Increasing value of meetings, incentive and events sector in Hamburg – 3 million overnight stays in 2016, worth more than 706 million euro
The number of conference and convention delegates visiting Hamburg continues to grow. According to the Conference and Convention Market Survey, commissioned by the Hamburg Convention Bureau, the number of overnight stays attributable to meetings, incentives, conferences and events increased from 2.3 million in 2013 to 3.0 million in 2016, worth more than 706.5 million euro.
Since the Hamburg Convention Bureau launched its first Conference and Convention Market Survey in 2014, the share of MICE-driven overnight stays in Hamburg has increased by 700,000. In 2013, the city welcomed 2.3 million conference and convention delegates, rising to just over 3.0 million in 2016. The share of total nights spent in Hamburg hotels increased from 21 percent in 2013 to 25 percent in 2016.
Florian Gerdes, Marketing Manager Conventions at Hamburg Convention Bureau, explains: “The results of the survey confirm that meetings and events play an increasingly important role in the prosperity of Hamburg. The MICE market not only brings monetary value to the city, it also significantly contributes to further developing the city’s key economic sectors, including medicine, media, logistics and transport.”
Last year, the number of business events increased from 57,000 to 64,000 compared with the same period in 2015. 1.8 million event delegates visited the city – of these, 19% came from abroad, a 3 percent increase from 2015.
The top industries to hold events in Hamburg include financial services, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, medicine and medical technology, logistics and transport as well as media and publishing.
Hamburg Convention Bureau will showcase some of the city’s landmark meeting and event venues at IMEX America, taking place 10 – 12 October in Las Vegas.The CCH – Congress Center Hamburg is set to be one of Europe’s largest congress centres when it re-opens next year, and The Grand Elysée Hamburg is the largest privately owned 5 star hotel in Germany. Both venues will join Hamburg Convention Bureau on Booth Number: B2223 at the show.
To learn more about Hamburg’s venues and events visit www.hamburg-convention.com/en.