Preparations are progressing at full speed. In August 2020 the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg is due to reopen after extensive refurbishment and modification work that has been taking place since 2017. The building was therefore closed throughout the reporting year 2018. Despite this, a total of 19 events originally from the CCH did take place – in the flexible and multifunctional halls on the grounds of Hamburg Messe. The CCH team ensured that here too, all the events went off smoothly. Among the events for which the practiced CCH team was responsible were again annual general meetings of publicly listed companies, trade conferences – also from the transport sector – and medical congresses.
The medical and healthcare sectors traditionally account for a large share of the event portfolio at the CCH. In 2019 a total of nine medical congresses are scheduled to take place on the Hamburg Messe grounds, including regular guests like the Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin (DIVI) and ENDOCLUBNORD, the international endoscopy forum. 6,000 participants are expected for the 71st congress of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Urologie. The organizers of the international congress of the European Society of Vascular Surgery and of BIO-Europe®, the partnering conference at the service of the global biotech industry, are also forecasting several thousand guests at each event.
Rotary celebrates premiere in Hamburg in 2019
In addition, the CCH team at HMC also organized the Rotary International Convention from June 1 to 5, 2019, “the” major event of the year for the Rotarians. The conference organizers welcomed more than 26,000 visitors from 170 countries. “We are proud to have hosted the congress. Along with everyone involved and our partners we endeavored to do everything possible to give our guests an optimal platform for their networking and to make the congress an unforgettable event in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg for all the participants. And I think we did pretty well”, says Heike Mahmoud, Chief Operating Officer CCH – Congress Center Hamburg.
More than 20 medical congresses
More than 20 medical congresses have already made bookings for the period after 2020. One highlight at the CCH will be in 2021, when some 4,000 international stem cell experts will attend the Congress of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). That year Hamburg will also be a focus for international neurosurgeons: the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) is holding its annual congress in the CCH.
Fit for new challenges
The current closure of CCH – Congress Center Hamburg is also being used to train employees and get them fit for future challenges. There have also been many changes in terms of digitization. The “real-time engine” developed for computer games enables potential customers to discover the congress center in 3D with VR goggles and even to interact with objects. The application is much better than static 360-degree views, because light and shade change dynamically, for example, depending on the position and light source.
Since last year the CCH team has also been working with an iPad app to help customers plan their events even better. It lets them configure – by touch – customized, attractive floor plans in just seconds.
The new CCH, unlimited possibilities
When it reopens in August 2020 the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg in the heart of Hamburg will be one of the biggest and most modern congress centers in Europe. It will set new standards, especially in terms of size and flexibility. With 12,000 square meters of exhibition space, 12,000 square meters of foyer space and 12,000 seats in up to 50 rooms, the CCH offers virtually unlimited possibilities and space for congresses, conferences and events of all kinds. The vertical and horizontal split across three event areas and four levels makes it possible to host several events simultaneously without any disruptions.
Interested parties can also get a concrete impression of the new CCH in the showroom. It includes a virtual architectural model that illustrates various room and layout configurations. There is also the option of viewing the building in detail on a large interactive flat-screen.
