AT PRECISELY 23:55:30 ON 30 OCTOBER 2008, TWO AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF IN PARALLEL FROM THE RUNWAYS OF BERLIN-TEMPELHOF AIRPORT. The Junkers Ju 52 and the Douglas DC3 (the “Raisin Bomber” of the famous Berlin airlift), the final crafts to leave from this historic airfield, waved their wings in a goodbye salute, their destination the planned Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport on the fringe of the city. At exactly midnight the runway lights and the iconic airfield light, a visual landmark over the surrounding old-Berlin streets of the Kreuzberg area since the 1940s, were permanently switched off. Tempelhof closed for business, and its airfield and future lay in darkness.
Some months after this farewell flight, another notable closure took place in southern Europe, this time unknown to the general public. Between 21-23 January, Bread & Butter took place in Barcelona, Spain, for the final time. A major feature on the Barcelona circuit since 2005, this leading design trade show had grown from its modest origins four years prior in the German city of Cologne to become an international design event attracting almost 1,000 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors from 100 countries.
With the doors of the Fira de Barcelona recently closed after the final day of Bread & Butter, it would have been unthinkable that there could be any synergy between a disused airport and this leading international trade fair for the textile industry. But Berlin was the city that initially conferred international exposure on Bread & Butter, the fair having moved there from Cologne in 2003. To capture the entire European market, the show ran on a bi-annual, dual-city basis from 2005 to 2007—the Berlin-Barcelona north-south axis Eurovision concept—recording exponential growth. And the company had always kept its headquarters in Berlin and remained a Berlin company. And so, on 29 January, a press release from Bread & Butter announced that it would be “coming home” to the Tempelhof airport as its next venue.
For months preceding the January event in Barcelona, negotiations had been under way between the Bread & Butter board, Berlin city officials and the Berliner Immobilien Management (BIM) Group (a daughter company of the state of Berlin responsible for the management of the airport since its closure) about bringing the trade show back to Berlin.
“We never doubted Berlin as a location,” said Karl-Heinz Müller, Bread & Butter managing director. “On the contrary, we were simply lacking the adequate event venue. The airport Berlin-Tempelhof has been an option for us for quite some time, but it was not available in those times. Now that it is available, we use this historical chance to return home.”
This is indeed a historical chance for the city of Berlin and for Bread & Butter, as well as a great challenge to the organisers. But what makes an airport an option for such a trade show, and how would the organisers be able to modify and manage access to the internal spaces of the airport building to meet expected visitor levels? Furthermore, the airport is legally protected under German Historical Buildings and Monuments, making any proposed internal modifications subject to extremely high levels of scrutiny.
“The industry demands something spectacular from us, but also something that serves the industry needs,” Müller said. “The market is the boss, and it needs a substantial renewal and further development. We will further expand these [visitor] numbers in Berlin and above all, in connection with the spectacular location, the airport Berlin-Tempelhof.”
For all organisers involved, the layout of the airport is well disposed to event planning by virtue of its original design. The quarter circle C form of the departure hall and aircraft hangars—known fondly by Berliners as “the coat hanger”—was designed by Ernst Sagebiel to reflect an eagle in flight and constructed between 1935 and 1941. At 1.2 kilometers, it’s still one of the world’s longest contiguous buildings and has a suspended canopy on the runway side that could accommodate aircraft and shelter passengers from the elements.
The building has been divided by the Bread & Butter architect team into nine continuous zones for exhibition purposes, seven of them the hangars on either side of the central hall, in what has been conceived as stylistically coordinated “neighbourhoods.” The main entrance to the airport is to function as the general entrance to the trade show, with buses available to shuttle visitors around the airfield area beyond the canopy between the exhibition areas.
The airport’s blank canvas has given organisers the idea of developing the trade show to reflect how brand retail actually works.
“To transfer this concept onto a trade show is very ambitious, but in my eyes the right way for the future,” Müller said. “I am sure that the industry will follow our thoughts.”
To facilitate the setting for this concept, BIM has had to make necessary internal alterations under its responsibility as airport representatives.
BIM Spokeswoman Katja Cwejn lists these changes as covering air conditioning technology, reinforcing electric installations and instituting numerous safety measures.
“This also includes the reconstruction of sanitary facilities as well as the construction of emergency exits and connections between the hangars,” Cwejn said.
