The GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. has made Berlin and Frankfurt – two of Germany ’s outstanding conference destinations – the focus of its marketing. Whereas the German capital has been the most popular German destination for international conferences for years, Frankfurt consistently outperforms its national and European competitors with regard to accessibility: The European Spatial Planning Observation Network ESPON, supported by the European Union, established that the metropolitan region surrounding the financial centre of Frankfurt is the European region with the best accessibility. Therefore, this year the three “Members in the Spotlight” are representative of two fundamental advantages of Germany as a conference location: good infrastructure and the quality of services offered with a good price-performance ratio.
As well as designating it as a “Member in the Spotlight” again, the GCB congratulates the Berlin Convention Office of visitBerlin on its ten year anniversary. Since it was founded in the year 2001, the BCO has made a decisive contribution towards the success of Berlin as a convention city. For example, in the year 2010 the German capital welcomed roughly 9.1 million visitors to 113,100 events. Highlights in the 2010 convention calendar were the XXXII International Congress of Ophthalmology (ICO) & 108th DOG Congress & AAD Congress, which were organised by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) and attracted 9,000 ophthalmologists and scientists to the banks of the Spree River . In the same year, the joint annual conference of the German, Austrian and Swiss societies for haematology and oncology brought 4,500 physicians together in Berlin . So in the last ten years Berlin has advanced from ninth place to fourth place among the internationally leading MICE metropolitan centres in a worldwide comparison.
The Berlin Convention Office helps event planners with the organisation of conventions, conferences and incentive trips. In addition to a closely knit network of contacts, in this context it also offers its clients options for optimising and booking hotel allotments. That service is free of charge. The staff at the BCO provide interested parties with comprehensive and up-to-date information about Berlin as a convention and event location as well as about the culinary and cultural delights that the city has to offer.
This year the luxurious Westin Grand Frankfurt is sharing its membership “in the spotlight” with the modern First Class hotel Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center. For six weeks in 2011 the hotel housed the headquarters of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™. Located in the heart of the vibrant metropolis on the Main , the Westin Grand Frankfurt offers 2,200 sq m of conference floor space for events with up to 500 participants. It can accommodate up to 300 people at festive banquets and even up to 1,000 people at stand-up receptions. The event facility floor was recently renovated completely. The 13 individually designed banquet and conference rooms were outfitted with high-quality furnishings and state-of-the-art equipment.
The Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center is one of the top event hotels in Europe, offering 52 flexible event rooms, the 1,200 sq m Congress Center and the SkyLoft. In addition to all Club und Towers rooms as well as the Towers Lounge, 39 conference rooms have been renovated completely. The three telepresence conference rooms that were recently opened are a new highlight. Thanks to the most modern technology, they make extraordinarily high-quality videoconferencing possible for hotel guests. The building is only a few metres from Terminal 1 of Frankfurt Airport.
In 2011 - as the host of the IMEX Gala Dinner - the hotel welcomed 650 decision makers from the international MICE industry. One annual highlight of the event programme is the three-day Sight City trade fair, Germany ’s largest exhibition for aids for the blind and visually impaired. In 2011 more than 130 exhibitors and more than 4,000 visitors congregated in Frankfurt for the event.
The GCB German Convention Bureau e.V., which is domiciled in Frankfurt am Main, markets Germany internationally and nationally as a location for conventions, conferences, events as well as incentives: it is the most important point of contact for all clients who are planning events in Germany .
Its 230 members include leading hotels, convention centres and cities, car rental companies, event agencies as well as service suppliers in the German conference and convention industry. The darmstadtium science and congress centre, the Maritim Hotelgesellschaft company as well as the SevenCenters of Germany are “Preferred Partners” of the GCB. Deutsche Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn and the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) support the work of the GCB as “Strategic Partners”.
The GCB acts as an interface between convention or conference organisers and companies offering services in the German conference market: it provides consulting and support for planning and organising events, and procures relevant partners and contacts. Online search for conference capacities, newsletter, Guide to Germany and much, much more at www.gcb.de. |