THE FUTURE IS CREATED IN PLACES OF ENCOUNTER
The AXICA congress and conference center on Pariser Platz is turning 25.
Originally planned as a canteen for DZ BANK Berlin employees, AXICA underwent a metamorphosis right from the start and quickly established itself as a sought-after event venue right next to the Brandenburg Gate.
The list of high-ranking representatives from business, politics, the media and society who have held symposia, conferences, receptions and parties here is long. These include ten years of the “Petersberg Climate Dialogue”, initiated by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and guests such as French President François Hollande, the annual “Stars of Sport” awards ceremony with, among others Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the ESA’s “Mars Conference” in cooperation with NASA, the talk show “Spät am Abend” with Lothar Späth, the European Union’s “Europa Design Awards”, the Kindernothilfe media prize, the BDI’s Climate Congress with Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and the “Sustainable Economy Summit”. If you are looking for the extraordinary, look no further than Pariser Platz – and you will find the AXICA.
In the middle of Mitte!
There are over a hundred providers of professional event spaces in Berlin, what makes AXICA so special? It’s the top location and the expressive architecture with all the possibilities it offers.
Thousands of people visit the Brandenburg Gate every day. Quite a few also take the opportunity to visit the building designed by Californian star architect Frank O. Gehry.
The award-winning architect achieved world fame with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. “The best thing I’ve ever done”, he says of his building in Berlin. It is indeed a masterpiece that reveals its creative power on the inside.
An exciting relationship between geometric and biomorphic forms can be seen here. The glass-roofed inner courtyard, shaped into an atrium, houses meeting and conference areas: Forum, Plenum, Sky Lobby and variable rooms.
Whether it was the choice of materials, incidence of light, room layout and color scheme – despite all the perfection, Frank O. Gehry never forgot what the AXICA Congress and Conference Center is really about: the meeting of people with people. He created an open house for all those who pursue great common goals, who want to enjoy work, success and life together. The house is a commitment, it creates inspiration and invites a change of perspective. An ideal place to develop new ideas.
A passion for work!
Under Jochen A. Lohmar, Managing Director from the very beginning, the principle of the event location was born: From the very beginning, the employees of AXICA have defined themselves by that certain “more”. More quality, more service, more passion. Here, sophisticated events are accompanied conceptually, organizationally, gastronomically and technically.
Since its opening, more than 3,000 events have taken place with over 350,000 guests from Germany and abroad, which is clear proof of the trust placed in the venue and its team.
Managing Director Marc A. Mundstock has been at the helm of AXICA since January 2013 and has added a clear goal to the company: “A building like this, in a place like Pariser Platz, is not just an exclusive event location. It is a place for events that make a socially relevant contribution to shaping our country and Europe.”
The congress and conference center is a premium product. This also applies to other services such as catering and service, furniture and decoration and security and guest management. The team has built up enormous expertise in this area and has expanded from a small team of 5 employees to almost 60 talented people from all areas of event organization and operations. The training of junior staff is also a high priority.
Authorized signatory Nathalie Dahmann-Harbecke has been with the company from the very beginning: “As service-providing hosts, we are right in the middle of things! For us, events are of the highest order and we are committed to them in every detail. To this end, we harmonize the subtleties of architecture with the wishes of our guests on a daily basis.”
Focus on the future
The AXICA team is aware of its responsibility for the environment and society and has been working intensively for years on the vision of making a significant contribution to sustainable positive change in society. The certification as a “Sustainable Meeting Partner” by visitBerlin in 2019 was the first major step towards sustainable action on a journey that is far from over. With the ECG balance sheet, another milestone has been reached that focuses on people and society.
The vision: “The future is created in places of encounter”, is anchored in the consciousness of the AXICA team and guides our daily actions – also for the next 25 years.
Press release as pdf