BERLIN
Berlin is the capital of Germany, a creative and dynamic city. Located in the heart of Europe, where the East meets the West, Berlin is a city full of opportunities in all areas, such as economy, recreation, science and meetings.
Berlin is a very popular city for meetings and conferences and not without a reason. It has three airports where 75 airlines operate flights to Berlin, from 112 destinations in 44 countries. From 2011 all air traffic in the Berlin-Brandenburg region will be gathered at Schonefeld Airport (BBI), a new high-tech airport that will cost 2 billion euros. Passengers will have fast and easy access to the city and it is estimated that in a typical peak hour 6500 passengers will be able to land at or take off BBI.
Other than that, Berlin offers the typical German infrastructure in transportation within the city, making all areas easily accessible. There are several reasons why Berlin is a popular city for meetings. It offers the exceptional range of locations and venues, has 6 convention centers and halls, it offers the best value of money since Berlin hotels are considered to be lower in prices than anyone else, while providing one of the most up-to-date hotel venues in Europe, it has over 170 museums, art treasures and major collections, making it an attractive cultural venue, it offers a vivid night life with many events and it is constantly changing and evolving more than any other city. Berlin is a city where history has been well preserved while at the same time they move forward into an era that is marked by environmental and social responsibility. There are several green meetings that take place in Berlin while many hotels are eco-friendly, having “green” infrastructure and offering meals with fully ecologically cultivated ingredients. Also, since January 1st 2008 an environmental zone was introduced in Berlin city center in which only cars that comply with exhaust standards are allowed to circulate. There are many places that tourists can visit and a few days won’t be enough to get a good view of the city but there are certain sights that can’t be missed. Tourists can visit the famous “Alexanderplatz”, walk to the “Branderburg Gate” and the zoo “Zoologischer Garden”. The most interesting way of exploring the city is by taking a boat trip on the river Spree and Landwehrkanal.. It has 1662 bridges, more than Venice! The boat passes by industrial areas, modern residential areas and green areas where nobody expects them to be. Tourists can also visit The Kaisersaal, remains of the Grand Hotel Esplanade a famous hotel in the 1920s which was almost destroyed after World War II. After 1989 the hotel was announced as an historical monument, it was moved 75 meters from its initial location and today is encapsulated in glass and it is part of the modern Sony Center. It is also an event space for up to 800 persons in the rooms that remained intact. When visitors pass outside the Radisson SAS hotel they think that it’s just another hotel in Berlin. The truth is that inside the hotel is the world’s largest cylindrical aquarium, 25 meters high and it houses 2500 tropical fish. It’s a sight that is hard to miss. The Berlin Wall remnants of course is a place that everyone must visit, a monument that represents a 50 year conflict between the East and the West and states that something like that should never happen again.
Berlin is a city full of events all year round and visitors can find it difficult to find the time to attend to as many of them. Other than that, if sigh -seeing is not a popular sport for someone, there are many shopping malls in all districts of the city and many department stores where you can find excellent products. There are also many smaller shops with designer’s fashion, since during the last years many international designers opened theirs stores in the city.
Berlin Convention Office
Am Karlsbad 11 10785 Berlin, Germany
Phone +49 (0)30 - 26 39 183
Fax +49 (0)30 - 26 47 48 965
http://b-c-o.com/
Email: berlin-convention-office@b-c-o.com