Future-proofing meetings ‘Made in Germany’

In 2024, five major German brands are deepening their partnership with the German Convention Bureau via the GCB ‘Partners in Focus’ programme. They include the darmstadtium congress centre, Frankfurt Airport Marriott Hotel and Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center, the Convention Bureau Thuringia, and the Tourism Agency Schleswig-Holstein. Additionally, H World International is a new collaborator within the GCB’s Premium Partner programme. Since its rebranding at the end of February, Deutsche Hospitality has been operating as H World International, uniting hotel brands such as Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts and IntercityHotel. Senior vice-president commercial at H World International, Johanna Lamke,says: “Our Premium Partnership with the GCB extends far beyond the mere representation in various key feeder markets, it is an alliance aimed at ensuring a prestigious position at the forefront of industry trends, innovation, and collaborative efforts.” The darmstadtium congress centre sees itself as a trailblazer in connectivity and sustainability, boasting futuristic architecture and award-winning IT infrastructure. Since January 2024, event organisers and their guests have been able to access complimentary premium Wi-Fi of the latest 6E standard. darmstadtium is the first European congress centre to achieve EMASplus certification. Lars Wöhler, MD of the Centre adds: “The GCB network assists us in strengthening our positioning as one of the most innovative, sustainable, and future-oriented congress centres in Germany.”, where planners can choose from venues and options that include bringing the rich history of this region to life. Christoph Gösel, MD of Thuringia Tourism says the collaboration with the GCB “signifies a new phase of visibility for us”. With the Frankfurt Airport Marriott Hotel and the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Conference Center, Marriott International brings together two of its premium brands under one roof. After extensive renovation of 500 rooms at the Sheraton last year, this year is all about repositioning the hotel as the largest conference hotel in the Rhine-Main area. “We aim to promote the two properties as one of the largest German conference venues worldwide – and the best way to achieve this is with a strong partner who is a specialist in this field,” says Rick Enders, GM of the combined hotel. The hotels sit in pole position between the check-in counters of Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1 and the AIRrail ICE long-distance train station embedded in the building complex and room count is now over a thousand spread across nine floors and three buildings. Fifty-eight meeting rooms span 4,100sqm, including a congress centre accommodating up to 1,200 attendees. Putting sustainability centre stage in recent years is paying off for the state of Schleswig-Holstein, an increasingly popular destination for corporate groups and incentives. The Schleswig-Holstein Convention Bureau (SHBC) sees the growing number of its conference hotels, destinations and service providers obtaining sustainability certifications as a key driver of this trend.