On any constraints posed by the listed building status, Cwejn stated that “all measures naturally take into consideration the protection of the building as a historical monument. They are taken in detailed and close consultation with the public institutions concerned.”
City support extends beyond the state and BIM. The Berlin transport office, Berliner Verkehrsbetrieb (BVG), has also been consulted on the event.
“[W]e have been informed, but foresee no problems with providing for such large numbers of visitors,” said Klaus Wazlak, BVG spokesman, about the large number of expected visitors. “On 14 May 1998, then-U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Berlin-Tempelhof for the 50th anniversary of the airlift, and there were more than 300,000 visitors with no additional arrangements made. There may be stress points around the opening or closing, but we have a lot of experience with providing for such numbers.”
The public transport network that envelops the airport perimeter is therefore deemed sufficient, and indeed for much higher visitor levels. In terms of the need for additional signage, Wazlak proposes that “the existing signage to the airport is adequate for event purposes and, should it be necessary, service people can be provided at short notice.”
It would seem that Bread & Butter’s decision to return to Berlin, and Tempelhof in particular, may well be a masterstroke. Politically supported and in a unique location, a successful first show will be a win-win for the city and the event. Bread & Butter has entered a 10-year agreement with the city of Berlin for the use of Tempelhof. And the city believes in the future potential of the venue for such uses.
“All alterations were planned and carried out to remain in use after the Bread & Butter fair,” Cwejn said. “They are necessary measures for the use of the building for all kinds of events. Bread & Butter is an internationally renowned trade show, and its commitment to Tempelhof certainly paves the way for events of all kinds in the future.” One+EMEA
ROB COTTER is a freelance writer based in Berlin.
What’s New in Berlin
• Part art installation and part alleviation of dense urban living, the Badeschiff on the River Spree is one of Berlin’s latest and greatest assets. A hollowed out barge now contains a 33-meter swimming pool that floats on the river. Accessed by a decked boardwalk on the river, it’s the unique summer swim experience. Artificial beach, cafe, open-air bar and concert venue complete the scene.
• The first guerrilla restaurant—an unlicensed restaurant in a secret location—recently opened in Berlin. A concept already developed in other countries around the world, experience an intimate evening’s dining in a Grunderzeit Berlin building in the central Kreuzberg area. Bookings for up to eight from Friday to Sunday, every weekend. Visit www.theshychef.wordpress.com for more information.
Transportation Tips
• Visitors can fly to either of Berlin’s two airports—Tegel in the old City West or Schönefeld on the Southeast fringe. They are equidistant from Tempelhof with a connection at either Zoologischer Garten (via bus/taxi from Tegel) or Friedrichstraße (via S-bahn/Regional-Express or taxi from Schönefeld) U- and S-Bahn stations. The Tempelhof airport entrance is at Platz der Luftbrucke U-Bahn station on the U6, the world’s first direct airport underground station.
• While in the city, a two- to three-day Berlin Welcome Card offers unlimited travel on public transport as well as a city map and 50 per cent reduction to 130 city highlights.
• For those who prefer to travel green, the city offer velotaxis as well as a dispersed fleet of rental cycles supplied by Deutsche Bahn. Simply call the number on the bike, give your credit card details and the bike is remotely unlocked.
Fun Facts In and Around Berlin-Tempelhof
• On the Mehringdamm—the road leading from central Berlin to Tempelhof—is a restaurant called Kaiser Stein. At the roadside in front of this restaurant is the stone that Kaiser Wilhelm I used to mount and dismount his horse on the way to the Tempelhof military parade grounds.
• In the sloping Viktoria Park opposite Tempelhof airport, grapes had been cultivated for wine since the 16th century, long before its landscaping for park purposes in the late 19th century. In a small corner of the park, grapes have once again been cultivated since 1968 in collaboration with Rheinhessen vintners, producing a limited quantity of the unique Kreuz-Neroberger wine every year.
• On the Dudenstraße opposite Tempelhof sits a 1941-built, 18-metre, 12,650-tonne cylindrical concrete Schwerbelastungskörper (heavy loading body) as a study for Hitler’s plans to build a Grand Avenue running through Berlin. Advised that if it sank more than 6.35 centimetres into the soil the building plans wouldn’t be realisable, the block sank more than 17.78 centimetres. Hitler advised his chief architect, Albert Speer, to ignore the results—fortunately none of the building plans were carried out.