Throughout Europe, Germany is regarded as the best event destination; worldwide it is ranked in second place behind the USA. In 2007 the number of events increased by six percent - reaching 2.8 million. Last year the number of participants increased even more perceptibly - by eight percent. 314 million individuals attended German meetings and events in 2007 - almost four times the population of the Federal Republic of Germany. This clearly demonstrates that meetings and events in Germany are being held more frequently and are attracting an ever growing group of participants to German events venues.

Those facilities are well-equipped to deal with that: 6,200 hotels, convention and event centres as well as event locations (offering a capacity of at least 100 with row seating in the largest room) are currently available to the meeting and event organisers from all over the world, six percent more than in the previous year.

Those are the central findings of the "Meeting & EventBarometer 2008" - a study of the meetings and events market in Germany - which was presented yesterday (22 April) at the IMEX specialist trade fair. This is already the second time that the German National Tourist Board (GNTB), the GCB German Convention Bureau and the European Association of Events Centers (EVVC) commissioned the European Institute for the Meetings Industry (EITW) to illuminate the events market.

"The results of the new "Meeting & EventBarometer" are of great importance for tourism in Germany," remarks Petra Hedorfer, the CEO of the GNTB. "Because - even though people frequently tend to forget it - our country is not only a popular vacation destination; we are also highly regarded worldwide as a business travel destination. Almost one third of trips to Germany are professionally motivated."

"One crucial result of the study that I would like to highlight is the continued growth of demand for meetings and events in Germany: meetings are not only being held in Germany more frequently; those meetings are also attracting increasingly larger numbers of participants," adds Lutz P. Vogt, Managing Director of the GCB.

August Moderer, President of the European Association of Event Centers (EVVC) emphasises: "Our study indicates that there has been a perceptible improvement of the image of events facilities in Germany. In order to be able to maintain this level or even to further expand it, professionals are required in all areas of the events industry: the budgets for implementation of events are growing once again - but so are the requirements for the highest level of professionalism!"