BMWAG release: BMW WELT CELEBRATES ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY
10/16/2008

Already Well Over Two Million Visitors.
Munich. On 17 October 2008 the BMW Welt is celebrating its first anniversary. And even after such a short time, this unique building presenting equally unique highlights ranks No 2 on the list of the most popular sights in Munich, more than 2.2 million people visiting the BMW Welt in the last 12 months to enjoy the wide range of outstanding exhibits and displays.

All kinds of different exhibitions, the opportunity to pick up your car at the BMW Welt, guided tours as well as jazz and pre-Christmas concerts have attracted visitors from both Germany and all over the world to this new meeting place. At the same time a total of more than 220 external events have also attracted a wide range of participants to the BMW Welt Events Forum, many guests taking the opportunity to admire the unique architecture of this modern structure and enjoy a delicious meal in one of the restaurants.

In summer 2008 the Royal Institute of British Architects in London presented the renowned RIBA European Award to the BMW Welt for its innovative and trend-setting architecture. Christian Ude, the Mayor of Munich, described the BMW Welt using the following words, “With their location directly in the Olympic Park, the BMW Welt has become not only a popular attraction for everyone in Munich, but also a touristic highlight and an enrichment for our city. So I congratulate the BMW Welt most warmly on this outstanding success and wish the organization all the very best for the future. ”

High level of customer satisfaction, lots of love and a wedding couple at the BMW Welt.

The heart of the BMW Welt is the ceremony the customer enjoys in picking up his or her new car. Indeed, this is a highly emotional experience at the BMW Welt, the more than 16,000 customers taking over their BMW personally in the first year of the BMW Welt coming not only from Germany, but also from countries as far away as the USA, Canada, Russia, India, Reunion and Botswana.

A very popular highlight among customers is picking up their car on their own birthday.

Other very special occasions in the delivery of new cars were the symbolic handover of 30 – out of 950 – cars ordered by the police to the State of Bavaria as well as an American couple that got married the day before and picked up their new car wearing their wedding gown and black tie, leaving an eternal message in the guest book in the Lounge: “Thank you for making our day so memorable. ”

Numerous other comments and statements likewise highlight the strong emotional link many customers picking up their cars feel for the BMW Welt: “The Welt is the most beautiful building in the world ” or a love greeting such as “I am in love with BMW ” adorned by kisses in the book itself.

At 97 per cent, the level of satisfaction felt by customers picking up their cars is unusually high: “We are very happy indeed that the BMW Welt is so popular among our customers and that we have succeeded in achieving such an enormously high level of customer satisfaction “, says Rudolf Wiedemann, the Director of the BMW Welt.

Culinary and creative highlights in the restaurants and at the Junior Campus.

Almost 600,000 guests have enjoyed the culinary excellence offered by the BMW Welt with a total of two restaurants, a bistro and a coffee bar. Particularly popular delicacies served by the Austrian caterer DO & CO are the local speciali-ties Wiener Schnitzel (served 8,900 times so far) and Apfelstrudel (6,500 times).

Among the many souvenirs on sale in the BMW Welt Shop, the classic ball pen enjoys the highest level of popularity (14,500 pens sold), with key rings coming next at 10,000 rings sold.

In the Junior Campus, the unique Adventure and Encounter Area for 7 – 13-year olds in the BMW Welt, more than 22,600 children have built more than 5,000 small cars in teams of four to five “young engineers ” in the first year alone. Enjoying this very special extra-mural learning experience, children and young people are able to acquire knowledge on the subject of mobility in an independ-ent, interactive process.

Apart from individual visitors, more than 430 school classes and other educa-tional institutes have visited the Junior Campus, as well as more than 280 children coming to the Campus to celebrate their birthday with friends.

In future visitors will continue to enjoy a truly exclusive presentation of all BMW car and motorcycle model series, interactive exhibits and an Events Forum with the most advanced technical equipment for events of all kinds. Indeed, the classic and jazz concerts are particular highlights at the BMW Welt time and again, confirming the very open and outgoing culture of events. As just one example, the pre-Christmas concerts in the Auditorium will be starting again on 30 November 2008. And starting in January 2009, enthusiasts can look forward to further jazz matinées in the Double Cone, a very special part of the BMW Welt.