15th Baptist World Youth Conference

The first time that the Baptist World Alliance came to Leipzig for a site inspection was in 2001. In 2004, Leipzig was selected as the winner of the bidding process. In Juli/August 2008, the 15th Baptist World Youth Conference was held in Leipzig - in the city where a church had been the sparking plug to East Germany's Peaceful Revolution in 1989. Alongside the good infrastructures, this world-changing event was a major reason why Leipzig's bid was successful.

A purpose-built plenary auditorium for 6,000 people was erected in Exhibition Hall 1. This was the venue for the large gatherings and worship services - also broadcast by TV.

In so-called Family Groups of 20 people each, participants used all rooms and facilities of the CCL building for discussion forums, Bible studies and prayer groups. Meals for all participants were served in Exhibition Hall 2. Feeding 6,000 people with good food within only one hour was a logistic masterpiece of the catering society fairgourmet.

In the Glass Hall and the adjacent open-air spaces, a „Global Village" was erected where participants could share about their various activities and projects: from a pub mission in Hamburg to a school project in Africa. The open-air exhibition space was used for a tent city to accommodate participants with a low budget.

Another impressive logistic highlight was provided by the Leipzig Transport Company LVB. They offered a good valuie-for-money congress ticket. And on Saturday, they managed to carry 6,000 people from the venue  to the historic city centre for a central festival within only one hour.

The meeting of  6.500 young Christians from over 90 countries was a considerable logistic and organisational challenge which was mastered brilliantly by the German hosts due to meticulous planning and an excellent team spirit.

10th World Filtration Congress (WFC10)

Filtration is the process of separating a solid from a liquid by straining it through a porous medium that can be penetrated easily.

The organisers had found that several locations in Germany met the space requirements but the CCL was regarded as by far the best venue for many reasons.

Having a strong focus on chemical and process engineering, the exhibition of the Congress displayed heavy machinery. This is why the direct access from the CCL congress facilities to the exhibition hall was considered a big advantage. Further requirements included eight parallel session rooms and a large hall for the opening Ceremony.

Of particular interest to the filtration engineers were post-congress plant visits to Porsche, BMW, Stora Enso (paper mill), Vattenfall (power plant) and the Dow Chemical Company.

The service and support from the CCL team was considered exceptional on all levels. The city provides excellent possibilities for travel and accommodation and Leipzig is a vibrant and exciting destination. One of the highlights of the congress was the party in the "Moritzbastei", the remains of a mediaeval fortress which is a unique venue and a superb event location in the city centre.

Another good example of city cooperation was provided by the Leipzig Transport Society (LVB - Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe) which offered a public transport ticket tailor-made to the needs of the WFC10 participants. It not only included free travel on trams and buses throughout the city, but also the fare to and from Leipzig airport.

The official opening ceremony of the WFC10 was celebrated by the Lord Mayor of the City of Leipzig, Mr. Burghart Jung.

 "Leipzig was selected by the WFC10 organising committee as it meets the needs for a successful World Congress in every way."
Suzanne Abetz, Managing Director, Filtech Exhibitions Germany