Press Release
Study: Berlin Needs More Conference Venues
- New study highlights potential for additional multifunctional event and conference centers in Berlin’s mid-sized segment
- Messe Berlin plans a venue for conferences and events with up to 5,000 participants on the exhibition grounds
- Berlin’s events and conference market 2024: 12.9 million participants and strong demand for large-scale events
Berlin’s conference and event market is growing – and the potential is far from exhausted. With 12.9 million participants in 2024, the capital recorded a 29 percent increase, a clear testament to its appeal as an event destination. A new potential analysis, commissioned by visitBerlin and Messe Berlin, reveals that the city has reached its capacity limits and requires targeted investments in new event spaces. There is a particularly urgent need for medium-sized conferences with 1,000 to 5,000 participants. Messe Berlin already has concrete plans: on the exhibition grounds, at the current site of Hall 9, a new, multifunctional conference venue will be built – a direct response to growing demand.
Franziska Giffey, Mayor and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises:
"The events and conference industry is a key economic driver for Berlin. In 2024 alone, it generated around €1.4 billion in revenue. For 2025, we expect an increase of three percent. This clearly demonstrates stable, sustainable growth and ongoing potential. To ensure that our city remains competitive internationally, we need targeted investments, modern infrastructure, and reliable political framework conditions. The conference study presented today provides strategically important insights that will help us and the industry to further position Berlin as a leading international event and conference hub. The new Hall 9, planned by Messe Berlin and supported by the State of Berlin, will make an important contribution as a state-of-the-art multifunctional venue."
Study confirms need for new conference centers with economic impact
According to dwif Consulting GmbH, which conducted the potential analysis, just one or two additional new venues could host 76 extra conferences per year – corresponding to around 500 additional booking days and 215,000 more participant days. The estimated economic impact amounts to approximately €78 million annually for the capital.
“The analysis confirms that the market wants more Berlin. We are now responding to that,” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin. “New congress centers are being built all over the world, so it’s important that we can keep up. Congress visitors spend a lot of money in the city — something Berlin can really use.”
Messe Berlin plans new venue at the exhibition grounds under the Funkturm
A first concrete project is already in development to expand Berlin’s conference facilities: Messe Berlin plans to build a new multifunctional conference center at the current site of Hall 9, with around 12,000 square meters of space, designed for conferences, meetings, and trade fair formats alike. This will strategically expand the venue’s mid-sized segment capacities.
"With the new conference center, we are creating additional capacity exactly where Berlin is currently under-served. This strengthens our position in global competition," says Dr. Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin GmbH. "Leading conference cities around the world are investing precisely in this segment. We want Berlin to remain among the leaders."
Global demand: Berlin’s conference market attracts international guests
The strategic expansion is underscored by the numbers: in 2024, business-related events such as conferences, meetings, and seminars accounted for 70 percent of Berlin’s event market. According to the conference statistics of the Berlin Convention Office at visitBerlin, 60,886 business meetings with a total of 9.1 million participants took place last year. The international market is growing at an above-average pace: 21 percent of participants traveled from abroad – almost twice as many as the national average (11 percent). The strongest source markets included the United Kingdom (14.5 percent), North America (11.5 percent), as well as Spain, Italy, and France. Large-scale business events are increasingly choosing Berlin: the share of events with over 1,000 participants stands at 6.2 percent – well above the national average of 1.8 percent.
“In addition to the major events, it’s above all the many smaller conferences and meetings that sustain Berlin economically. They are the campfires of the modern age” says Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin.
Background
The potential analysis was conducted by dwif Consulting GmbH and is based on market analyses, primary research, and expert interviews. Berlin’s events and conference statistics are compiled annually by the European Institute for the Conference Industry (EITW) on behalf of visitBerlin.
More information: convention.visitBerlin.de
About Messe Berlin
Berlin has been a trade fair venue for over 200 years, and for many decades one of the most important worldwide. As the trade fair company owned by the capital, every year Messe Berlin conceives, markets and organises hundreds of live events. It aims to be an outstanding host for visitors to every event, to give individuals an optimum boost for their business and ensure fair conditions for everyone. This approach is reflected in the company’s slogan ‘Messe Berlin – Hosting the World’.