“It doesn’t matter whether you’re googling in Dubai or contacting friends on Facebook in Iowa, you can be pretty sure your data is going via Frankfurt,” says Frank Orlowski from the Initiative Digital Hub FrankfurtRheinMain. Because, in the heart of the Federal Republic, the world’s largest Internet hub has been established in the shape of the German Commercial Internet Exchange (De-Cix). In very simple terms, you have to imagine this cosmos as follows: there is a huge cable and satellite network spanning the globe, and these networks are interlinked via hubs. The hubs are data processing centres. These are home to the computers of the major telephone companies, search engines and social networks to ensure that data can be exchanged in a safe and neutral place, because the global Internet consists of more than 45,000 sub-networks. Frankfurt am Main is a centre for the computer centres. All the data converges here in these high-security buildings that usually look fairly inconspicuous from the outside.

At peak times the data flow already tops more than 2.5 terabit per second at the digital hub in Frankfurt. In future the managing company De-Cix wants to offer a platform for the new Apollon technology which is capable of transmitting 100 gigabits per second (for short: 100G).

But why is Frankfurt the digital hub? The history dates back to the legendary long-distance cable 308. From the beginning of the 1940s, it connected Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich, ran in the shape of a figure of eight, and had its hub at Telephone Exchange No. 1 in Frankfurt. De-Cix also has its roots in Frankfurt. In the mid-1990s, the founders at the former telephone exchange reconnected the wires in such a way that e-mails no longer had to cross the Atlantic twice. And today, German Telekom still regulates its worldwide language, Internet and data traffic at its International Network Management Center beneath the Frankfurt telecommunications tower. A giant 70-square-metre screen in the control centre is reminiscent of NASA. It constantly shows the operating status of the worldwide web 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

http://www.young-germany.de/topic/play/media-networks/frankfurt-germanys-digital-hub

The level of the Elbe has fallen and now stands at 6.19 metres. “We are greatly relieved that the high water was largely kept away from the city, thanks in no small measure to our excellent and extensive flood defences,” says Dr Bettina Bunge, Managing Director at Dresden Marketing GmbH. “These spared the old town of Dresden and the cultural treas-ures of the city from the worst of the flooding.”

Tourist industry partners in the city such as the hotels are well prepared for their guests. “For the Dresden hotels and guesthouses, including those located in the historic centre, it is business as usual, and we look forward to welcoming visitors,” says Marco Bensen, Chairman of the Board at DEHOGA Dresden and Managing Director of INNSIDE by Meliá Dresden. “To anyone who asks how they can help, we say: Come to Dresden, visit our beautiful city and attend some of the major cultural activities and events that are due to take place in the coming weeks. There is no reason to cancel any trips you may have planned.” It is not only possible to make private visits to Dresden without any problem; conferences, business meetings and congresses can also take place as scheduled.

Only a few hotels and guesthouses have had to cancel bookings because of the high wa-ter. These include the Hotel am Terrassenufer which will now not be open again for guests until 16th July. With the exception of the Saxon Steamship Company fleet and the Elbe ferries, public transport in Dresden can be used without restrictions.

The museums of the Dresden State Art Collections in the Royal Palace, in the Zwinger with Semper Building, in the Albertinum, in the Lipsius gallery, in the Jägerhof and in the Japanese Palace are open as normal. Only the Museum of Decorative Arts at Pillnitz Pal-ace is expected to stay closed until 16th June. The season continues as programmed at the Semperoper Dresden. “The risk of flooding over recent days has now passed,” said a spokesman for the opera house. “Consequently, the Semperoper Dresden will proceed as planned with a performance of ‘Ein William Forsythe Ballettabend’ on Thursday 13th June. Furthermore, the performance of ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ at 6pm on Sunday 16th June will take place in the full theatrical version, and the new production of ‘The Flying Dutchman’ will receive its premiere as intended at 3pm on 19th June.”

