• Participants in the ESC Congress 2008 highly satisfied with the event

• A resounding success for the concerted efforts of the Munich

congress sector  

“That was the best European cardiologists' congress of all time!" That was how Alan J. Howard, CEO of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), summed up the success of the ESC Congress 2008 to his team.
 
This year, 30,500 congress participants came from a total of 130 countries, which is 20 percent more than last time (2004: 25,000). The International Congress Centre Munich (ICM) was fully booked and further space was taken up in eight exhibition halls.
 
In addition, over 200 exhibitors presented the latest developments and products in the field of medical technology.
 
The Director of the ESC Congress, Ms Isabel Bardinet, said at the end of the congress: "The dynamic organisation of the congress and the support our participants received from Messe München and the City of Munich surpassed our expectations, which were already high based on the success of the last congress in 2004. All our members whom I talked to were full of praise for the successful combination of location and professional competence. We were impressed by the perfect organisation, efficiency, but also by the very warm welcome and the respect with which we were received and supported."
 
"Munich is inspiring!" This comment, from one of the congress delegates, sums up nicely why the cardiologists once again chose the ICM as the venue for their congress.
 
The attractiveness of Munich as a congress location was not only reflected in the infrastructure of the ICM and the organisational competence, but above all also in the creative potential, noted Norbert Bargmann, Managing Director of Messe München GmbH: “The branding developed specially for the ESC Congress was a evident throughout the city. It set a visual sign: on info screens; in the person of guides and hostesses at the airport, railway stations and at Marienplatz welcoming the incoming cardiologists; taxis and buses sported the ESC welcoming branding; and the hotels, too, played their part, flying flags with the ESC logo and presenting the guests with a personal letter of welcome from the Mayor of Munich. Thanks to this success and great effort on the part of all those involved in the congress business in Munich, we will find it easier in future to attract further major international congresses to Munich."
 
This year´s ESC meeting, following the expansion, was the largest cardiologists' congress the ESC has ever organised; it took up over 100,000 square metres of space in Munich.
 
"Once again the close physical and organisational links between the ICM and the exhibition halls has proven to be the key to managing such a high number of participants," explained Bargmann. "The kind of cooperation that we have here in Munich between the ICM and Messe München, the City of Munich, the airport, the hotel and restaurant businesses, and the taxi firms, is unique in Europe. And it is this that has made this tremendous success possible."
 
5/P/ar