Frankfurt am Main, 22. Mai 2012. Die deutsche Veranstaltungsbranche hat das Jahr 2011 mit einem Rekordergebnis abgeschlossen: 2,72 Millionen Veranstaltungen fanden im letzten Jahr in Deutschland statt, die von insgesamt 338 Millionen Teilnehmern besucht wurden. Damit ist die Teilnehmerzahl gegenüber dem bereits sehr positiven Vorjahr erneut um 4,5 Prozent gewachsen. Die Zahl der Veranstaltungen stieg um 1,2 Prozent an, der Anteil der ausländischen Teilnehmer blieb mit 5,9 Prozent stabil (plus 0,1 Prozentpunkte). 

On 5^th and 6^th June 2012, the office of the Federal President, together with the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) will hold the fourth “Environment Week” in Berlin. The event only takes place every 5 years in the park of Schloss Bellevue. The GCB German Convention Bureau eV, in collaboration with the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU), have the possibility to present projects and concepts for sustainable events - from a small event to an international congress - as part of a professional forum during the “Environment Week”.

From 18^th to 20^th June 2012 nine industry associations of the convention, meeting, incentive and events industry have for the first time organized a joint congress. The Meeting Experts Conference (MEXCON 2012) at the ICC Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin is combining the annual general meetings and board meetings of the participating organizations with a number of seminars, an exhibition and a high-calibre specialist conference on the topic of the “Event industry 2030”. Ernst Burgbacher, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, will open the Congress on Tuesday 19^th June 2012.

On 2nd November, The German Department for event technology had organized the forum event industry in Baden-Baden. “Visitor Safety 2011 - Lesson Learned?” This issue was addressed by eight top-class speakers who spoke before some 200 interested visitors from all over Germany and neighbouring countries. There were operator representatives, event organizers, the authorities and technical planners as well as association representatives present.

Europäischer Verband der Veranstaltungs-Centren e.V. (EVVC) warnt vor den Folgen hoheitlicher Strukturen Deutschland ist bei Veranstaltungsplanern weltweit die beliebteste Tagungs- und Eventdestination, wie die Zahlen des Meeting- und EventBarometers 2011* wiederholt eindeutig gezeigt haben. Doch nach Auffassung des Europäischen Verbandes der Veranstaltungs-Centren e.V. (EVVC) könnte diese Position in Zukunft gefährdet sein, wenn die Infrastruktur der kommunalen Veranstaltungshäuser nicht verbessert wird.

The next greenmeetings and events conference will be will take place in the darmstadtium in Darmstadt from 26th to 27th February 2013. This was decided by the advisory board during its meeting on 27th September 2011. Initiators and organizers of the conference on the sustainable organization of events are the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. and the European Association of Event Centres (EVVC).

The interest group event industry (igvw) has been a regular guest in the Working Group Temporary structures (AKFlB) of the commission for construction supervision since 2008. The Working Group temporary structures passed the following resolution on its 73^rd meeting in November 2010 in Wiesbaden, at the request of the igvw, which has now been released for publication: “The Working Group notes that portable event-technical facilities such as stage and truss structures are bot temporary structures if constructed within buildings and therefore do not require a building permit”.

Pünktlich zur Management-Fachtagung des EVVC vom 25. bis 27. September 2011 in Stuttgart veröffentlicht der Europäische Verband der Veranstaltungs-Centren e.V. (EVVC) sein neues Medium, den LocationBusinessGuide. Auf 260 Seiten bietet der hochwertige Katalog alle wichtigen Informationen aus Verband und Branche. Neben einem ausführlichen Mitgliederverzeichnis des EVVC findet man detaillierte Präsentationen von insgesamt 139 Locations in Italien, Österreich, der Schweiz und Deutschland sowie die Darstellungen der EVVC-Partner aus angrenzenden Branchen.

Das Thema „Wirtschaftlichkeit“ bewegt die Branche - nicht nur in Deutschland sondern weltweit. Aus diesem Grunde initiierte der JMIC Joint Meetings Industry Council im Mai die Konferenz „Conference on Evaluating Meetings“ in London, um den Status quo der Forschungen weltweit aufzunehmen und ein mögliches gemeinsames Vorgehen der Branche zu eruieren.

Für den EVVC ist das Thema „Wirtschaftlich-keit“ schon lange von großer Bedeutung. So wurde u.a. im Jahr 2010 ein Projekt ins Leben gerufen, in dem alle Wirtschaftlichkeitsberechnungen auf dem Tagungsmarkt in Deutschland gesammelt und untersucht und die Ergebnisse unter anderem auch auf der Difu-Tagung in Berlin präsentiert wurden. Geleitet wurde dieses Projekt von Ralf Kunze vom EITW Europäischen Institut für Tagungswirtschaft, der als Experte des EVVC den Verband nun auch auf der JMIC-Konferenz vertrat.

In order to continue political communication EVVC President Joachim König took the opportunity for discussions with local political speakers of the three largest political groups in the Bundestag in early June. First common ways which political trends could improve the situation of local event facilities at the federal level were debated. Moreover, a further focus was on the current discussions on the energy performance of buildings and the opportunities that arise in this context for communal event facilities.

In a hearing before the tourism committee of the German parliament (Bundestag) the German Convention Bureau (GCB) and European Association of Event Venues (EVVC) deepened their dialogue with politics on 13 April 2011.

Under the title “The Events Industry in 2030 – a Vision“ the two associations presented the current situation of the meetings industry and discussed future prospects and possible developments with political decision-makers. The hearing is an important measure to intensify the dialogue between industry and politics and hence part of the GCB’s strategic reorientation and of joint activities in the capital together with the EVVC.

Yesterday, the organizers of the second greenmeetings and events conference were able to look back on a high level of response at the Rheingoldhalle of the Congress Centrum Mainz: Some 400 participants debated about the importance of sustainability to the German meetings and convention industry during the two days of the event. Using practical examples, it was also demonstrated how events can be more organized in a more ecological manner. A total of 26 experts from industry, research and politics gave talks on different aspects of sustainable conferencing and thus also highlighted the leadership position in the field of sustainability and renewable energy. The conference was organized by the GCB German Convention Bureau e.V. together with the European Association of Event Centers (EVVC) and the Congress Centrum Mainz.

The EVVC calls for the event industry including all its houses to be reimbursed for a total of 2-3 billion Euros due to the expenses incurred in connection with the Reallocation of radio frequencies (digital dividend). “Our houses, that are for the most part communally sustained and thus dependent on tax payments, are faced with huge subsequent costs,” predicts EVVC President Joachim König. To be able to continue offering the technology of wireless microphones after the reallocation of radio frequencies in convention centers, multipurpose halls, arenas and theaters and many other events facilities from the Adult Education Center to the Staff College it will become necessary to purchase entirely new equipment almost everywhere. The wireless microphones that are being used so far do not work on other frequencies.