Behind the scenes of congresses in Berlin

An invitation had been extended by Messe Berlin and the response was impressive: on 10 and 11 July representatives of 17 international congress industry associations came to take a look be-hind the scenes and attended a major international event on the Messe Berlin exhibition grounds. Besides exploring the many rooms in the CityCube Berlin and the infrastructure on the grounds they were also able to exchange views and experiences with the organiser of the World Con-gress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH). Many of those attending the Site Experience were from medical organisations. Other sectors were represented too, including education and financing. Overall, the participants represented congresses number-ing over 150,000 attendees and some 600,000 overnights at the respec-tive locations.

”Site Visit is the old thinking. We wanted to offer a genuine Site Experi-ence. By talking to our customers ISTH, our customers of the future were able to gain a direct impression of the venue and what makes Messe Berlin and this city so attractive“, explains Dr. Ralf Kleinhenz, senior vice president at Messe Berlin. ”We are delighted with the positive response and hope we have inspired them to return with their congresses.”

Thomas Reiser, executive director of the ISTH, talked about the special requirements Messe Berlin had to meet in order to host their congress: ”We are extremely satisfied with Messe Berlin’s support – the CityCube Berlin and neighbouring exhibition grounds represent a modern and at-tractive event venue and the team is highly professional, which enabled us to perfectly realise our plans and ideas.” He also emphasised the ad-vantages of Berlin for holding congresses. According to Heike Mahmoud, Director Conventions of the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office, these are aspects that other organisers find important too: "Berlin is known around the world as a centre for innovation and has a first-class network of universities and research centres. This is particularly beneficial for meetings related to science and medicine. In addition, the city offers af-fordable accommodation compared to other cities and a wide range of cultural offerings. This unique blend is convincing an increasingly number of convention and event organisers."

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