10 Febuary 2010

Germany stand at Confex 2010 with lots of news

The German Convention Bureau (GCB) gathered eleven partners from the German meetings and conventions industry under its umbrella at stand P141.

Frankfurt/ Main, 10 February 2010. Together with eleven partners from the German meetings and conventions industry the German Convention Bureau (GCB) will appear at the Germany stand P141 at Confex from 23 to 25 February 2010 in London. Confex is the UK's leading trade fair for event planners and industry providers.

At Confex the GCB will launch its "Culture Meeting Planner Germany" - a new planning tool in a poster format featuring an overview of Germany's most interesting cultural meeting and event facilities. There event planners can find venues at a glance in categories like "Meetings in Museums", "Hidden Treasures" or "Events in Castles" - a total of more than 200 addresses in and around more than 20 cities. Confex visitors can get the Culture Meeting Planner Germany free of charge at the Confex Germany Stand or order a free copy on info@gcb.de
Four hotels, four convention centres and three cities will present themselves and their new offerings for meetings and conventions under the GCB's umbrella.

Conference cities with attractive events, new venues and a "green" profile
The Berlin Convention Office (BCO) will position itself at Confex as a world-wide pioneer in the organisation of green meetings. In co-operation with the Berlin Preferred Agencies the BCO has developed a unique Internet presence: The "BERLIN - Green Meetings" platform features an array of providers who are already actively conducting ecologically sustainable measures in the capital and commit to a responsible use of natural resources. Users not only receive a detailed overview of various service providers but also learn interesting facts about "green" Berlin.

Munich Tourist Office gets Confex visitors in the mood for meetings and conventions in the Bavarian metropolis with highlights on its 2010 agenda and with established crowd-pullers like the impressive Allianz Arena. For example, during this summer's Opera Festival a live telecast of Puccini's Tosca from the Nationaltheater will be shown on a gigantic screen on Max-Joseph-Platz. But one classic event on Munich's agenda for 2010 will be truly outstanding: The Oktoberfest is celebrating its 200th anniversary. And, opened in 2009, Museum Brandhorst with its collection of modern and contemporary art offers culture-loving business travellers a new top attraction.
Frankfurt Convention Bureau will present two very special new venues at Confex 2010: In the heart of the popular meeting and convention destination, Germany's first Jumeirah Hotel is opening in the midst of Frankfurt's shopping district. On 25 floors it will offer 218 rooms including 108 suites. For parties, banquets and meetings you can choose between three conference rooms and a large ballroom with a very special atmosphere thanks to its high ceiling and glittering chandelier.

As of May 2010 planners will be able to stage events in a unique, listed red-brick building with the flair of vintage cars: Klassikstadt is Germany's first vintage car centre, and right next door to veteran car repair shops and dealers you can book a venue that is perfect not only for professional events but also for overwhelming productions.
 
New hotels confirm Germany's high-calibre meeting offerings
Just opened in November 2009, Kameha Grand Bonn has enriched the city on the Rhine by a top-notch international venue. 253 rooms including 63 suites are available for guests. In addition the hotel offers an 18-metre high multi-purpose function hall with glass walls that can accommodate up to 2,500 people in an impressive event setting. The new luxury hotel sets standards in design and furnishings but also in the field of ecological sustainability: With its cutting-edge geothermal concept the hotel can meet 70 per cent of its own heating and air conditioning requirements, and the geothermal power station in the basement is the largest of its kind in Europe.

Also just a few months after its opening in August 2009 the Leonardo Royal Hotel Berlin will present itself at Confex 2010 with its new Leonardo Royal ballroom, the largest hotel ballroom at Berlin Alexanderplatz. The 1,000-sqm room with a ceiling height of 4.5 metres offers space for up to 700 people and is just as suitable for balls and presentations as for exhibitions or meetings of all sizes.
The Steigenberger Hotel Group will present new offerings for business travellers: On 20 March 2010 the new InterCityHotel Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport will be added to the chain. The hotel offers 200 rooms, a spa and six conference rooms. To tie in with the hotel's opening Steigenberger is offering a ten per cent discount on all conference packages booked up to 30 April 2010.
InterCityHotel Hamburg-Altona also adds new conference facilities to Steigenberger's portfolio: three soundproofed rooms with natural light and space for up to 70 people.
 
At the GCB's Germany stand Confex visitors can also gain information on the offerings of Event Hotels. The group operates hotels in twelve German cities including the Grand Hotel Esplanade Berlin, a "lifestyle" house in the heart of the city between Tiergarten and Potsdamer Platz, and several hotels of the Park Inn brand with optimum connections to traffic hubs, exhibition and convention centres as well as meeting facilities of their own.

Expanded facilities for Germany's top convention centres
Congress Center Leipzig wants to lure planners with the city's rich cultural offerings in 2010. Highlights surrounding the 325th birthday of Leipzig's most famous son Johann Sebastian Bach and the 200th birthday of Robert Schumann likewise offer the possibility to compile attractive social programmes. Likewise the 50th birthday of the contemporary artist Neo Rauch, in whose honour the Museum of Fine Arts is staging a special exhibition. The 2010 calendar of Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) features some 80 meetings and conventions. The CCL is hosting events like the 13th World Congress of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), the 12th World Congress of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, the 9th World Congress on Genetics applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP), or the 26th Sound Engineering Convention.

The SevenCenters of Germany - an alliance of Germany's seven largest convention centres Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Stuttgart - will unveil its new website. The marketing co-operation is now offering a comprehensive, clearly laid-out online platform with lots of extra information for meeting planners, event organisers, associations and press representatives.
 
The World Conference Center Bonn lies in Bonn's former government district and hence in the immediate vicinity of the United Nations' Campus, the buildings of the Museum Mile, ministries and many international organisations. At the end of this year the existing buildings of the conference centre – the former German parliament building and the Wasserwerk – will be complemented by an expansion. They will offer further capacities for events with up to 5,000 people.

Germany's latest convention centre, darmstadtium, is located in the centre of the science city of Darmstadt, in the heart of the Rhine-Main area. Only 20 minutes  from Frankfurt Airport, the convention centre boasts optimum reachability. In addition, darmstadtium has a spectacular architecture, great versatility and a comprehensive service. A host of major events in 2010 -  including scientific congresses like EPDIC 12 (12th European Powder Diffraction Conference), ECM 26 (European Crystallographic Meeting ECM-26) and the world's largest meeting of experts for geoinformation systems (ESRI) are further proof of the centre's pulling power.

The GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. markets Germany as a destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives both on a national and international level, and is the place to contact for anybody planning an event in Germany.

Its 250 members include leading hotels, convention centres and destinations, car hire firms, event agencies and service providers of the German meetings and conventions industry. Maritim Hotels, Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH and darmstadtium science and convention centre are Preferred Partners of the GCB. As Strategic Partners, Deutsche Lufthansa, Deutsche Bahn and the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) support the work of the GCB

The GCB is an interface between organisers of meetings and conventions and suppliers of the German meetings market, offers advice and support for planning and organising events, and provides contacts and addresses. Its website www.germany-meetings.com features an online search facility for meeting venues, newsletter, Germany guide and a lot more.

Further information and press releases about GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. on: www.germany-meetings.com.

GCB German Convention Bureau e.V.
Münchener Str. 48
60329 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Tel:  +49 (0)69 - 24 29 30 0
Fax: +49 (0)69 - 24 29 30 26
E-mail: info@gcb.de
Internet: www.germany-meetings.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GermanyMeetings

Press contact: Ms Ute Stegmann, Tel: +49 69 - 24293013, e-mail: stegmann@gcb.de