A year on from the official opening of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall, the iconic venue has established itself as a firm favourite among meeting planners and leisure visitors alike. The riverside venue has already become one of Germany’s most popular attractions, welcoming over 4 million visitors. Up to 17,000 people a day from all over the world visit the ‘Elphi’ for meetings and events, to attend a concert or simply to have a look around the distinctive venue, shaped like a rolling wave in homage to Hamburg’s famous River Elbe
The Westin Hotel, located within the Elbphilharmonie building, has also seen a surge in demand as Judith Haaser, PR & Marketing Manager at The Westin Hamburg, explains:
“We’ve had a very successful and busy 2017 with at least 65 events taking place at the property during high season. Out of the 4 million visitors to the Elbphilharmonie, we welcomed around 400,000 guests from 97 countries including day guests who visited our Bridge Bar, the Elb Spa and the The Saffron Restaurant.”
The 244 room 5-Star Westin Hotel offers meeting space including eight conference rooms as well as a panoramic view of the city and harbour.
The Elbphilharmonie, which officially opened on 11 January last year, has established itself as a show stopping venue for meeting planners. The Grand Hall of the Elbphilharmonie seats around 2,100 guests. Designed in the ‘vineyard’ style, the audience seating surrounds the stage in ascending rows – perfect for private concerts with acoustics that are second to none. The neighbouring Recital Hall is designed as a multipurpose space which can accommodate other event formats such as congresses, conferences and receptions. Equipped with a mobile auditorium and stage elements, the space can be used for functions of up to 500 people.
Located within the new design and architecture hub HafenCity and next to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Speicherstadt, the Elbphilharmonie overlooks Hamburg’s famous harbour. Designed to look like a rolling wave its stunning modern exterior features over 2,000 individually shaped windows on top of a former warehouse.
Florian Gerdes, Marketing Manager Conventions at Hamburg Convention Bureau, sums up:
“The iconic ‘Elphi’ is a real jewel in the city’s conference and meeting crown and forms part of a innovative new offering for planners. The city has an ever-expanding range of locations for meeting and events – from large scale to boutique venues – many of which reflect the city’s distinctive character. This helps planners to share some Hamburg flair when they host meetings in our city.“
Join the Hamburg Convention Bureau team for a virtual behind the scenes tour of the Elbphilharmonie and Westin here.