GCB Roadmap 2030

Against this backdrop, the GCB German Convention Bureau has developed its Roadmap 2030 to ensure that business events in Germany continue to play a vital role: as catalysts for innovation and knowledge exchange, as trust-building platforms for dialogue, and as drivers of economic growth and employment. By generating direct and indirect value for destinations, strengthening local economies, and supporting regional sustainability, they help shape a resilient future.

The Roadmap 2030 serves as a strategic foundation for initiating and implementing necessary transformation processes and is guided by the principle of collaborative cooperation within the business events ecosystem. To this end, the strategy paper defines a total of five key topics – from market research to AI and sustainability.

• Data as the basis for strategic decisions

Successful market strategies are based on reliable data. The GCB therefore aims to ensure that decision-making processes in the German business events sector are evidence-based throughout. To this end, we provide market and trend analyses, monitor source markets, and develop forecasts in order to identify trends at an early stage and to tap into market potential.

In addition to our established annual instrument, the Meeting- & EventBarometer, the GCB is planning a quarterly Business Events Barometer based on expert input, in order to keep pace with rapid developments and volatile markets. Furthermore, the “Future Meeting Space” innovation network, founded in 2015, is evolving into the Research Centre for Future Meeting Studies (rcfms) and will operate with an international focus and an expanded research portfolio.

The GCB aims not only to observe trends and markets, but also to understand them and promote new business models – focusing on the needs of (future) target groups and leveraging relevant technologies such as AI-based forecasting tools and dynamic dashboards.

• “Powered by Data, Driven by People”

Under the headline “Powered by Data, Driven by People,” the GCB is implementing both an internal and external AI strategy. Optimising GCB processes for greater efficiency is just as important as expanding our service portfolio for members and partners, developing new business models, and creating personalised experiences for event organisers and attendees.

One key strategic AI project already underway in cooperation with the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is “Open Data MICE.” This initiative involves the structured,
machine-readable provision of data, linked in a knowledge graph and freely accessible to all users. Its goal is to make digital marketing data available so that Germany's meetings and conventions offerings remain visible and competitive worldwide.

Another project, the “GCB Smartbot” for members and customers, is currently in the planning stage. This AI-based tool will enable context-aware, intelligent searches on the GCB website, making it easier and faster to retrieve the desired information in a structured way – whether event dates, research results, industry insights, or relevant contacts.

• Business and Science as Foundations for Future Events

Specialised know-how is a key locational strength. By focusing on the country’s areas of expertise, the GCB aims to showcase Germany’s economic and scientific strengths and leverage their potential for the business events ecosystem.

In practice, this involves advancing our areas-of-expertise strategy, aligned with the country’s key economic and scientific clusters. Previously, the strategy was based on six broad areas of expertise. The new approach is much more granular, making it significantly more useful for business event suppliers and organisers.

To implement the areas-of-expertise strategy, we have, for example, developed an interactive heat map with advanced search and filter functions, displaying the locations of research institutions, businesses, and event venues. As a result, planners can match the requirements of their events with the most suitable destination or conference venue.

• Sustainable Events in All Dimensions

Sustainability is no longer an add-on; it has become a fundamental prerequisite for future viability. Since 2023, the GCB has been implementing a comprehensive sustainability strategy that focuses on three key areas: operating sustainably as an organisation, sustainably managing its ecosystem in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders, and positioning Germany as a leading destination for sustainable meetings and conventions.

A central element of this strategy is the cross-border pooling of resources with the 28 other members of the Strategic Alliance of National Convention Bureaux of Europe (SANCBE). This collaboration takes shape through initiatives such as the “Convene4Climate” conference, launched in 2024, and the AI-powered tool “Sustainability Hub for Events” (SHE), which provides event professionals with answers, checklists, and knowledge resources covering all aspects of sustainability.

Beyond the ecological and economic dimensions, the GCB is committed to promoting Germany as a diverse and welcoming business events destination. Diversity is also increasingly a success factor for the industry itself because a diverse and open ecosystem fosters creativity, innovation, and customer focus, enabling a better understanding of the wide range of stakeholder needs and how to address them effectively.

• Creating Compelling Offerings for Diverse Audiences

The way people work, travel, and learn is changing rapidly which in turn creates new requirements for business events. Key principles of the New Work movement, such as hybrid working models, flexibility, and a focus on purposeful work, are shaping new expectations. This strategic pillar therefore focuses on developing offerings that meet the needs of a diverse, mobile, and digitally driven society.

Through GCB projects such as rcfms and the ebx.lab innovation workshop, stakeholders develop actionable recommendations for integrating New Work principles into both event design and the strategic development of Germany as a business events destination and for creating events that are generation-appropriate, flexible, and technology-enabled.

A central topic is blended travel, combining business and leisure travel. To address this, the GCB has launched the “blend_it!” initiative in partnership with the German Business Travel Association (VDR) to identify opportunities, connect key players, and develop tailored offerings across Germany.

Securing and expanding Germany’s leading global position as a destination for meetings and congresses is the GCB’s central mission. The Roadmap 2030 serves as a key strategic foundation to successfully fulfill this mission in the years ahead. It also reinforces the GCB’s role as a driving force for the entire business events sector: as a strategist, expert, networker, and voice of the industry, the GCB fosters knowledge transfer, economic growth, innovation, and international collaboration.

Our strategic plans for the next five years are more than just that. The roadmap is conceived as a collaborative process that connects data, people, and ideas to make Germany a
future-proof, leading destination for meetings and conventions.

2030 therefore represents not an endpoint, but a milestone. The roadmap illustrates what is possible when we think and create together, and it reminds us that the future is not something that happens by chance, but the result of evidence-based decisions and collaborative action today.

This article summarises the key points of the “GCB Roadmap 2030”. The full version (in German) is available exclusively to GCB members.