At the 2007 press conference on financial statements of Messe München GmbH, Managing Director Norbert Bargmann, responsible for the International Congress Centre Munich (ICM), summarised the centre´s performance in 2006 thus:

“In the last year a total of 101 events were held at the ICM, taking up 1,368 rooms and attracting around 111,000 participants. These events, some of which were very high calibre, generated sales of 7.5 million euros in 2006 for ICM. Around 60 percent of this figure came from business with corporate clients, around 40 percent from events with associations.”

The high points in the ICM calendar, reported Bargmann, had included four internationally renowned trade congresses: the World Robotics Congress in May 2006 with 500 delegates; the FIFA Congress on the occasion of the football world championships in June 2006, with around 1,500 delegates; the ERS Congress in September 2006 with over 18,000 delegates; and the congress of the Féderation Internationale de Géometres (F.I.G.) in October 2006, with over 5,000 delegates.

In addition many events organised by corporate clients had taken place in the ICM in 2006, among them events by BMW, DEUTSCHE TELEKOM, MICROSOFT and TOYOTA. As in previous years, leading business enterprises such as EPCOS,
INFINEON, MUNICH RE, HVB, LINDE and MAN had held their 2006 annual general meetings in the ICM.

The outlook for 2007 could not be more positive, said Bargmann: In addition to many corporate and media events, once again a wide range of renowned trade conferences and congresses were scheduled on the ICM calendar for 2007.

The International Congress Centre was particularly favoured by the organisers of medical congresses. No less than four leading societies had booked the ICM for their congresses in the first six months of 2007: the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the International Chemotherapy Society (ISC), the EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF ANEASTHESIOLOGY (ESA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chirurgie, which had been inviting its members to the ICM for many years.

Bargmann pointed out that a steadily rising number of corporate clients was now being attracted by the service and high security standards at the ICM. In the first half-year of 2007 four new AGMs had taken place in the ICM: Cash-Life-AG, Premiere AG, ProSieben/SAT 1 Media AG and Wacker-Chemie AG had all for the first time and with great success organised their meeting of shareholders in the ICM. Regular customers like MAN, MUNICH RE and LINDE had also expressed great satisfaction with their AGMs held in the ICM.

In the second half of 2007, explained Bargmann, long-term ICM key accounts like SAP, ‘Medientage’ and ‘European Microwave’ would again be bringing several thousand participants to the International Congress Centre Munich. Once again these customers were placing their trust in the high level of service and expertise at the ICM, and holding their trade meetings in the ICM.

By mid year 2007, Bargmann was able to present a positive picture of business for the year – with 93 events already having taken place at the ICM, attracting 65,000 participants. All the statistical parameters were well above those of the same time last year. And it would be “full steam ahead” for the rest of the year too, affirmed Bargmann.

Bargmann pointed out that in the ICM´s bids to host large-scale international congresses, the centre was working closely with all those involved with the congress sector in Munich. Thus, in close cooperation with the city authorities of Munich, Bavaria´s capital city, Munich Airport, the Munich Hotel Alliance (a grouping of 16
five-star hotels in Munich) and Munich Fair Hotels (a grouping of hotels in the area around the exhibition centre), the ICM had succeeded in attracting not only the ERS Congress 2006 but also the Cardiologists´ Congress 2006 (for the second time, the first being in 2004) to Munich. In the hard-fought competition for large-scale international events, the main players in the congress industry in Munich were making the most of the image and locational benefits of the Bavarian capital.

Speaking about the congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), one of the largest medical congresses worldwide, and one that the ICM will again be hosting in August 2008, Bargmann said:

“Over 25,000 delegates from all over the world are expected to converge on the ICM and adjacent exhibition halls on the five days of the congress, to find out about the latest findings in research in cardiology.”

The ICM and the city authorities of Munich, stressed Bargmann, would once again be giving the ESC and its delegates a very special welcome in Munich. Those involved in the Munich congress industry are planning a whole range of highlights and initiatives during the cardiologists’ congress in 2008. For example, the red carpet would quite literally be rolled out for guests arriving at the airport. Hostesses would be on hand at specially set-up welcome desks to give assistance to ESC delegates. And for the duration of the congress, the taxis and many buses in Munich would be sporting the ESC logo and thus visibly raising the profile of the congress in and around the city.

Munich´s hotels and retail businesses were also gearing up to the ESC Congress: one idea being implemented by the hotels taking part in the cooperation is to provide congress delegates with special pillows, scented with Alpine herbs and sporting the ESC design. Selected businesses and cultural establishments would be giving out ‘Benefits Booklets’ to congress guests.

All the participants were working well together to ensure the ESC Congress 2008 would be a success, emphasised Bargmann. And this was an important contribution to firmly consolidating Munich´s excellent reputation as a congress destination.
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