After 22 months of construction, CityCube Berlin opened May 5 as the heart of Berlin, Germany’s trade fair and congress venues.
The symbolic heart of the CityCube Berlin began to pulsate and show clear signs of life after Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit and Messe Berlin’s CEO Dr. Christian Göke had inserted the last missing part into a giant cube.
Under the heading of “A cube is born,” the opening ceremony occurred, attended by some 300 representatives of politics and the events industry as well as architects and many members of the building sector.
“The CityCube provides another boost for Berlin in its role as an expanding international venue for trade fairs and congresses,” said Wowereit. “This ultra-modern, new building has the capacity to hold large-scale events. Technically, the CityCube is state-of-the-art. I wish Messe Berlin good luck with this new building and the city every success as a trade fair venue.”
Afterward, the participants in the opening ceremony inspected the new trade fair and conference venue. Among the guests were numerous congress organizers and representatives from the Confederation of German Trade Unions.
“We have succeeded in moving every event from the ICC Berlin to the CityCube Berlin without losing a single customer,” said Dr. Göke. “That is the result of the good cooperation between all our departments, which speaks well both for our company and Berlin. The CityCube Berlin will enable us to hold events of all sizes. That is made possible by a usable area, which occupies 80 percent and the multi-purpose nature of the building.”
“The CityCube is state-of-the-art and as such more than a replacement for the ICC Berlin. It is purpose-built and was completed in record time,” said Burkhard Kieker, managing director of visitBerlin. “The CityCube Berlin presents a strong argument for attracting conference events worldwide.”
National and international trade union organizations hold the first events
The first event to take place will be the national conference of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), from May 11-16. Immediately afterward, the World Congress of the International Trade Union Confederation will be held in the CityCube Berlin. Taking as its slogan ’Building Workers Power,’ the representatives of 175 million employees from around the world will be debating key decisions for the future.
During its first year, the CityCube Berlin will already be staging numerous large-scale medical congresses. Other highlights will include the Medicine and Health Congress in the Capital, which will be taking place from Jun. 25 to 27. From Oct. 18-22, this new venue will be hosting the annual conference of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. During the course of the year, numerous event experts from around the world will be reporting from the multi-purpose hall for trade fairs and congresses. Thus, from Jun. 29-Jul. 2, the annual conference of the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) will be taking place here.
In 2015 the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the European Academy of Neurology will be among the organizations holding conferences in the CityCube Berlin. Bookings have already been taken for 2021.
