Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Events

The 2026 BDT Nightclub Entrepreneur Award goes to Thomas Kubitza / BDT Innovation Award for ‘Asian Sensation’

The Association of Self-Employed Service Providers in the Events Industry (isdv e.V.) and the renowned Event Academy at EurAka Baden-Baden gGmbH are joining forces. From January 2027, the two institutions will enter into a forward-looking partnership to provide targeted support and training to self-employed entrepreneurs in the events industry, equipping them to meet the challenges of their day-to-day work.

The new study by SITE and IRF shows that safety measures and risk management are becoming increasingly important when selecting incentive travel destinations and event venues.

The oneworld airline alliance has revamped its ‘Meetings & Events’ offering, thereby making it easier to organise business trips to international events.

Groh Distribution invites you to its training centre in Buchholz from 2 to 4 November, featuring experts from Yamaha, Allen & Heath, Shure, DPA and L-Acoustics. Attendance is free of charge.

MEET 2026 – the international trade fair for event technology and conference on events and theatre – has opened visitor registration and is presenting a high-calibre conference programme focusing on innovation, education and sustainability.

Rising venue and catering costs are changing the way corporate events are planned. Companies are increasingly turning to smaller, target-group-oriented hybrid and regional formats.

Multi-channel headphone systems and direct audio streaming enable several parallel presentations and workshops to take place in the same space without the need for elaborate partition walls.

5 and 6 November 2026 in Düsseldorf 2026 sACN and Art-Net, Dante and AES67, AVB/TSN, Video over IP, IP intercom and PSN tracking from stage machinery: Today, virtually all technical systems run on a single network. As a result, the show network has become a critical operational infrastructure for theatre productions. In many venues, however, it has evolved organically rather than being planned, is inadequately segmented and is managed as an afterthought in day-to-day operations.

The first major Baden-Württemberg SUMMIT brings together over 40 exhibitors, new event venues, ideas for the future and an extraordinary journey of discovery through the region

On 19 November 2026, 42 personally invited decision-makers will determine who will steer the group and conference sector in future. The event will feature a keynote speech by AI researcher Prof. Andreas Bender, the initial findings from the IHA MICE Roadshow, and a panel discussion on innovation and investment. Most places have already been allocated.

The maiden voyage of a new MICE vessel, fully booked exhibition spaces and an unplanned change of course: the MICE Boat Show, organised by ILLERHAUS Marketing, brought event planners and suppliers from the events industry together on board Transcend Cruises’ Connect at the end of September. Instead of Cologne, as originally planned, the destination was changed at short notice to Maastricht.

Three halls, five hubs and the most extensive programme in its history: from 6 to 8 October, leat con 26 will once again bring the Experience Technology sector together at Hamburg Messe. For the first time, the convention will take place in Halls A1, A2 and A4 – marking significant growth not only in terms of space but also in terms of content. To help them prepare for the three days of the event, visitors have access to the full programme and, for the first time, the official leat con event app, which allows them to plan their visit to the fair individually.

The ninth edition, taking place on 19 January in Dortmund, will feature an immersive spatial production – Phoenix des Lumières and Super Bonfire are set to become premium partners

Venue conference to be held at Europa-Park in 2027: From 21 to 22 September, the Rhein-Mosel-Halle in Koblenz became the hub of the EVVC community and the German-speaking events industry. With over 300 participants from several countries, the MFT was once again sold out.

From 17 to 19 January 2027, Bavaria’s hospitality trade fair, HOGA, will take place at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. The Gastro Innovation Award is already entering its next round. For the first time, young start-ups will have the chance to prove themselves in two categories before a high-calibre panel of industry experts. The best entries in the ‘Food’ and ‘Non-Food’ categories can each win an exhibition stand at HOGA 2027. The winners in each category will also receive a marketing budget of 1,000 euros. The closing date for entries is 9 October.

Horse Festival, Nation of Gondwana, Orange Blossom Special and Fusion Festival were the winners at the revamped Helga! Festival Awards. Highfield Festival and Snntg Festival received a special mention.

In just under six weeks, the 29th Ingolstadt Magic Festival will take place. It is a festival that not only appeals to all age groups, but also showcases the many facets of the art of magic.

“New event order”: We can already see how creativity, collaboration between industry players, business models and the role of people in live communication are changing. Participants at the neo summit 26, taking place on 6 and 7 October 2026 (as part of the leat con) in Hamburg, will discover exactly what this means for the event industry today and tomorrow; the summit is now unveiling its 5 Top Voices.

Hanover International Culture Days 2027 to kick off at the HCC

New interpretative rulings by the tax authorities are tightening the requirements for documenting company events and incentives.