The opening of the ITS World Congress on October 11, 2021 in Hall 1 of the refurbished CCH heralded a record event attended by over 13,000 guests and 400 exhibitors from all corners of the globe. Visitor numbers down through the 35-year history of the ITS mobility trade fair had never rivalled those seen in Hamburg last autumn. A delighted Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Executive Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC), remarked: "So far, the CCH - Congress Center Hamburg has hosted a total of 130 global congresses alone. And we have shown with the ITS World Congress last autumn that we can host world congresses and under the new general conditions and customer requirements.”
New 36,000 m² CCH now among Europe’s largest congress centres – 250 events annually
The new 36,000 m² CCH Congress Center Hamburg sports superlatives galore with 12,000 m² of exhibition space, 12,000 m² of foyer space and 12,000 seats in up to 50 halls. Management, staff and potential visitors are now feverishly awaiting its Grand (Re) Opening on April 29, 2022 after almost five years of extensive renovations. Originally opened in April 1973 as the nation’s first congress centre by former German President Gustav Heinemann, CCH has since flourished to become one of Europe’s largest, state-of-the-art, multifunctional and highly flexible congress centres. It now hosts medical and science congresses such as the Hamburg MIC Symposium last November and the Endo Club Nord as well as company conferences, product presentations and cultural events.
Soft opening - prelude to grand stage in 2022
Major events planned all over exhibition grounds
Events such as the German Biotechnology Days 2022, ISC High Performance 2022 (formerly the International Supercomputing Conference) and the 20th International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology have already been confirmed. The agenda also features the world's third-largest urology congress, the annual meeting of the German Society of Urology (DGU), which is expected to attract around 6,000 international trade visitors. The 74th annual conference will be chaired by DGU Professor Margit Fisch, Director of UKE's Department of Urology.
Cultural events will not be held at CCH before 2023 due to the pandemic. However, management is already in talks with concert organisers and there are numerous enquiries for major events on the grounds of CCH and in the exhibition centre. Thanks to the nearby Planten un Blomen park, an attractive, environment-friendly strategy is emerging.
Attractive city centre location
The conveniency of the trade fair and congress venue bang in the middle of Hamburg makes CCH even more attractive. The adjacent park and city centre with plenty of shops and restaurants are all within walking distance. Visitors can book 8,000 hotel beds nearby. The Dammtor Intercity railway station is virtually on the doorstep and Hamburg Airport can be reached within 25 minutes. Around 50 airlines will be flying direct from Hamburg Airport to some 115 destinations this summer. The congress centre had staged about 250 events every year since CCH opened until refurbishment began. Asked about the prospects for the future, Aufderheide said: "Our decades of expertise in the congress business will allow us to continue the success of CCH - Congress Center Hamburg." More celebrations are on the cards when CCH celebrates its 50th anniversary next year.
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