"The positive development of Frankfurt’s congress and conference industry is continuing," states Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann with pride whilst presenting the figures for 2018. Frankfurt has once again improved on the record results of the previous year, having hosted nearly 80,000 events in 2018, an increase of 5.7 percent.

More than five million congress and conference participants from all across the globe came to Frankfurt in 2018, according to the latest Frankfurt congress statistics. That’s an increase of 10.6 percent compared to the year prior. These figures show that congresses and conferences are playing an increasingly important role in terms of business and tourism in Frankfurt. All in all, some 20 percent of total overnight stays in Frankfurt are being generated by the local congress and conference industry.

The aforementioned increase in business events and their participants translates into average visitor figures of approximately 13,940 per day. Total turnover generated by these events increased by 13.5 percent, reaching € 987.3 million, a new record result. "The congress and conference business is a significant economic factor for our city, not to mention an important image factor. The number of participants is increasing constantly and there have never more conference locations to choose from,” notes the Lord Mayor. Thomas Feda, managing director of the Frankfurt Tourist+Congress Board (TCF), adds: “As the statistics show, our national and international efforts to promote Frankfurt’s image as a premier congress destination have been very successful. Our excellent collaboration with the Frankfurt Fair & Exhibition Centre, aimed at attracting new events to Frankfurt, is particularly noteworthy."

As in previous years, Frankfurt was a particularly attractive location for smaller conferences of up to 50 persons (Total number: 60,926). This category increased by 2.5 percent compared to 2017, making up 76.3 percent of all business events held in Frankfurt. Large-scale events with more than 1,000 participants (Total number: 318), meanwhile, recorded their biggest increase in five years.

Key industries holding their events in Frankfurt include financial services, consulting services and pharmaceutics. The vast majority of event organisers came from within Germany, while the largest number of international organisers hailed from Great Britain, as in the years prior. The USA took second place after a strong 2018 showing, with Switzerland coming in third. The important source market of China also recorded improved figures last year, cracking the Top-5 for the first time. “Like no other Germany city, Frankfurt has adapted to meet the specific needs of visitors from China,” adds Mr Feda.

The excellent results achieved by the MICE (meetings, incentive travel and events) industry have been highly beneficial to Frankfurt, economically speaking. Total turnover generated by business events in 2018 reached € 987.3 million, spread out across the industry sectors of hospitality, transport, culture, recreation and retail. Average daily spending per congress delegate reached € 194.00.
"Forecasts predict that the number of business events and their participants will continue to grow," concludes Lord Mayor Feldmann. The EBMT Congress (European Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation) in March and the ap&m conference (airline purchasing & maintenance) in June are just two examples of the high-profile business events taking place in Frankfurt this year.

In the city centre, the New Frankfurt Old Town, home to a number of attractive conference options situated in and around the historical quarter, is proving itself to be an increasingly popular destination for conference visitors.

The start of construction on Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport and the planned expansion of the commuter train lines (S-Bahn), which includes a new stop at Gateway Gardens, thereby improving the accessibility of the hotels based there, are just some of the trendsetting developments aimed at increasing overall demand in Frankfurt, the international congress and conference destination.