Hamburg to host Associations & Conference Forum in 2022

Hamburg will host the Associations & Conference Forum (AC Forum) in 2022. The event will gather a number of European congress organisers from science associations, medical congresses and major business association meetings. The members of AC Forum organise more than 75 recurring congresses annually, with a total of 260 event days and over 320,000 participants. In the course of a comprehensive bidding process, the Hamburg Convention Bureau, together with the Congress Center Hamburg, presented to AC Forum’s jury the benefits the city has to offer. Taking place in January 2022, AC Forum will attract more than 120 representatives, decision-makers and congress organisers from international associations to Hamburg. Congress planners will represent the interests of their respective association, while also discussing opportunities regarding meeting locations in the coming years. Hamburg’s minister for science and research, Katharina Fegebank, commented: “I am delighted that Hamburg will be hosting such an important event next year. I would like to warmly congratulate the bidding team, and very much look forward to seeing the 2022 MICE year – after a long dry spell – getting off to a strong start in January with AC Forum. I am positive that this will build on Hamburg’s strong profile as a location for scientific meetings and congresses. This winning bid is an important signal that the scientific community will be able to meet again for joint exchange and it marks a new beginning for the MICE industry following major deprivations caused by the pandemic.” Hamburg’s minister for economic affairs, Michael Westhagemann, added: “The meeting of leading congress organisers from around the world will provide the city with an excellent opportunity to present its new convention centre and to showcase itself as a highly attractive location for meetings and events of all kinds. What’s more, early 2022 seems like an ideal point in time: at that stage, Hamburg will be able to once again present itself as a modern, innovative and vibrant city that makes it tempting for any organisation to hold an event here. Congratulations to everyone involved in this success, which will certainly bear fruit for many years to come.”