Germany is coming back to IMEX America at booth #2220 from Oct. 15-17 in Las Vegas, with 35 exhibitors representing all the country has to offer across its cities, services and venues.
“IMEX America presents an opportunity for us to show planners and buyers first-hand what sets Germany apart as a meetings destination: accessibility, value for money, and scientific and economic expertise,” said Laura d’Elsa, regional director of USA and Canada, GCB. “Germany is the [No. 1] destination for meetings in Europe and [No. 2] in the world after the U.S. for the number of meetings. However, when it comes to the actual number of participants at these meetings, Germany outranks the U.S. with 224,948 participants in 2012. Conferences return year after year to Germany, and by visiting the Germany booth, planners can learn why and how.”
On the show’s first day, the German Convention Bureau’s (GCB) Global Meetings 2030 Future Study results will be released at a 1:15 p.m. press conference in the IMEX America Press Center.
“The meetings industry contributes significantly to the German economy. We want to promote the country around the world, but we also strive to anticipate, plan and implement what meetings need today as well as what they need tomorrow,” said d’Elsa. “As a result, we conducted a study to look into the future of meetings, to determine the megatrends that will change the face of the meetings and conference industry in the years ahead.”
Subject matter experts who will participate in the megatrends discussion include:
- Matthias Schultze, managing director, German Convention Bureau
- Julie Kruger, business development manager, Duesseldorf Congress
- Karina Gruetzner, business development manager, Stuttgart Convention Bureau
- Xavier Guillemin – meetings & events market director of global sales, Accor
Exhibitors at the Germany booth represent a wide range of German convention centers, hotels and destinations. Attendees can meet with partners such as:
- Stuttgart Convention Bureau: Stuttgart, recently lauded in an independent survey as Germany’s most sustainable city, is hosting several international engineering conferences in 2013, including f-cell and the SAE 2013 Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) Technologies Symposium.
- Maritim Hotels: Maritim Hotels, a hotel chain, added its 38th hotel in Germany – the Maritim Hafenhotel Rheinsberg.
- KÖLNDÜSSELDORF – The Meetropolis: According to the annual German Meeting & Event Barometer, “The Meetropolis” – a joint project by the German cities of Cologne and Duesseldorf – is one of the most popular destinations in Germany for international event planners, moving into the top three this past year for “Metropolitan Regions.”
The German Convention Bureau (GCB) represents and markets Germany as a destination for conventions, meetings, events and incentives both on a national and international scale.
