BERLIN, GERMANY - The new year starts with a bang for the German MICE industry, as Spacebase secures its leadership in and releases details of another big acquisition. The Berlin startup takes over MICE Service GmbH in Q1/2020.
MICE Service GmbH works closely with its network of partner hotels and organises more than 5,000 large-scale events per year for corporate clients. Its highly-experienced team has earned a reputation for first-class service and a trusted, dependable partnership model, providing comprehensive solutions for clients at the same time as increasing booking volume for partner hotels. MICE Service GmbH has also reached a wider customer base through its latest activities via the platform economy. MICE Service GmbH was taken over by Oliver Stoldt in 2014 and forms part of the MICE Service Group, which also has Austrian and Swiss arms.
“The process of merging MICE Service and Spacebase is, for both companies, the next logical step,” said Oliver Stoldt. “In the last few years, Spacebase has expanded as a business and built a strong name for itself - and not only for exclusive locations, which appear only on Spacebase. The online platform is being constantly optimised and upgraded with innovative technology, and now offers the highest level of automation in the German market. From our side, MICE Service GmbH brings years of customer service experience and agency knowledge in organising events for corporate clients - an area which Spacebase has previously been missing. Clearly, there are many synergies and opportunities for both companies to learn fromeach other. Bringing together corporate service and automation technology, this is an offering that still doesn’t exist on the German market.”
The deal represents a step towards the future for Spacebase CEO and Co-founder, Julian Jost. “At Spacebase we have developed an innovative and effective technological solution that allows users worldwide to quickly and easily search for locations. By integrating with MICE Service, we bring our online expertise into play for a wider audience - the major corporate clients which
MICE Service organises events for, and their partner hotels with conference room facilities.”
MICE Service organises events for, and their partner hotels with conference room facilities.”
Spacebase brings tech expertise and proven market value, driven by software development and online functionality. Acquiring MICE Service GmbH allows the Berlin startup to benefit from the skills and experience in customer service and satisfaction that MICE Service has built. “We’re delighted to be combining our strengths in this way - it will help us reach more customers, develop our business operations and keep growing. Our brands in Austria and Switzerland, which will continue to work together, will also benefit from this operational collaboration,” said Stoldt MICE Service GmbH’s operations will be taken over by Spacebase but the agency will remain as a stand-alone company. The new 50-strong team will be based in the Spacebase Campus in Berlin Kreuzberg, while the Austrian and Swiss arms of Mice Service Group will operate separately under the leadership of Janin Heukamp - but will continue to work closely with the Berlin team.
The deal reflects a wider trend towards digitisation and consolidation across the MICE industry. Jost points out, however, this should not be seen as a break with the past. “We’re not looking to change what MICE Service offers its clients, or disrupt their existing processes. Maintaining that level of customer service will always be our top priority. Instead we are excited about enhancing their service from an operational point of view and combining our skills and expertise for everyone’s advantage. For us, the main thing is to make the process entirely transparent for our customers. That way, we can also better integrate any future takeovers into our existing brands and partner network. This current step gives us plenty of space for growth.”
This is only the first move in the consolidation of the MICE industry - a development that Spacebase currently leads, as it cements its position as the German market’s one-stop solution for B2B venue sourcing.
