ITB Berlin is set to expand. With its “ITB Corporate Marketplace“ and its own exclusive Business Travel Lounge Messe Berlin plans…
ITB Berlin is set to expand. With its “ITB Corporate Marketplace“ and its own exclusive Business Travel Lounge Messe Berlin plans to add a new segment of the business travel sector to the Interna-tional Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin in March of next year. On Tuesday, Dr. Martin Buck, Director KompetenzCenter Travel & Logistics at Messe Berlin, announced that the new ITB Corporate Marketplace would be held at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from Sunday, 13 March to Tuesday, 15 March 2005. This new trade fair segment has the needs of travel managers in mind and is aimed at the leading organisers of business travel in Germany and Europe.
Martin Buck: “For years the economic potential of the business travel market has been underestimated.“ According to the latest figures issued by the Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement (VDR), last year in Germany 8.1 million business travellers under-took 147.4 million business trips worth 54.1 billion euros. Dr. Martin Buck: “By organis-ing the ITB Corporate Marketplace and a programme of papers on business travel, we as Messe Berlin will in the future take the demands of the business travel segment fully into account.“ The organisers have succeeded in obtaining among others the VDR Akademie as participants in the programme of papers.
David Ruetz, Project Manager, ITB Berlin: “By catering for this segment we are aiming directly at the market for organisers of business travel. Combining the Marketplace and Business Lounge gives exhibitors the opportunity to address customers on a one-to-one basis without mediators, to establish new contacts and hold individual talks in the attractive lounge.“ According to David Ruetz exhibitors also save money and time if they invite their business partners to the lounge. In addition a diverse programme of seminars and papers aims at providing travel managers with useful ways of assisting their daily jobs.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
