Lots to see and do and enjoy!
Whether IFA, ITB or InnoTrans - Berlin, the German capital, is host to some of the most renowned exhibitions in Europe in sectors as diverse as technology, tourism or rail.
But this place is really really suffering from the lack of professionalism and the facilities are not up to brush.
Most of the food stalls are cash only. Not appropriate for a place where modern technology is displayed, where the food doesn't really consist of budget options, and where ATMs are few and far between and quite frequently out of service on busy days. I would have expected this somewhere in an emerging country but not in industrialised Europe.
The orange-tiled pedestrian underpass towards Messe Nord/ICC rail station has the fragrance of a public toilet, is decorated with rather plain graffiti and frequented by dodgy people. Elevators are unreliable too. (I don't know who is responsible for the maintenance of the underpass - it may well be Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe - but this place doesn't leave a positive impression of Berlin and Germany in general, which could be detrimental, especially with regard to trade visitors. And it's a known problem.)
This is quite a common problem in today's Germany. The core product is alright (or, even more often, used to be good) but it is not properly maintained and the small bits don't work well. read more