Amazon, more than 15,000 songs are downloaded via iTunes and over five million videos are watched on Youtube. But just like electricity coming from a power outlet, watching a video on your computer requires technical effort. In other words, the Internet is not a given. This is where Frankfurt – the “hidden champion of the Internet” – comes into play. For us to watch a video clip on our screens, the individual data packets making up this video first have to travel a long way on the Internet’s “data highways”, passing through countless kilometres of fibre-optics cable from the server of origin to the terminal device. Here, “data highway hubs” – the distribution centres for the exchange of digital data – play a key role in ensuring that these data transfers occur without fail. In this case, it is Frankfurt’s data centres and, in particular, De-Cix, the operator of the world’s largest Internet exchange, that ensure that data gets from “A” to “B”. In 2015, De-Cix in Frankfurt became the first operator to achieve the record figure of four Terabit per second (Tbps). To give you some idea of how impressive this is, imagine printing out
and filing away enough data to surround all of Frankfurt with ring binders – a mere 113 kilometres’ worth. That’s how much data DeCix transfers in less than two seconds. Frankfurt has not only taken pole position in matters of data exchange, it is also playing a flourishing role in the business of Internet infrastructures. The aforementioned companies – Amazon, iTunes and YouTube, for example – all have large-scale server installations based in Frankfurt. Frankfurt is an essential location for companies seeking business success via the Internet. At the moment, independent data centre providers operate more than 400,000 square metres of technical floor space in Frankfurt. Tens of thousands of kilometres of fibre optics cable ensure connection reliability, while the city’s electricity supply is one of the most failsafe around. These are the reasons why Frankfurt was responsible for approximately half of the growth in the European data centre market during the first few months of 2015. Not surprisingly, this industry plays an important economic role in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region. In fact, more than half of the 100,000plus jobs of the network/infrastructure and operations sector of Germany’s Internet industry are situated in Frankfurt Rhine-Main, with further growth expected. The share of the Internet in total value added is also on the rise. By now, it is believed to make up almost 2% of Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP). As things stand, double-digit percentage growth is very achievable. Aside from keywords like “big data” or “cloud computing”, it is the constantly increasing data volume in
the mobile devices segment that is behind the current wave of success. In 2014, worldwide mobile data traffic increased by 69%, going from approximately 1.5 to 2.5 Exabyte. Within five years, that figure is expected to increase to a whopping 25 Exabyte. For a comparison of what this means, let’s put it in more simplistic terms: Five Exabyte of data is said to be equivalent to every word ever spoken by mankind throughout the annals of history. Frank Zachmann, member of the management board of DigitalHub Frankfurt Rhein-Main and one of the leading promoters of Frankfurt as a digital traffic hub, says: “One of the members of our association summed it up very nicely: “When airports close for several days because of a volcanic eruption, everyone is happy about the peace and quiet and people simply stop flying around world for a while. But when the Internet suddenly goes offline, even for just a few hours, people simply do not know what
to do!” Zachmann continues: “Only a few maintain them, but everyone uses them – digital infrastructures are the highways of the 21st century.” Frankfurt is about more than history and tradition, about more than trade and commerce. It is a modern-day champion of technology – from Frankfurt, the traffic and transport hub, to Frankfurt, the Internet hub. There are plenty of reasons why the world’s biggest IT and telecommunications firms hold their events in Frankfurt year after year (e.g., SAPPHIRE NOW 2010, with 16,000 participants). Simply put, Frankfurt is the place, and Frankfurt has the space. For further information on DigitalHub Frankfurt Rhein-Main and the service offers of the Frankfurt Convention Bureau, please visit: ˜˜ www.digitalhub-frm.de/en/ ˜˜ www.frankfurt-convention-bureau.com
A new trump card for Leipzig: the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig
L
eipzig has various reasons to celebrate in 2015. It is exactly 1,000 years since the first reference was made to the city in historical records. And the opening of the KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig convention centre adds another venue to its rich tapestry of attractive facilities. It is operated by the CCL Congress Center Leipzig and occupies an outstanding location in the city centre, close to hotels of all categories as well as a wide choice of restaurants and bars. Event organisers profit from the CCL’s experience, network and excellent reputation. These ensure that the new venue, too, is backed by the integrated event management expertise of the Leipziger Messe Group. Like the CCL, the KONGRESSHALLE is also a parter of the convention initiative “do-it-at-leipzig.de”, which has been a major factor in boosting Leipzig’s image as a location for meetings of all kinds for many years. The initiative is the first point of contact for event organisers and offers a detailed search function for finding service providers on its website at www.do-it-at-leipzig.de. Leipzig’s scientific expertise, especially in medicine but also in biotechnology, the automobile industry, logistics, energy and environmental research is clearly reflected in the city’s convention diary. For example, next year it will host the conventions of the German
Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the German Society of Urology and the German, Austrian and Swiss Societies for Haematology and Medical Oncology. In addition, the 10th International Congress on Autoimmunity,
the German Anaesthesia Convention, the 97th German Radiology Congress and the International Transport Forum will all take place at the CCL.
The KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig will be presented together with the initiative “do-itat-leipzig.de” at the Germany Stand at IBTM world in Barcelona from 17.-19.11.2015. ˜˜ www.do-it-at-leipzig.com
MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY – 3/2015 – 9
simply inspiring www.muenchen.de/kongresse www.muenchen.de/incentives
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Imprint Publisher GCB German Convention Bureau e. V.
GCB Branch Office North America
Kaiserstraße 53 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
Executive Board: Matthias Schultze, V.i.S.d.P.: Tamara Bebion, Birgit Pacher Editorial Staff: GCB German Convention Bureau e. V.
10 – MEETINGS MADE IN GERMANY – 3/2015
Frequency: triannual publication Featured writers in this issue: Claudia Sporn, Heidi Kokkinis-Brotz Layout: Sven Steglich, Printing: ABT Print und Medien GmbH Pictures: Title: Lisa S./Shutterstock.com, p. 2: Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus e.V., p. 3: Scandic, Lufthansa Group, p. 4 - 7: GCB, p. 8: Axel Schulten KölnTourismus GmbH, p. 9: xiaoliangge / Fotolia.com, Nils A. Petersen, p. 10: Maritim Hotels 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: Hamburg Convention Bureau, KONGRESSHALLE am Zoo Leipzig | partner of do-it-at-leipzig.de
GCB Members and Partners www.gcb.de/en/the-gcb/ gcb-members-and-partners