Future of the ICC: Only one bidding group left in the race

What does the future of the ICC look like? Interested bidders had until the summer to submit their concepts. The Senate has made an important decision for the further negotiations.

According to the economic administration, the concept process will continue with a bidding group consisting of several companies. "The consortium is expected to develop a utilization concept for the ICC Berlin in close cooperation with the jury as part of a dialogue phase by the end of April 2026," the press release stated. An award recommendation is to be made in July 2026.

ICC to be developed for the future

The economic administration did not disclose which companies belong to the consortium. "The consortium brings together companies from the fields of construction, architecture, project development and building services engineering, each with a strong connection to Berlin," it simply said. The consortium has "the necessary experience to develop a complex building such as the ICC in a sustainable manner - also taking into account monument protection and pollutant remediation". 

Building needs to be refurbished and renovated

The planned utilization concept should be based on the guidelines of art, culture, creative industries, innovation, technology as well as congress and event management. Other applicants had not sufficiently fulfilled the requirements in the competition and were therefore not admitted to the next round. The aim of the concept procedure is to find a suitable operator for the ICC. If the bid is successful, the bidders undertake to refurbish, renovate and, if necessary, convert the building and then open it and operate it on a permanent basis with a viable concept. A building is to be erected on the Messedamm 9 site. The land will remain the property of the State of Berlin and is to be leased for 99 years under a heritable building right.