More than 100 industry partners were represented at the festival
Bestival, the industry event for the national and international visitor economy and event business, concluded in Berlin. Burkhard Kieker, CEO of visitBerlin, opened the Bestival live in Kino International. Stephan Schwarz, Senator for Economics, Energy, and Public Enterprises, welcomed the participants via a video message. More than 800 guests registered for this innovative event with its festival character. The two-day event comprised of expert lectures, workshops as well as the latest offers, to enable Berlin to keep its position in the global top league for congress and tourism metropolises. The event’s patron was Franziska Giffey, the governing Mayor of Berlin.
“I am pleased that event and tourism experts from all over Europe are coming together in Berlin for this innovative event format. Berliners and the city’s guests, love the capital for its creativity, its innovations and its diversity. It is great that all of this can be experienced on site and in person again this year,’’ Schwarz said in his address.
‘‘More than 800 national and international industry experts from the visitor economy and the convention industry are coming together in Berlin today for the Bestival,” said Burkhard Kieker, CEO visitBerlin. “In a unique mix of lectures, workshops and live experiences, we will introduce them to our city and discuss current trends. Thanks to the excellent teamwork with many Berlin partners, we were able to realize this event,” he said.
During the event, participants could create their own Bestival programme. Five topics presented the many facets of Berlin:
- “Urban Jungle” – sustainable offers such as urban gardening and vegan restaurants
- “Glamour and Lifestyle” – fashion and fine dining
- “Wild Berlin” – subculture and party scene
- “Art and Music” – street art, galleries, museums and concerts
- “Berlin Innovative” – science and start-up location
Each topic had its own presentations, live acts, and podium discussions on the first day. Organised thematic tours were offered on the second Bestival day. More than 100 industry partners were represented at the festival.
American singer and artist Jocelyn B Smith opened the Bestival with her keynote Matla Ahuna – The Power is Within Me. Smith was one of many high-profile acts involved in the event. In other talks and panel discussions, speakers such as Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Professor Wolfgang Georg Arlt, tourism researcher and head of the Meaningful Tourism Center, Cornelia Wiemeyer, who is the CEO of greenstorming GmbH for sustainable event management as well as Mariette Rissenbeek, who is the managing director of the Berlin International Film Festival and David Friedrich-Schmidt, CEO of the German Society for Neurology, presented their ideas and provided new impulses. Live acts included the Berlin pop artist Jim Avignon and the DJ duo Bader & Bernhard.
The Bestival was held in various locations throughout Berlin, including Kino International and the Café Moskau on Karl-Marx-Allee. The Badeschiff and its beach bar Spree offered some summer feeling. The venue was part of the adjacent event hall Arena Berlin, where presentations and networking events were also held. Berlin’s legendary dance venue Clärchens Ballhaus is renowned for its unique atmosphere and dance-filled nights.
The entire conception, organisation and realisation of Bestival followed a sustainability strategy based on the “Sustainable Meetings Berlin” initiative’s criteria as well as ISO 20121 for sustainable event management issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). All of the service providers, including their supply chains, were obliged to work ecologically and to measure and document the emissions they produce. The event was part of the restart programme for Berlin’s event and tourism industries and was funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.
