On August 18, 2017, the kING Kultur und Kongresshalle in Ingelheim opened its doors after a 33-month construction period. In its five years of existence, the architectural and technical innovation building has developed into a major event, trade fair and congress metier in the Rhine-Main area. More than 180,000 visitors inside and the nationwide popularity in the B2B segment prove the success of the socio-economic concept of the Ingelheim initiators.

Matthias Becker, Managing Director of the operating company IKuM Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH emphasizes: "With the kING we have created a unique cultural venue in Ingelheim in the middle of the city close to the citizens, which creates a supra-regional appeal through its architecture".

Right from the start, the kING was received very positively in both the B2B and B2C segments. "Around 30,000 visitors and 61 cultural and business events in the first year exceeded expectations," says Becker. "Solo artists, orchestras, rock bands and industrial companies - all united under one roof - you rarely have that in Germany. With the concept of the KING in Ingelheim, this multifunctionality was realized at a very high level.”

The challenges of the Corona years 2020 and 2021 could be mastered by a coherent hygiene concept in accordance with the applicable requirements of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Innovative event and media technology coupled with an Internet connection of up to 1,000 Mbit enabled hybrid sales and employee events, including the 2020 business day of the Rhein-Nahe-Hunsrück e.V. regional initiative or the general meeting of the Rhineland-Palatinate chemistry employers’ association.

With the Ingelheim-based pharmaceutical company Boehringer and the Federal Criminal Police Office, the barrier-free building was popular with companies, associations and institutions right from the start, and this has continued to be the case with more than 200 conferences and congresses to date. For numerous customers from all over Germany, the kING is now a permanent venue for their events. With its wide range of offers, the event center sets noticeable, economic accents and is not only one of the landmarks of the district town, but also a key building block for the development of Ingelheim's inner city.

A plus for visitors to the kING is the good infrastructure with public transport connections and inexpensive parking options, for example in the modern parking garage at the kING. Hotels and high-quality, regionally typical gastronomy are also integrated into the tourist concept. Depending on the occasion, guests can stay in owner-managed hotels, for example in Ingelheim wineries or in the 4-star business hotel built in 2017 in the immediate vicinity of the kING, which has a capacity of 109 rooms.

With the construction of the culture and congress hall, those responsible for the city of Ingelheim pursued the goal of offering culture in all its diversity. Since the kING opened, renowned cultural event organizers such as the Rheingau Music Festival and interdisciplinary artists such as Saga, Manfred Man's Earth Band, Olaf Schubert, Tobias Mann, Axel Prahl and Jan Josef Liefers have been guests in Ingelheim.

One of the reasons is the technical equipment, which is based on the Meyer Sound Constellation Acoustic System. More than 200 permanently installed loudspeakers and more than 30 ceiling microphones create different acoustic scenarios in the large hall, which offers space for 1,000 guests on 545 m2. For the installation of this system, the kING Kultur und Kongresshalle won the InAVation Award in the "Leisure & Entertainment Facility" category as the most innovative international audio/video project.

The kING Kultur und Kongresshalle Ingelheim is in the responsibility of the IKuM Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH, which was founded in 2016. In addition to the kING Kultur und Kongresshalle, the Ingelheim-based company also operates the Ingelheimer Winzerkeller and also has its own cultural program in other locations in the city, such as the open-air stage at the Burgkirche and the Aula regia in the Kaiserpfalz area. In addition, city and wine festivals such as the concert series "Thursdays in the City", the spring wine festival, the harbor festival or the red wine festival are part of the event repertoire of the IKuM. The company shares in Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH are held 100 percent by the city of Ingelheim, Managing Director since 2021 is Matthias Becker.
Coming up soon
On September 18th, the Ingelheimer Kultur und Marketing GmbH invites all citizens of Ingelheim and the surrounding area, business customers and media representatives to its open day. On this day, all guests can discover what is hidden behind the 324 windows on two floors during an exclusive house and backstage tour.

The complete program can be found shortly on our website at https://www.king-ingelheim.de/5-years-king