Aachen is an attractive meeting and conference venue with great growth potential: This is the result of a survey that was commissioned by the Eurogress Aachen, the Aachen Tourist Service e.V., the construction and operating company North Rhine-Westphalia and the RWTH Aachen Campus GmbH.

According to the survey 2,400 scientific and business events of all kinds and sizes, attended by 340,000 participants, were carried out in Aachen last year. “The evaluators found that with an optimized meeting and convention infrastructure 14 percent more events could take place in Aachen. There is also an above average potential in the area of larger events with more than 500 people”, said Kristina Wulf, director of the Eurogress during a press conference. It could even amount to an increase of 51 percent, which means about 173,000 more visitors coming to the city, if there were more seminar rooms with associated accommodation, says Werner Schlösser, director of the tourist board and transport. As individual delegates bring an average of 150 € a day to the city, meeting spaces and hotels should be greatly expanded, Schlösser ruled.

The assessors concluded that the offer of attractive conventions and conferences is central for the university city of Aachen and its future economic development.

The experts also determined, according to Kristina Wulf, that only the Eurogress is appropriate for large conventions with more than 400 participants in Aachen, “but a hall for 1,000 people to relieve the Europa-hall is missing”. In addition, approximately 2,000 square metres of additional space for accompanying trade fairs and exhibitions as well as additional conference rooms are needed. “The interest to carry out major conferences in Aachen is great”, said the Eurogress's managing director. The Europa-Saal, for example, is very busy with 85 percent occupancy per year. Due to high demand it occurs again and again that events have to be cancelled. “We must therefore do everything to create the necessary capacities so that Aachen also in future remains as one of the leading convention cities in Germany”, she demanded. “The city of Aachen has the possibility as a congress city to take up a top position in the first division when it comes to scientific and technical conferences, training courses and additional vocational training and also secure a top position in the second division when it comes to economically related meetings”, is the summary of the survey.
 
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