Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of East and West Berlin, the entire city has changed dramatically, not only becoming Germany’s capital again but also attracting entrepreneurs and artists into its energizing orbit.

The former communist sector of East Berlin has been revitalized into an entertainment, dining and cultural district. Older buildings and residential neighborhoods throughout the city have been reborn into architectural gems. And Berlin’s historic attractions, along with a fine-tuned sense of its international identity, helped it become one of Europe’s most successful cities for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (M.I.C.E.).

For the first time since the city’s unification, the number of visitors participating in meetings and conventions reached 10 million in 2012, an 8 percent increase over the previous year. The number of major international events climbed to 172, the most ever for Berlin, which placed third after Vienna and Paris as the most popular convention destination in the world according to the International Congress & Convention Association.

“The convention business generates more than a quarter of all overnight stays in Berlin, and is therefore an essential economic factor,” said Visit Berlin CEO Burkhard Kieker. “In the future we want to compete even more effectively for international conventions, leveraging the expertise of our marketing offices in London, New York and São Paulo.”

One reason Berlin catapulted into the elite group of leading M.I.C.E. cities is its diversity of unique meeting venues, ranging from the top of a 1,100-foot television tower to a historic aircraft hangar on the grounds of former Tempelhof Airport that can accommodate 5,000 guests. Conference organizers and event planners have used glass-walled public spaces in museums along the banks of the city’s River Spree, sound stages in glamorous concert halls, plazas near the surviving concrete slabs of the Berlin Wall, locations in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate and communal tables within sprawling beer gardens throughout the city.

Maritz Travel, a global leader in providing meeting, event and incentive travel programs to its corporate clients, likes to use Berlin as a destination whenever possible. In summer 2012, it operated four programs in Berlin for one of its financial services clients. “The programs were family-friendly and had approximately 115 travelers per group,” said Megan Barry, lead travel buyer for the firm. “Berlin is an appealing destination for these types of programs because it provides a wide array of group activities, and guests could easily navigate the city in their free time, helping create exceptional experiences for everyone. In addition to ample attractions, Berlin also offers quality hotels, solid airlift from the U.S., and is a city you could parallel with New York City, London or Paris for being an attractive destination to explore and experience.”

There is no shortage of hotels that target and welcome M.I.C.E. events. The hotels with the largest conference capacities include the Estrel Hotel & Convention Center, Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin, InterContinental Hotel Berlin and the Hotel Palace. Several new meetings-oriented properties have opened this year or will open shortly. The Winters Hotel Berlin Mitte – The Wall am Checkpoint Charlie opened in February, with its unique façade marked by a special Berlin Wall design, offering 170 guestrooms, free WiFi and conference facilities. The Wyndham Grande Berlin Potsdamer Platz opened in March in the former Postpalais, a post office dating to the 1930s, and has 256 guestrooms, including a Club Level with separate lounge, and eight customized conference rooms. Inspired by the artwork of the Swiss painter Paul Klee, The Klee Berlin Hotel opened in May with 80 guestrooms and suites, plus high-tech conference facilities. Perhaps one of the most noticeable new hotel venues is the Leonardo Hotel Berlin Mitte, a property made entirely of glass and metal on Bertolt-Brecht-Platz. This 310-room property, opened in May, is located in the fashionable Mitte district of the former East Berlin and includes conference and special event spaces.

Other hotels in the pipeline include the InterCityHotelGmbH (October 2013), with 412 guestrooms and 10 conference rooms; the Steigenberger Hotel am Kanzleramt (fall 2014), with 339 guestrooms, spa services and a large conference area; and the Steigenberger Superior Hotel (2015), expected to open outside the terminal at the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, with 322 guestrooms and 11 conference rooms.

Last year, Berlin’s official conventions organization, Messe Berlin Congress Division, changed its name to Messe Berlin Conventions. “We are confident that the combination of a globally recognized brand, Messe Berlin, and our activity description — conventions — will send out a strong message to our customers that we organize congresses at the highest international level in one of the most fascinating cities in the world, “ said Dr. Ralf G. Kleinhenz, the organization’s vice president.

Messe Berlin Conventions organizes M.I.C.E. events on the entire exhibition grounds of Berlin’s International Congress Centre, Europe’s largest conference center, with several structures as part of the complex. The opening in late 2012 of new exhibition grounds at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport and the early 2014 completion of CityCube Berlin mean new and expanded responsibilities for Messe Berlin Conventions.

Although the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport facilities will not see their full potential until the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport is open, the adjacent ExpoCenter has already hosted several events, including the ILA Berlin Air Show, with more than 100 supporting congresses, conferences and meetings participating in this popular event. The new airport, a 3,500-acre modern facility about 18 miles southeast of the city, faced several delayed openings — an uncommon occurrence anywhere in Germany — but a new final opening date will be announced shortly. With its convention and hotel facilities, its own underground rail station and capacity to serve almost 30 million passengers a year, the brand-new airport will attract a significant amount of European and international M.I.C.E. events.

By early 2014, a new congress and trade fair center, CityCube Berlin, will open on the site of the former Deutschlandhalle near the ICC. At that time, the present International Congress Centrum ICC Berlin will be temporarily closed and refurbished. CityCube Berlin, a multifunctional venue, will have two main hall levels and eight conference halls for 400–5,000 delegates each, as well as 29 offices, suites and smaller meeting rooms. This smartly designed facility, which will accommodate 10,000 delegates, will be outfitted with the most advanced high-tech communications equipment and linked to Berlin’s excellent public transport network. CityCube Berlin is already fully booked with events through the end of 2014.

Major upcoming 2013 trade shows in Berlin include Trade Fair on Contemporary Art in September; the World Publishing Expo, the European Trade Fair for Bars & Spirits and the 5th World Health Summit in October; and COSMETICA Berlin in November.