The volume of business travel is increasing all the time in Germany, as revealed by the 2007 Travel Analysis conducted by Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e.V. (VDR) – German Business Travel Management Association. In 2006 the number of domestic business travellers who made cross-border journeys reached 157 million.  The total expenditure involved rose by five per cent compared with 2005, to a figure in excess of 47 billion euros. In recognition of this increasingly important economic factor the ITB Berlin set up its own platform three years ago, the ITB Business Travel Days. And the success has been remarkable: at year the ITB Business Travel Days attracted an attendance of over 2,000. 

Newcomers to the profession and experienced travel managers alike can obtain information and enhance their professional knowledge at the practical workshops and international forums devoted to various different countries at this year’s ITB Business Travel Days, from 5 to 9 March 2008.

ITB Business Travel Forum for newcomers to the industry and international decision-makers

The ITB Business Travel Forum begins with a particular highlight on Wednesday 5 March, when Richard Quest, a popular correspondent for CNN and  business travel specialist will open the Business Travel Newcomers’ Day. With his monthly feature programmes “CNN Business Traveller” and “Quest”, the British anchor has become one of the most instantly recognisable members of the CNN team. The ITB Business Travel Forum is the seminar and convention section of the ITB Business Travel Days. Its free seminars, specialist papers and workshops are the ideal place for trainees, office managers, travel managers, counter staff and suppliers in the business travel sector to expand their professional knowledge and learn about ways of optimising their travel budget costs. 

The Business Travel Executive Day on Thursday, 6 March 2008 provides a platform where international decision-makers can exchange views with executives. The programme will include a number of workshops intended to improve the planning of business travel, under the slogan “What’s hot in Travel Management”. The Business Travel Practical Day on Friday, 7 March 2008 provides travel managers, team assistants and secretaries with insights into “Multicultural Interaction at Meetings and Events”. This will be followed by a workshop providing an overview of the available possibilities for setting up and implementing international travel management. At the Business Travel Suppliers Day, Saturday, 8 March 2008, the focus will be on environmental responsibility. The ITB Business Travel Days will conclude with the Best Exhibitor Awards on Saturday. For the eighth time the Cologne Business School (CBS) will be selecting the best exhibitors at the ITB Berlin in a total of ten categories.

The ITB Business Travel Days, from 5 to 9 March 2008 in Hall 7.1 b, London Room 1, form part of the ITB Berlin Convention Market Trends & Innovations.