Garlich von Essen
Secretary General

Dear Euroseeds Members,

Dear colleagues and friends from the international seed community,

It is with great pleasure that I invite you for our Euroseeds2022 Congress in Berlin, Germany, which will be held from 23 to 26 October.

Our Congress in Prague last year has demonstrated that even during the covid pandemic we were able to organise a vibrant and interactive on-site meeting with almost 1000 participants and still assure maximum safety and comfort for all of you with an elaborate hygiene concept and clear, well-communicated rules for participation. This gives us confidence that this year’s Berlin Congress will allow us to welcome even more of you back to this important gathering of the European and worldwide seed sector, specifically as regulations for travel and company practices for attendance of such events return more and more to normal.

Still, your health and safety will remain our primary concern and organisational priority. We will therefore take all necessary measures to assure that you can once again confidently enjoy a buzzing and engaging Euroseeds Congress in a safe and protected environment. While we do not yet know what the specific rules may be in Germany and elsewhere in October, it is our intention to maintain the request for vaccination/recovery certificates and/or valid test results to enter the venue. And for both convenience and to avoid unnecessary traffic and movement of participants and protect our meetings, we concentrate accommodation on our Congress venue, the Berlin InterContinental Hotel. All this will help to minimise external exposure and with that support the safety of all of you and all of us.

Following up on the successful introduction of our new programme schedule in Prague, we will again start our Congress with a “Welcome Evening Reception” on Sunday, 23 October, at 18.00h. Please note once again that there will be no trade and no exhibition on Sunday! Trade and exhibition and our regular Section Meetings will start on Monday morning and run through the following 3 days until Wednesday early afternoon. This will provide you with ample time and opportunities to meet as well as to still catch your flights or trains on Wednesday afternoon or evening to return home or leave for the next event.

Again, we do offer a special registration for virtual participation to those who may not (yet) be allowed to travel or who have other important obligations preventing them from coming to Berlin. Virtual participants will be able to follow all our Section Meetings and Assembly General and be updated on policy developments and key issues. There is, however, no option for interaction with the different plenary sessions or the trade floor. And, of course, we know that even the best virtual experience cannot replace personal contact and exchange. So we highly recommend you to come to Berlin to make the most of your time.

Last but not least, Berlin has undergone a true transformation since being reunited and -again- becoming the capital of Germany. While retaining much of its independent art and cultural scene and still proudly carrying its famous slogan of being “poor, but sexy!”, large scale building projects have revived the city’s historical centre by resurrecting some of its old splendour, like e.g. the Hohenzollern castle, and adding new, exciting quarters very much worthwhile exploring as well. So irrespective whether you haven’t been to the city for a long time and want to (re-)discover it or whether you are a regular visitor – Berlin is an exciting place to go to and we will also suggest you some special visits and ideas as part of our social programme.

With all this, we are confident to once again offer you a first-class seed trade, exhibition and policy discussion event in a top location in the centre of Europe.

I am looking forward to welcoming you for the Euroseeds2022 Congress and hope to see you in Berlin!