Berlin and Los Angeles 50 Year Anniversary

Event Description

On June 27, 1967 Berlin became Los Angeles’ 6th sister city with the mission to foster the friendship between our two prominent cities and to promote cultural, social and commercial exchanges. A myriad of partnerships and events in the last 50 years have contributed to a deeper understanding and appreciation for the citizens of both cities. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Berlin – Los Angeles sister city relationship, SCOLA organized a delegation of 50 Angelenos to Berlin from July 2 – July 6, 2017, in partnership with Los Angeles and Tourism and Convention Board (LATCB) and World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA). A substantive program provided delegates from various sectors extensive networking opportunities to promote business,tourism and culture between our two cities. Small and medium sized Los Angeles based start-up companies participated in business-to-business meetings with Berlin based companies of interest. Delegates had the opportunity to attend the highly exclusive Berlin event known as the Hoffest, which is the Mayor of Berlin’s annual gathering where over 3500 representatives from politics, business, academia, diplomacy, culture and sports came together.

Guests from Berlin and Los Angeles delegates attended a Discover LA event held at the Axica, an iconic building designed by Frank Gehry, showcasing Los Angeles as a tourism destination and a hub for international trade, business, and investment. Los Angeles based company AEG, also held an event where Mayors Garcetti and Muller unveiled a plaque commemorating the milestone, at the Mercedes-Benz Platz, an AEG building which is a L.A. Live-type entertainment district, next to their stadium Mercedes-Benz Arena. To underpin both cities commitment to environmental sustainability, an MOU was signed between the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) and LADWP with Berlin incubators and the Berlin-Brandenberg Energy Network (BEN). The delegation activities ended with breakfast talk organized by the Aspen Institute of Germany, where Mayor Garcetti was interviewed on the role of mayors in global conversations, which was broadcasted, live on German radio. The trip was a great success in reinforcing the strong partnerships and affinities shared between the two cities and its citizens.