Happy to meet Dr. Martin Buck, Senior Vice President, Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin that support us answering some questions to get in touch to the world´s leading travel trade show. People from the 5 continents will meet at the right place between march 7th and 11th of 2018 attending to the ITB Berlin.
Does the fair presents a B to B Networking Platform. If yes, could you explain about it?
The exclusive ITB Buyers Circle gathers 1,000 leading buyers from Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia. Over the past six years the ITB Buyers Circle has become a sought-after meeting place for travel buyers from around the world. Some 80 per cent of the participants attend in a direct decision-making capacity, with a budget of more than 500,000 euros. More than one third of buyers even have over ten million euros and more at their disposal.
Two B2B-Speed Dating events will give buyers and bloggers an opportunity to meet with exhibitors from around the world, enabling them to establish valuable contacts all in one day. On Thursday morning at ITB Berlin the ITB Speed Networking event will take place for the 4th time. Brief time slots will give leading buyers who are members of the ITB Buyers Circle a chance to meet and get to know exhibitors. Over 1,000 meetings have already been set up in the run-up to the fair. At the ITB Blogger Speed Dating in the afternoon exhibitors and bloggers will have an opportunity to hold brief meetings and talk about joint ventures or exchange ideas on future collaboration.
What are the latest trends in the World's Leading Travel Trade Show? Will these trends be exhibit also in the fair?
Luxury travel is booming, while general attitudes towards this market are changing. These challenges, as well as the opportunities, concern the industry and will be key topics at ITB Berlin who will be collaborating with Loop, a unique trade show for luxury products. Loop will be the place to head for buyers of luxury products at the entrance to Hall 9. On the Thursday of the show the first ITB Luxury Late Night will represent an opportunity for visitors to cultivate contacts in this industry segment. This exclusive networking event will enable providers to discuss topics at length with leading buyers from the luxury travel market in a unique atmosphere.
What news have you prepared for the 2018 edition? What are the highlights?
The countdown to the 52nd ITB Berlin from 7 to 11 March 2018 has begun: many of the halls are already fully booked. We will see a high attendance again with more than 10,000 exhibitors from a total of 180 countries and expect approx. 110,000 trade visitors from all over the world.
In particular focus are revolutionary ways of travelling in the future, among them driverless cabs and hyperloops which soon will completely change the face of transport. In addition, the ITB Berlin Convention will take a close look at digitalisation and artificial intelligence and their potential impact on travel in the future. Another topic which the convention will focus on is Overtourism. In recent times rapid growth in tourism has begun to stretch accommodation and hospitality limits, particularly in major cities. As a result, the industry needs to find solutions for the future and minimise the effects on the environment. Visitors to the show can attend ITB Berlin Convention free of charge.
Have you ever heard of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? It is the land of 2.000 fairy tale castles, a paradise for water and landlubbers and offers 1,900 fascinating kilometres of Baltic coast. For the very first time ITB Berlin has been able to secure a German federal state as the Official Partner Region. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern places special emphasis on sustainable tourism, one of the reasons it was able to make the case for a wide-ranging partnership.
The huge prospects that medical tourism has to offer the global tourism industry will be highlighted at ITB Berlin. Due to high demand this segment, which was introduced only last year at ITB Berlin, is moving to a larger hall (21b). A growing number of international exhibitors will be represented here. The Health Tourism Industry Conference, the number one event in Europe, is also the official partner of the Medical Tourism segment. Taking place on Gendarmenmarkt on Friday, 9 March, the ITB Medical Night sponsored by Tuscany will provide an exclusive networking opportunity. Booming travel tech segment: eTravel Startup Day will be taking place for the first time, providing newly formed companies with a platform, as well as the Special Hospitality Tech Forum as a new feature at the eTravel Lab.
What are the advantages of exhibiting at the fair?
In addition to meeting and getting to know industry decision-makers, it is the business side of the show that for exhibitors above all determines its success. ITB Berlin is the event with the most trade visitors from abroad and boasts the world's largest attendance of exhibitors from all parts of the globe. ITB Berlin mirrors the entire value-added chain of the tourism industry. Less than 30 per cent of the show’s exhibitors are from Germany. Over two-thirds come to us from abroad. The fair is always like a big reunion of the family that represents the world’s travel industry.
Can you give us some tips to take the best out of visiting this event?
The first highlight will be the opening show on Tuesday in the City Cube which will be hosted in collaboration with this year’s partner region, the German region Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Together with the official tourist board, we will organise a carbon-neutral gala event for the first time in our history. Another important highlight will be the opening of the eTravel World where I will discuss the future of travel technology with the humanoid robot Pepper. Last but not least, we will see a number of high-class speakers and stage guests at ITB Berlin Convention, such as Airbnb’s co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk and the new CEO of Expedia, Mark Okerstrom .
Why has the fair become the World´s Leading Travel Trade Show?
ITB Berlin remains strongly in touch with the latest trends. Whether at the ITB Berlin Convention or our leading trade fairs in Shanghai, Singapore and Berlin, globalisation and digitalisation dominate our daily work and that of our customers. It is therefore all the more important that we set up ’genuine’ encounters and bring people together. ITB Berlin is the yearly must-attend event for travel professionals.
How to apply to exhibit or attend?
Exhibitors just need to download the stand registration for the next ITB Berlin. It’s quite easy: by simply filling out the form on the computer/ mobile phone and send it right back via email.
Lastly, can you give us some participation results from the last edition?
As the world’s marketplace and the trendsetter of the global travel industry ITB Berlin 2017 once again impressively underlined its standing as the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show ®. International trade visitor numbers increased significantly and at 28,000 delegates (an increase of 7.7 per cent) participation in the 14th ITB Berlin Convention reached a new record. However, at 109,000 overall trade visitor numbers were down on last year due to strike action at Berlin’s airports. Othe five days of the show, more than 10,000 exhibiting companies from 184 countries and regions displayed their products and services on 1,092 stands to visitors. The global tourism industry exhibited its latest products and trends on an area covering 160,000 square metres.