Booking offices are also seeing the tail-end of a hectic period. Matthias Hundt who works at Dresden Information GmbH: “At the moment, we are still fielding a lot of calls from anx-ious tourists who are unsure about whether they should be coming. By providing compre-hensive updates on the situation, we have been able to allay their fears in most in-stances.”

Visitors from Germany and abroad who want to be absolutely sure should call their hotel or tour operator prior to travel. Additionally, they can contact Dresden Information GmbH who will be pleased to answer any queries and suggest suitable tour packages.

Events in June (selection)
Festivals
Verdi anniversary featuring the choir of the Frauenkirche · Frauenkirche · 22nd June 2013, www.frauenkirche.de
Festival OFF · Dance, puppetry and drama · Societätstheater & Projekttheater · 1st - 30th June 2013, www.societaetstheater.de, www.projekttheater.de
23rd Bunte Republik Neustadt · District festival · Outer Neustadt Dresden · 14th - 16th June 2013
Goldenes Prag (Golden Prague) Midsummer Night’s Ball · Schloss Wackerbarth · 22nd June 2013, www.schloss-wackerbarth.de
23rd Elbhang Festival, 28th - 30th June 2013, www.elbhangfest.de

Exhibitions
Verlorener Sieg (Lost Victory). Dresden 1813 · Local History Museum · 15th June - 13th October 2013, www.stadtmuseum-dresden.de
Constable, Delacroix, Friedrich, Goya: Die Erschütterung der Sinne (A Shock to the Senses) · New Masters Gallery in the Albertinum · until 14th July 2013, www.skd.museum
Der Akt um 1900 (The Nude at the Turn of the 19th Century). Body, landscape, eroticism · Special exhibition at the Sculpture Collection in the Albertinum · until 21st July 2013, www.skd.museum
ÜBER GRENZEN (ACROSS BORDERS) Photo exhibition by OSTKREUZ · German Hy-giene Museum until 11th August 2013, www.dhmd.de,
Wols Photograph: Der gerettete Blick (Photographer Wols: The saved view) · Centenary of the birth of Wolfgang Schulze · Collection of Prints, Drawings and Photographs in the Royal Palace · until 26th August, www.skd.museum
Roman Polanski, director and actor · Special exhibition in the new Kraszewski Museum until 1st September 2013, www.stadtmuseum-dresden.de
Traumschmelze (Melting dreams). German animated cinema 1930 - 1950 · Exhibition staged by the German Institute for Animated Film · Technical Collections Dresden · until 1st September 2013, www.tsd.de
Zugpferde: Als Pferdestärken noch echte Pferde waren (Workhorses: When horsepower still meant real horses) · Dresden Transport Museum until 1st September 2013, www.verkehrsmuseum-dresden.de

Stage
Semperoper premiere of The Flying Dutchman. Romantic opera in three acts by
Richard Wagner · Staatskapelle Dresden at the Semperoper · 15th June 2013
www.semperoper.de
Premiere Dresden State Operetta · GUIDITTA. Operetta by Franz Lehár · 21st June 2013, www.staatsoperette-dresden.de
Premiere Landesbühnen Sachsen theatre · Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel (Three Wishes for Cinderella), a musical · Rathen Open-Air Stage · 22nd June 2013, www.felsenbuehne-rathen.de
Dresden – where Wagner became WAGNER: A special programme of events to celebrate the Wagner bicentenary
Festival Concert ‘Berührungen’ (Contacts) · Choral works by Richard Wagner and Robert Schumann · Palace in the Grosser Garten Park · 16th June 2013, www.saechsisches-vocalensemble.de
Opening concert of the Elbhangfest (Dresden Riverside Festival) · performed by Vocal Concert Dresden · Loschwitz parish church · 28th June 2013, www.elbhangfest.de
Opening concert ‘Wagner auf Sächsisch’ (Wagner in Saxon dialect) featuring patron René Pape and Tom Pauls · Staatskapelle Dresden · Pillnitz Palace · 29th June 2013, www.elbhangfest.de

