News & Updates

Germany leads as most visited destination for MICE in Europe, but still not back to pre-Covid levels...

The German events industry saw general year-on-year growth, and is approaching (but has not quite yet reached) pre-Covid levels.

International MICE travel to Germany grew by 15%, totalling 8.9m trips and nearly matching 2019 levels (98%). Business travel from Europe alone rose 7.7%, and overseas markets pushed the total up 8.1% year-on-year.

Despite long recovery – Germany still the world leader

Germany accounted for 10% of global MICE trips in 2024, more than any other country. “Germany leads globally as the most visited destination for MICE trips,” said Matthias Schultze, managing director of the German Convention Bureau (GCB).

Major rise for in-person events

Germany recorded 378m in-person event attendees in 2024 – a 21.5% increase on 2023. This represents 90% of 2019 levels. Business events attracted the most international interest, with 12.7m overseas attendees (11.1% of the total) – up two points from last year.

The overall number of events declined slightly, but the average event size grew. Foreign participation rose from 6.2% to 9.5%. International events are nearing full recovery at 93% of 2019 attendance.

Sustainability and AI increasingly standard

60% of venues now meet a sustainability standard, up from 27% in 2011. Another 23% plan to do so. Nearly 80% of organisers now prefer sustainable venues.

AI is also being rapidly adopted. 78% of organisers and 46% of venues use AI tools. Chatbots are the most common, followed by AI for live translation, analytics, and marketing content.

German events industry is confident

85% of organisers expect a strong year ahead. 62% of venues say bookings are looking good. Growth is expected to continue for in-person events and international attendance, especially from European neighbours.

“The growth in in-person attendance shows that face-to-face events remain irreplaceable,” said René Tumler, managing director of the EVVC.

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