Discovering Germany; Frankfurt via Cologne

Last week some of our team were in Frankfurt attending IMEX, one of the event industry's most popular trade shows. Whilst in Germany we took the opportunity to explore a couple of event destinations that work well for corporate events and incentive activities. We explored Cologne and Frankfurt, both destinations have their own unique charms and are fantastic business hubs. We've detailed some of our discoveries below:

Cologne

We started our trip in Cologne, a historic city by the river Rhine. Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany and is well connected with daily international flights and trains. Cologne's main industry is the automotive industry, making it a super popular city for car launch events. Another large industry in Cologne is pharmaceuticals, the city is perfect for pharma conferences.

Lindner Hotel City Plaza

We stayed for two nights in Lindner Hotel City Plaza, it's a four star hotel (perfect for pharma conferences) that feels like a five star. This hotel is great as it provides so much variety in its offerings. Each floor of accommodation is also themed differently, with each theme paying homage to the city of Cologne.

The hotel is perfect for all kinds of events. The venue boasts a large ballroom which can be partitioned, various meeting rooms, an outdoor terrace and an executive roof terrace. The venue has hosted many pharmaceutical conferences and they are even able to host car launches; they've driven a car into their lobby space and showcased them there before. Anything is possible!

Walking Tour

What's great about Cologne is the fact that most of the main attractions are within walking distance from one another and the city centre isn't too large which makes the city really walkable.

We'd recommend taking groups on a walking tour of the city, particularly the old town. Cologne is an ancient city full of history, so a tour guide that is also a history buff is key. A must see is Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom), the third-tallest church and tallest cathedral in the world, it's breathtaking!

Eau de Cologne Workshop

Cologne is perhaps most famous for Eau de Cologne, which has been produced in the city since 1709, and "cologne" has since come to be a generic term for the fragrant.

One of the most famous Cologne producers in the city is 4711 and they host fragrance seminars and workshops which gives groups the opportunity to produce their own Eau de Cologne. We think this is the perfect incentive activity, it's unique, memorable and each guest gets to take home their own Cologne and scent as a keepsake.

Frankfurt

From Cologne we travelled to Frankfurt. The journey takes a little over an hour by high speed train and the trains are frequent. The cities make for the perfect pair!

Frankfurt is commonly referred to as the business hub of Germany and the country's second city. Frankfurt is a major financial centre and is home to the European Central Bank. Along with being home to many of Germany's large corporate headquarters, the city is also home to many famed educational institutions.

Lindner Hotel & Residence Main Plaza

In Cologne we stayed and dined in another Lindner hotel, the Frankfurt Hotel & Residence Main Plaza. Once again the property was stunning and the service impeccable. When looking for hotels in Germany, Lindner Hotels should be your first point of call.

This property boasts stunning views of the Frankfurt skyline. The hotel is situated away from the main financial district where most of the city's skyscrapers are, this makes it perfectly located to capture the cityscape, whats more is the building is the only one of its height in the area.

Another great selling point is the size of the bedrooms, most bedrooms in this property are the size you'd expect from a junior suite. The property also has event spaces of various sizes, most with stunning views.

Ruby Louise

We also stayed in Ruby Louise. This is a quirky hotel with an edgy theme that is perfect for a younger crowd. The hotel is similar to what you'd expect from a Shoreditch based property. Bedrooms include exposed brickwork, graffiti, guitar amps and glass shower cubicles in the middle of the rooms.

This hotel has a fantastic skybar with a roof terrace that is open late and that can be privatised, this is situated on the sixth floor. The property is also ideally located with Frankfurt’s fashion district right on the doorstep, while the old town and business district are both within easy strolling distance.

Messe Frankfurt

We spent much of our time at Messe Frankfurt as this was the venue for IMEX. The venue is one of Europe's largest exhibition centres and the company Messe Frankfurt are actually the world's largest exhibition organiser.

Messe in English translates to "Trade Fair'' and if you are planning a large-scale event in Frankfurt, there really is no better venue! The venue boasts 11 exhibition halls, 2 congress centres and its own metro station. It's really a city within a city.

At Unlocked we offer a free international venue finding and supplier sourcing service. So if you're planning an event and would like some suggestions, do get in touch.