Richard Wagner in Dresden: Myth and History · Local History Museum · until 25th August 2013, www.stadtmuseum-dresden.de
Richard Wagner in Saxony · Richard Wagner commemorative sites in Pirna-Graupa, in-cluding the Graupa hunting lodge · commenced 13th January 2013, www.richardwagnermuseum.de
Preview of events from July to August (selection)
5th Night of the Dresden Palaces · Schloss Albrechtsberg, Lingnerschloss, Schloss Eck-berg, Saloppe · 13th July 2013, www.dresdner-schloessernacht.de
7th OSTRALE · International Exhibition of Contemporary Arts · Ostragehege on the site of the former Hans Erlwein slaughterhouse · 15th July - 15th September 2013, www.ostrale.de
20th Moritzburg Festival · various venues · 10th - 25th August 2013, www.moritzburgfestival.de
Dresden City Festival · Canaletto meets Wagner · various venues · 16th - 18th August 2013, www.dresdner-stadtfest.com
4th THE SOUND OF BRONKOW · Music festival for folk, indie and singer-songwriters Societätstheater · 30th August - 1st September 2013, www.societaetstheater.de
www.kfrecords.de/sob-festival

Contact/Information:
Dresden Information
Service Centre
Mon - Sat, 9am - 6pm
Tel: +49 (0) 351 501 501
Fax: +49 (0) 351 501 50-555
info@dresdeninformation.de
www.dresden.de/tourismus

Dresden Information at the Frauenkirche
Neumarkt 2, 01067 Dresden
Opening times:
Mon - Fri, 10am - 7pm
Saturdays, 10am - 6pm
Sundays and public holidays, 10am - 3pm
Dresden Information im Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station)
Wiener Platz 4, 01069 Dresden
Opening times:
Mon - Sun, 9am - 7pm
Information about events: www.dresden.de/highlights

Contact:
Dresden Marketing GmbH
Press office
Messering 7, 01067 Dresden
Germany
Phone +49 (0)351 50173-130
Fax +49 (0)351 50173-137
Mail presse@marketing.dresden.de
www.marketing.dresden.de

The Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB) has published a new edition of the Meeting Point Cologne manual for event planners. The new Meeting Point Cologne, which is now available, gives meeting planners comprehensive yet concise information about Cologne as a congress and conference destination. The brochure, which is almost 130 pages long, provides an overview of Cologne’s convention infrastructure as well as many interesting facts about the city in both German and English.
 
In terms of the content of the new brochure, the CCB builds on the key industry sectors strategy of the German Convention Bureau (GCB), emphasizing Cologne’s strengths as a science and economic hub. Both of these areas of expertise are increasingly relevant to international congress organizers when they choose the destination for their event. In addition to a clear presentation of Cologne’s science landscape, the brochure includes an interview with the dean of the University of Cologne, Prof. Dr. Axel Freimuth, in which he talks about the excellence status of the university and the new horizons this opens up for the city. In another conversation Frank Bartels, the head of event and travel management for the REWE Group, explains why his company and Cologne have been a perfect team for a long time.
In keeping with the theme of the year for the Kölner Wissenschaftsrunde (Cologne’s science round table), the topic of aerospace is a common thread that runs through the new Meeting Point Cologne. The five-member CCB team got into the spirit of the year’s theme by venturing into a space capsule dressed as astronauts for a photo shoot at the European Astronaut Centre (ESA/EAC).
 
The concept for the design of the new Meeting Point relies more on images than previous editions. Through this fresh, modern imagery, Cologne’s unique atmosphere will be made more vivid to the reader. In this way, the brochure serves as a practical tool, but it also has an attractive magazine-like character.
In addition to the section concerning Cologne’s image, congress organizers will find a great deal of concrete information about some 100 locations and service providers, including conference facilities, catering services and providers of supporting programmes.
 
