News & Updates

Recovery of Events Meetings in Germany

The number of in-person events in Germany has been increasing exponentially in the post-pandemic era. This has been contrary to the years between 2019 and 2022 when hybrid and digital events were being embraced. However, since 2023, the Germany National Tourism Board (GNTB) and the Germany Convention Bureau (GCB) observed increasing numbers of events being held in person while the hybrid and digital platforms declined. This has made the tourism and convention sector in Germany and the whole of Europe express the recovery statistics in the industry. Additionally, the sector has recorded that international business trips to Germany increased from 5 million to 11 million people in 2023 alone. This was a 70% increase since the decline that occurred in 2019 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Europe, Germany was the number one business destination with over 9.2 million trips in 2023, surpassing France and Spain with 4 million and 2.9 million visits, respectively, in 2023, according to the European Association of Event Centers. The numbers obtained by the GNTB, GCB, and the European Association of Event Centers are also as a result of the digitization of the event planning programs in Germany, Europe, and other parts of the world among other data collection tools. These digital and online event planning programs facilitate travel, event space bookings, and stays and keep accurate and vital statistics. Besides, online event planning platforms such as micegermany.de contribute to the increased number of visits and stays in Germany and other European countries. Micegermany.de makes it convenient for eventgoers to know about upcoming events in Germany, facilitates event venue bookings, and provides needed information about the available venues online. This allows the event participants to efficiently plan and experience their business trips and other visits in Germany and Europe convenient. The use of online platforms to facilitate in-person events is evident, and one cannot completely replace the other. Digital and online platforms have primarily facilitated the growth of in-person and international attendance of events in Germany. With the increasing need for face-to-face events, the German Convention Bureau has been engaged fully, especially in making sure that convention centers are sustainable when needed and are accessible primarily online. The bottom line is that the meeting and congress market in Germany was found to be resilient and ready to sustain itself for the future. The expectation of short-term event planning episodes due to sustainability issues will need efficiency. One of the efficiency opportunities has been found to be in online event planning and bookings. This has not only realized the potential of the tourism and convention sector but also of the digital innovative sector at large for future sustainability.