Germany, European leader as congress and meetings destination

According to the recently published International Association Meetings Market 2004 study by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Germany is now number one as a congress and meetings destination in Europe and second just after the USA on a world-wide scale. In a world-wide city ranking Berlin came fourth.

“Our goal was to turn Germany into the leading destination for congresses and meetings in Europe by 2007. The fact that we achieved this much earlier, demonstrates that we are on the right path with our strategy,“ says Lutz P. Vogt, director of the German Convention Bureau (GCB).

The ICCA’s CEO Martin Sirk says that “from this strong foundation and with the full impact of the 2006 World Cup promotion still to be felt, Germany is in an excellent position to advance still further. The biggest challenge is the rise of new destinations in Eastern Europe but of course with cities such as Dresden and Leipzig, Germany could turn this developing interest into a competitive advantage”.

Further information about the GCB