The new Meeting Point Cologne is available now and can be ordered for free from info@conventioncologne.de. It is also available as an e-brochure at www.conventioncologne.de. Here you can also access further and continuously updated information about location and service partners using the online meeting planner.  
 


Cover: Meeting Point Cologne 2013/2014


The Cologne Convention Bureau (CCB) team in a space capsule at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne (ESA/EAC)
       
Photography:
©KölnTourismus GmbH/Axel Schulten

www.conventioncologne.de

The latest restaurant in vogue in Singapore, tips to manage expense accounts in New York and the quickest way to get to your next appointment in London are only a few of the questions that the all-new Away on business by Accor app from the Distribution teams created can answer.

This tool is the first in its iPad app category and should soon become the one that business travelers on the road prefer. Away on Business is available free of charge on the App Store and brings businesspeople a tailored interactive travel log with information about 30 world-class cities. And this is just the beginning.

A one-stop shop
This app allows business travelers to manage their schedules and book rooms in Group hotels, and puts a wealth of additional amenities at their fingertips, covering their job-related requirements and time-out pursuits. It is a big breakthrough on the market and fully in phase with their wants and needs today: "Our customers are multi-connected at home, at the office and on the road. We are catering to their evolving consumption habits with pioneering solutions for every step on their customer paths. This new app is packed with value-added services for business travelers - they one of our key target customer groups, and are more connected than most. We are enhancing our customer relations by completing their experiences at our brand hotels and the range of services on our website," Chief Marketing & Distribution Officer Grégoire Champetier expounds.

The local weather, expense account management, shortcuts to LinkedIn contacts at customers' destinations, a map displaying scheduled appointments to ‘geo-organize' travel arrangements and many other features add up to an all-in-one solution packed with a wide array of options that save time and allow businesspeople to focus on business instead of the practical minutiae. But Away on Business takes it further: it also provides great time-out tips: "Up-and-coming restaurant or bar addresses point business travelers to a selection of handpicked spots. We know that no two business trips are alike, so we also let our customers create their lists of favorite addresses, sights and appointments. That is one of this app's main features: it makes business travel more convenient, more fun and adds a personal touch," Accor Mobile Manager Mathieu Saccharin rounds up.

This app is one of the Group's milestone developments, and an example of its efforts to establish an even stronger online presence. Accor's expansion on the Internet and new media is indeed spearheading its distribution strategy.

Away on Business by Accor app features:

    Ergonomic, intuitive and free of charge

Travel-planning tools:

    Accor hotel room bookings
    Restaurant, sightseeing and other time-out tips
    Schedule imports and updates
    Expense account management

Practical tools:

    User-customizable alerts
    7-day weather forecasts
    Public-transport route planners
    Tips on 30 emblematic business-travel destinations

www.accor.com

The 24th Bremen Music Festival, on from 24 August to 14 September in Bremen, Bremerhaven and selected locations in north-west Germany, features high-calibre performances at more than 35 events. Set around the market square, the sensational festival opener ‘Eine grosse Nacht-musik’ is sure to be the perfect introduction to the musical highlights to come, with its acclaimed line-up and diverse programme. And it doesn’t stop there! The Mozart theme continues with a production of the opera ‘Lucio Silla’ featuring Rolando Villazón in the title role alongside talented singers such as Olga Peretyatko and Marianne Crebassa. Theatrical experiences of a different kind will be provided by legendary director Peter Brook’s production of ‘The Suit’, which has already received rave reviews on three continents and will be making its German premiere at the festival. The Arp Schnitger Festival focuses on north-west Germany’s unparalleled collection of historical organs in the Bremen area and also in the Dutch city of Groningen, while the Musikfest Surprise concert series in the Überseestadt district will be offering new perspectives on the music scene in a relaxed atmosphere. The German Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra of Bremen, under the baton of Paavo Järvi, will be crowning its Beethoven project with a performance of ‘Fidelio’.

