Munich . With a record 2.93 million visitors in 2013, BMW Welt welcomed more guests last year than ever before. Since opening in October 2007, BMW Welt has rapidly become a tourist magnet and Bavaria’s top attraction. The BMW Welt Event Forum and Automobile Delivery also reported their best year so far. Their success was crowned with a number of prestigious awards: BMW Welt was named Germany’s best design location at the 2013 Location Awards, while master chef Bobby Bräuer and his team earned a Michelin star and 18 points in the Gault Millau guide for the fine-dining restaurant “EssZimmer”.
“2013 was a year of new records, premieres and unique exhibitions for BMW Welt. Our expanded brand worlds, new and established event formats and gourmet restaurant “EssZimmer” delighted more guests than ever. And again, this year, visitors from around the world can expect to enjoy unique and fascinating experiences at BMW Welt,” according to Thomas Muderlak, head of BMW Welt.
The 2.93 million BMW Welt visitors represent an increase of almost 20 per cent over the previous year (2012: 2.45 million visitors): Around 60 per cent came from Germany, with the remainder from all over the world – especially the U.S., Russia and Asia, and the neighbouring countries of Austria and Italy. Almost 40 per cent of guests have visited BMW Welt more than once. In total, more than 14 million people have visited BMW Welt since it opened in 2007.
100,000 vehicle deliveries
Customers come to BMW Welt from all over the world to take delivery of their new car. A total of 21,500 BMW drivers – the highest number ever – collected their vehicles in 2013. Almost 3,000 of them had already done so before. Around ten per cent of those collecting their cars came from the U.S. In addition to these record numbers, there were two further causes for celebration in 2013: In July 2013, BMW Welt welcomed the 100,000th driver to collect their vehicle since opening in 2007; and in November, the first pure electric BMW i3 models were handed over to customers. A number of celebrities, including TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk and opera singer Eva Lind, also came to BMW Welt to collect their new car in person.
Varied event programme and celebrity guests
More than 40 brand events, international stars and a varied family programme brought visitors to BMW Welt in 2013. The BMW Welt Jazz Award celebrated its fifth anniversary and entertained guests with several matinee performances and a grand finale. At the Munich Crime Fiction Festival, TV actress Andrea Sawatzki made her crime fiction debut and best-selling Norwegian author Jo Nesbø presented his latest novel. In June, double Grammy award winner Frank Ocean launched his world tour at BMW Welt and “The Overtones” opened Munich’s “Long Night of Music” to a crowd of around 1,500 visitors. The “MINI Club Series – Good To See You” welcomed renowned DJs from the national and international clubbing scene, including Danish DJ and producer Trentemoller and techno legend Westbam. The busiest weekend of the year was the “Two-wheeler days” with 35,000 guests in July. The year also came to a colourful close with the “Night of Colours”, the spectacular New Year’s Eve party for around 3,000 guests.
Exclusive event location
The BMW Welt Event Forum also set a new record of more than 48,000 guests and 444 external events: among them, the twelfth Bavarian Sports’ Award; presentation of the Munich Film Festival’s CineMerit Award; the high-profile gala evening for the Eckart Witzigmann award; and the International Cardiology Congress. BMW Welt not only consolidated its position as an exclusive event location among its many event customers, but also impressed the jury in the “design location” category of the 2013 Location Awards as best event venue in Germany.
Awards for “EssZimmer”
BMW Welt and its gastronomy partner Feinkost Käfer opened the “EssZimmer” gourmet restaurant in spring 2013. Just eight months later, Bobby Bräuer and his team earned a Michelin star and 18 Gault Millau points. The renowned guide described “Esszimmer” as “the newest, most spectacular gourmet restaurant” in the Bavarian capital and Bobby Bräuer as a “godsend for the local gourmet community”. The top chef was also named “Rising star of the year” in the Aral Schlemmeratlas restaurant guide. “EssZimmer” has quickly established itself as one of Munich’s top gourmet dining addresses. The “Bavarie” restaurant was also included in the Gault Millau guide with 14 points.
