MEET GERMANY takes a closer look

Berlin / Frankfurt am Main, August 2026. MEET GERMANY has grown significantly over many years. Today, the network reaches more than 40,000 people from the events industry and connects event organisers from companies, agencies and associations with venues, hotels, destinations and service providers.

Now comes the next stage of development: MEET GERMANY is using its scale to delve deeper into specific areas.

What really matters to corporate event planners? Where is there a need for a safe space free from sales pressures? What do venues and hotels need to know today to sell more successfully? And how can the dialogue initiated at a SUMMIT be continued throughout the year?

This development will take concrete form at the MEET GERMANY SUMMIT Rhein-Main from 25 to 27 August 2026.

The response has been overwhelming: both TOUR programmes for trade visitors on 26 and 27 August are already fully booked, as is the exhibitor section. There are still places available for trade visitors at the FORUM on Wednesday 26 August, from 9.00 am to 3.30 pm at Depot 1899 in Frankfurt.

Together with Jan Christensen from Hessen MICE.Net and Jutta Heinrich from the Frankfurt Convention Bureau, MEET GERMANY welcomes the industry to the region.

How will this help with my next event?

That is precisely what the FORUM is all about.

More than 40 regional and national suppliers will be showcasing new venues, solutions and concepts. There will also be topics that can be directly applied to the day-to-day work of event organisers.

Natascha Kneissl | Studieninstitut für Kommunikation will speak about psychological safety and team performance. Kevin Arenja from KplusA will present concrete approaches to attracting participants and sponsors. New solutions and business models will also be featured – and, above all, there will be time to ask further questions precisely where it is relevant to your own company.

The FORUM itself also serves as a practical example: Rent.Group, Encore, Bloxibit, Swoofle and Silutions GmbH will be contributing to the day with their respective expertise and solutions. SPORT SPEAKER will be bringing additional perspectives from elite sport to Depot 1899 with wakeboarding world champion Nadine Härtinger and cycling world champion Mike Kluge.

“We’ve now reached a scale of which we’re very proud. But for me, scale alone isn’t a mark of quality,” says Tanja Schramm, CEO and managing partner of MEET GERMANY. “What matters is what our members take away from it. Do they find the right solutions? Can they raise issues that genuinely concern them? Do they learn from people facing similar challenges? That is precisely where we want to go much deeper.”

Corporate planners are given a safe space

This approach is particularly evident among corporate event organisers.

Following the FORUM, the Corporate Event Circle deliberately brings corporate planners together amongst themselves – without any sales agenda.

Together with Sabine Mayer from treibhaus AgenturCampus, Henning Harfst | covox kommunikationsberatung and Diana Vespermann from meeting point berlin, they tackle specific questions arising from day-to-day project work.

In the working session ‘From Briefing to Implementation’, participants examine where event projects run smoothly, where typical pitfalls arise, and what lessons can be learnt from them. Another session explores the journey from insight through the guiding concept to concrete implementation.

And the corporate planners will have a say in what comes next: their questions and suggested topics will feed directly into the further development of the Corporate Event Circle.

“We don’t want to sit at our desks and decide what our community might need,” says Schramm. “We want to know what’s actually on the table right now. That’s exactly what we’ll use to develop the next formats.”

In November, MEET GERMANY will take the next step and further expand the Corporate Event Circle as a permanent offering.

Not just showcasing partners, but helping them progress

The network is also becoming more targeted on the supplier side.

As early as 25 August, Kevin Arenja from KplusA will bring the community together at a live MeetUp. For hotels and venues, a dedicated masterclass will follow around the time of the SUMMIT, featuring Stijn Oude Vrielink and Ute Doering from the Venue Marketing & Sales Circle.

The focus will be on changing enquiry behaviour, lead quality, pipeline strategies and the question of how trust is built before a quote is even drawn up.

After all, visibility is important – but it is no substitute for a good sales strategy.

“We don’t want our partners to simply be visible at MEET GERMANY,” says Schramm. “If we work together to better understand what’s changing in the market, both providers and planners will benefit.”

Experience the Rhine-Main region for yourself

The region is also part of the concept.

The fully booked tours take trade visitors to selected locations and concepts in Frankfurt, Wiesbaden and the Rhine-Main region: these include, for example, TimeRide, the Reinhard Ernst Museum in Wiesbaden and the WALD.WEIT Rheingau Hotel & Retreat. Employee Shuttle accompanies participants on the tours through the region.

On Wednesday evening, 26 August, from 6.30 pm to 10.30 pm, the Frankfurter Botschaft at Westhafen will open its doors for the MEET GERMANY NIGHT. With 23 Nord in the Westhafen Tower, guests will also experience a second event venue offering views across Frankfurt.

The ‘Ohrenzirkus’ offers a hands-on experience of a format that takes a different approach to communication and interaction: small groups use wireless headphones to become part of an interactive audio experience.

In collaboration with the VDVO, the regional preliminary round of Captain MICE Future will also take place. Start-ups and innovative solutions will be showcased, with the industry audience helping to decide which concepts progress in the competition.

A SUMMIT is a one-off event. The network continues to grow.

The Rhine-Main region is thus also demonstrating the overall direction in which MEET GERMANY is developing.

The SUMMITS remain regional anchor points. They are complemented by the year-round community platform, live MeetUps, masterclasses and increasingly specialised and exclusive Circles.

People can attend a SUMMIT, connect different regions with one another or continue discussing topics within the community afterwards.

“We’ve spent many years building this network in Germany,” says Schramm. “Now we’re using this scale to take a closer look: who needs whom? Which topics do we need to explore in greater depth? And where is a private space needed? For me, that’s the most exciting development at MEET GERMANY right now.”

Many areas of expertise, one shared SUMMIT

The Rhine-Main SUMMIT is made possible by people and companies who contribute their respective expertise to the overall experience.

Alongside the participants already mentioned, Ronny Barthel is documenting the SUMMIT through photography, whilst Alexandra Antwi-Boasiako is guiding the audience through the programme as the presenter. Maritim is the hotel partner, FastLane is supporting accreditation, and InvitePeople is providing the digital event platform. VIDEO.TAXI ensures, through live transcription, that the content on stage can be read along with the speakers – another step towards accessibility. At the same time, transcripts are created from the spoken content, which can then be used for further work on the material.

In this way, the diverse expertise of the events industry behind the scenes also becomes part of what trade visitors experience over the three days.

Still on the programme: FORUM Rhein-Main

Wednesday, 26 August 2026 | 9.00 am–3.30 pm

Depot 1899 | Frankfurt am Main

Places are still available for trade visitors. The two TOUR programmes on 26 and 27 August are already fully booked.

Anyone wishing to experience the SUMMIT can join the FORUM and then continue the day – subject to eligibility and availability – with the Corporate Event Circle and NIGHT.

MEET GERMANY SUMMIT Rhine-Main | 25–27 August 2026