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Future of the ICC: New concepts for art and culture in Berlin!
Berlin is planning to redesign the ICC with a focus on art, culture and innovation. Bidding competition runs until 2025.
Future of the ICC: New concepts for art and culture in Berlin!
A lot is happening in Berlin when it comes to the future of the International Congress Center (ICC). On November 2, 2025, it was announced that only one group of bidders was still in the running. This presented a usage concept that is based on the guidelines of art, culture, creative industries as well as innovation and technology. The other applicants were unable to sufficiently meet the requirements of the competition and were therefore not admitted to the next round. The aim of the process is to find a suitable operator for the ICC who will operate the building with a viable concept and, if the contract is awarded, will be obliged to renovate, renovate and, if necessary, convert it, reports berlin.de.
The ICC properties at Messedamm 9 remain the property of the State of Berlin and are granted under a leasehold for 99 years. This offers the selected operator group a long-term perspective to establish their concepts and concerns on site, which are intended to promote not only the congress and event sector, but also Berlin's creative scene. Given the great importance of the creative industries, the promising concept is a welcome prospect for the region.
Culture and creativity in focus
But what does this look like across the cultural and creative industries? This industry plays a central role in Germany. It deals with the creation, production, distribution and media dissemination of cultural and creative goods and services. In Germany, the cultural and creative industries achieved sales of 174.1 billion euros in 2019, and the industry is very fragmented - 90% of the companies are small or micro-enterprises. These developments show how vibrant and influential the cultural industry is, as well as on Wikipedia can be read.
Given these numbers, it is not surprising that creative content and copyrights have come into greater focus in recent years. Among other things, the Coalition for Cultural and Creative Industries in Germany (k3d) was founded in 2021 to represent the interests of the industry. The aim is to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and create fair competitive conditions for artists. In addition, digitization is a double-edged sword - while it opens up new opportunities, it also led to a decline in sales in the music industry, especially due to unauthorized downloads.
The meaning of art
But what exactly is art? The term has an exciting root. It is derived from the Middle Low German “kunst” and stands for skills and knowledge. Art is therefore not only the creation of works, but also the skills behind these creative activities. Historically, art is closely linked to craftsmanship and knowledge - many languages share a similar word for art, like this Wiktionary illuminated.
Overall, it shows that the ICC is not just an architectural project or an event venue. It symbolizes the potential and diversity of the cultural industry in Germany. Artistic approaches, innovative ideas and the further development of our cultural heritage are in the foreground and the example of ICC shows how important these aspects are for society.