Tickets and hotel booking service:
Bremer Touristik-Zentrale GmbH
Service hotline: +49 (0)421 30 800 10
Trade tel.: +49 (0)421 30 800-26, -27, -28, fax: +49 (0)421 30 800 25
Press link: www.bremen-tourism.de/btz/k4-presse-blick.cfm?m=4.02&name=Presse
Email: btz-verkauf@bremen-tourism.de  
Website: www.bremen-tourism.de

Since 2012 the congress destination of Stuttgart has become even more competitive and attractive as a conference and congress region. Based on the results of a survey carried out last year, the congress destination of Stuttgart is entitled to call itself "Germany's most sustainable city". The 2013 GTM Germany Travel Mart™ shows that this is justified.

The congress destination of Stuttgart convinces in city ratings: in the overall rankings of the WirtschaftsWoche Sustainable City Indicator (WWSCI), Stuttgart achieves higher-than-average results among Germany's 50 largest cities in every category (economic strength, environment, human capital, social affairs, energy and transport, transparency and commitment). The survey confirms Stuttgart's leading position as Germany's most sustainable metropolis – and therefore also the most sustainable congress destination.

In the Stuttgart Region countless events are staged with the theme of sustainabilty. Some of these are organised entirely in accordance with sustainable criteria, including CO2 compensation. The most recent example here is the 39th GTM Germany Travel Mart™, which took place from 5th to 7th May 2013 in Stuttgart. For the German National Tourist Board sustainability is a key element in the organisation of its annual B2B event. Core elements include rail travel with the "Umwelt Plus" event ticket of the Deutsche Bahn, the involvement of hotels with a sustainable bias and favourable links to the public transport network, and an travel pass included in the price of an overnight stay, intelligent logistics for the necessary transfers, electronic invitation and information procedures, sustainable stand construction, a seminar for buyers on the theme of sustainability for locations in Germany/Green Germany, and much more besides.

This year's GTM workshop was held at the ICS International Congress Center Stuttgart / Messe Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre, which committed itself to the industry's "Right and Fair" code of conduct at the end of 2012 and already in 2010 laid down the most important sustainability policies in a "green statement". In particular these include not only highly efficient energy, water and waste management, but also the ICS / Messe Stuttgart's certified organic and sustainability-oriented caterers: ARAMARK GmbH. For the 2013 GTM, the GNTB was awarded the GreenNote seal of approval by the mygreenmeeting.de competency network for its outstanding conservation of resources in staging the event.

The success of the GTM has shown in an exemplary fashion that it is possible to organise an event for some 1300 participants which systematically observes and implements all aspects of sustainability. Working in close cooperation, the GNTB as organiser and the Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH (also committed to "Right and Fair") and Regio Stuttgart Marketing- und Tourismus GmbH Stuttgart as the local hosts of the event were able to give the delegates an impression of the all-round sustainability of the destination of Stuttgart. The GTM as a "Green Meeting" will therefore act as a catalyst for "Green Tourism".

About the Stuttgart Convention Bureau
The Stuttgart Convention Bureau (SCB) – a department of the Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH and the Regio Stuttgart Marketing- und Tourismus GmbH – is the central, neutral contact partner of the state capital of Stuttgart and its surrounding region for event organisers from companies, associations and institutions as well as for event agencies. Event planners profit from the team's extensive expertise and receive professional advice and support for the organisation of congresses and other events in the Stuttgart Region. The team is responsible for marketing the congress destination both in Germany and abroad. The strategic partners of the SCB are: ICS International Congress Center Stuttgart/Messe Stuttgart Trade Fair Centre, Liederhalle Culture and Congress Centre, Stuttgart Airport, WRS (Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation), Regio congress locations, Stuttgart's hotel sector and the Regio Stuttgart Marketing- und Tourismus GmbH.


Copyright SMG

www.congress-stuttgart.de