Big interview
longstanding collaboration with the
German Convention Bureau’s Future
Meeting Space research project and
notes Berlin is hosting BoCom, a hybrid
multisite conference, on 3 September. It
will also be streamed in Vienna,
Amsterdam and Essen, as well as
online.
BCO can help organisers and
agencies wishing to bring their big
events to the city, with a range of
research tools available on www.
convention.visitBerlin.com,
Oelschlegel adds. “Our experienced
team is also available to supply
answers and Berlin’s city government
has announced a congress fund which
organisers bringing meetings to
Berlin can apply to.”
Oelschlegel’s BCO team played a key
role in helping small businesses at the
start of the pandemic and staffed
hotlines to give advice on financial help
available.
“When events where forbidden in
March, we could hardly do what we
normally do. There was an urgent need
for consultancy and for informing
people applying for the city’s support
scheme, however. We heard many
heartbreaking stories from people who
were about to lose their livelihoods. At
the same time, it was reassuring to be
able to help.”
Green shoots
Berlin is a very green city and
sustainability remains high on the city
agenda. Delegates in future can use
new pop up bike lanes to explore the
boroughs. Oelschlegel says, here and in
some other areas, Covid-19 has
speeded up processes which would
have taken much longer in normal
times. “Now there are several major
bike lanes in along the roads which
makes cycling easier, safer and more
convenient. Berlin has been a city to be
discovered by bike, with its large
avenues and tiny streets and now, even
more so.”
Of course, any capital city DMO is
sure to stress its ‘connectivity and
accessibility’ for business travellers,
but in Berlin there is a whole saga
surrounding the BER airport
construction. Can it really be on course
to open in October, at last?
“I have been on a tour of the airport
and I can tell you it looks great,” says
Oelschlegel. “All is in place for the
opening on 31 October. Berlin will get
a modern single airport with a direct
connection by train and a station right
beneath the main terminal.” The new
facility also means new direct
international services once the airline
industry will have come out of its
Covid-19 depression.
The city’s hotels are, however,
already opening up, albeit for guests so
far mostly from Germany itself and
Europe. So, when does the BCO
envisage other foreign markets, such as
the US coming back?
“We hope to welcome guests from
all over the world soon. This will
heavily depend, however, on the travel
restrictions many countries (and
companies) have set in place. We do not
expect travel from the US before 2021.”
Germany has won a reputation as a
country that has generally dealt well
with the coronavirus threat, but is
there still a threat of infection rates
Above: Bikini Berlin:
a new type of
mall experience,
with pop-ups,
open spaces and
terraces.. Photo
courtesy of
@Bikini Berlin
climbing due to illegal partying and a
lively rave scene?
“Whenever you switch from severe
restrictions by the state to a status
involving more self-responsibility,
there is a danger of helping the virus to
spread. Regardless, we have to consider
not only the medical aspects but also
the economic impact of our
measurements as well as the openness
of our society. The challenge is to
balance all these needs and objectives.
And, so far, infection rates in Berlin
and Germany are still at a relatively
low level,” says Oelschlegel.
If infection rates are relatively low,
then German hygiene, training and
safety standards are certainly thought
of as high. A ’Made in Germany’
certificate is a byword for quality, so is
the MICE industry uniting around a
common standard?
“Made in Germany, or Made in
Berlin, stand for quality, for sure.
There are different initiatives and ideas
on creating a certificate and I think
this is good. On the other hand, it is
not just a new label which creates trust.
It is above all a longstanding image of
trust and solidity having been achieved
over many decades and reassured in
the current crises. We are ready to
welcome you to Berlin!”
ISSUE 1078 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 21