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ITB Berlin 2015: high demand from exhibitors worldwide

Large increases in numbers from Asia and the Arab states – Travel Technology Hall booked up since December – expansion reflects market developments in the travel industry.

The prospects are excellent for ITB Berlin, as final preparations are being made for the 49th edition of the show that will take place from 4 to 8 March 2015. More than 10,000 exhibitors from around 190 countries and regions will be presenting their innovative products and services in the 26 display halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. Over 100,000 trade visitors are expected to attend the world’s largest travel trade show in order find out about all the tourism industry’s products and services at this year’s event. The focus is on the partner country Mongolia which will be organising the opening ceremonies on the eve of ITB Berlin and will be represented in several halls at the show. A Mongolian yurt will welcome visitors at the south entrance to the grounds. In Hall 26 visitors can find out about the wide range of travel products from the country’s stand which occupies a larger area than last year. They can also find out about sustainable tourism in Mongolia in Hall 4.1.

Dr. Martin Buck, director of the Competence Center Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin said: “Due to political and economic events such as the conflict in Ukraine and the financial crisis many destinations around the world are facing new challenges. Against this backdrop ITB Berlin has become an important networking platform and marketing instrument for exhibitors and trade visitors. As the world’s leading travel trade show it accurately reflects economic developments in this sector.”

Large numbers of exhibitors from Asia and the Middle East
Demand for places from the Arab states has been extremely high and unable to be fulfilled in every case. Halls 5.2a and 5.2b were booked up at an early stage. India is among the countries occupying an entire hall again. Afghanistan is making its return to ITB Berlin. Bangladesh and Gilgit-Baltistan, a hiking destination in Pakistan, are newcomers to the show. Iran is becoming increasing popular as a tourism destination and for the first time has its own Hall (7.2a).

As in 2013 at ITB Berlin, Asian countries are well represented in the display halls, with the exception of Russia which has reported a few cancellations due to the weak rouble. The Central Asian countries (previously in Hall 7.2a) have now moved to Hall 2.1, alongside Russia and the USA.

Brazil and Argentina, where tourism is booming, are increasingly making their way onto the market and this year are represented in larger numbers than at any previous ITB Berlin. Brazil can be found in three separate locations: in Hall 4.1 (Eco Tourism, Adventure Travel), Hall 3.1 (LGBT) and with a large combined national display in Hall 1.1. Visitors can find out more about Argentina on the country’s stand in Hall 1.1 as well as in the LGBT section in Hall 3.1. Exhibitors from Africa are also strongly represented in all areas at the fair.

Newcomers and new hall and stand concepts reflect travel market trends
The Turkish Village is a newcomer to Hall 3.1, where tourist boards, tour operators (including first-time exhibitors novissima Touristic, Suay Tour and Afrodit Tour) as well as those representing the culture and wellness segments are gathered under one roof. Poland has a new stand concept and in Hall 15.1 is exhibiting a concentrated display of its new products.

Around 45 exhibitors are representing the Netherlands at ITB Berlin in Hall 10.2 on a display area covering 280 square metres, larger than in any previous year. The Benelux countries can be found as one group in Hall 10.2, with Belgium, Flanders, the Netherlands, and for the first time Luxembourg, which was previously in Hall 18. Italy is exhibiting the entire range of its tourism products in Hall 1.2 where, on a display are covering 700 square metres, ENIT is represented with numerous Italian regions and exhibitors.

Hall 14.1 has been completely reorganised. This is where hotels, car hire companies, tour operators and many other companies from Berlin are showcasing their latest products. Hall 9, which features hotels, is all the more attractive now that, following an absence, the premium brands Hilton and Hyatt are returning to ITB Berlin. Hall 8.1 welcomes a newcomer, Meeting Masters, one of Germany’s leading MICE portals, as does Hall 18, where Lidl-Reisen is represented. Verband der Fahrschifffahrt, Warner Brothers und Greenland Travel are now back at the show.

Hall 11.1 focuses on careers in tourism, and with 40 exhibitors from eight countries now has an even more international appeal. Germany’s National Job Centre is operating a central placement service for jobs abroad. Emirates Academy, hoteleducation.ch and Sixt are newcomers to the show and are advising job seekers in their role as employers.

The range of travel technology products and services continues to grow apace and at ITB Berlin this is one of the largest and internationally most diverse displays anywhere in the world. For the first time the Chinese companies Baidu and Qunar and a joint display of Italian startups are exhibiting at the show. Rounding off this segment is the eTravel World, with displays devoted to digital marketing, social media and mobile travel services. The toolsLounge, the new meeting place for the digital economy, is also booked up. Leading eTravel market players such as Projektron GmbH, Seneca Business Software GmbH, Schober Information Group Deutschland GmbH, proventis GmbH, United Planet GmbH and Insecia GmbH are showcasing their web-based software solutions for the international travel industry at ITB Berlin for the first time

10th ITB Hospitality Day: IT is driving the industry forward
The ITB Hospitality Day is celebrating its tenth anniversary. “In 2006 we had 880 visitors to this event. The number of listeners now annually attending the ITB Hospitality Day at the ITB Berlin Convention is over 2,000“, is how David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin, commented the success of the event that has become a driving force and a platform for exchanging information among senior executives of the hospitality industry. Maria Putz-Willems, chief editor of hospitalityInside.com, has been responsible for content at the event since its launch.

On Thursday, 5 March 2015, the agenda will once again feature the latest topics and outstanding speakers will be taking an in-depth look at future trends in the hospitality industry. “Check out – hack in”: more and more hotels now have to deal with the problem of internet hacking. On the opening day of the convention Stefan Holzner, senior manager, and Dr. Florian Kohlar, representing KPMG Security Consulting, will be giving a live demonstration of how to guard against cyber attacks. These two specialists will be taking a look at security loopholes, showing how hackers steal customer data, copy bank cards and break into video conference systems.

Another trend with the potential to change the hospitality industry is the sharing economy. Traveller information is becoming more and more accessible, something that online providers are exploiting by analysing big data. However, the sharing economy is also a big force driving tourism trends. Can the conservative hospitality industry still keep up? What business models do they have lined up, and can they accommodate the sharing economy? These are the questions that Robert Wissmath, managing director of DICON Marketing und Beratungsgesellschaft, Berlin; Michael Hartmann, senior executive advisor on the executive board of EcoleHoteliere de Lausanne; Marco Nussbaum, chief executive officer of the progressive prizeotel chain and Marcus Bernhardt, the group chief commercial officer of Europcar in Paris, will be debating at a panel discussion moderated by Wirtschaftswoche reporter Hans-Jurgen Klesse.

As a result of the internet trends unfold dynamically at an unforeseen pace, triggering a huge response from customers. Simultaneous demand for two opposing lifestyles has become a dominant force: a desire for luxury and for budget accommodation. How can a hotel establish a (new) position in an age in which nothing is certain? Hotel chains are bombarding their customers with more and more lifestyle brands. The boom in budget designer hotels has created a desire for chic and stylish living, particularly with the younger, mobile generation. However, satisfying the demand for low cost and lifestyle creates confusion with services, prices and quality. Where does one draw the line between these hotels and the upmarket or even luxury segment? At an event moderated by Claudia Roth, advisor for Luxury Brands and managing partner of Totally Indispensable, Emile Bootsma, managing director of Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin; Michael Struck, chief executive officer of the recently established Ruby Hotels and Dina Soliman, director, Brand Management Europe of the InterContinental Hotel Group, will be discussing ’Luxury & lifestyle, budget & lifestyle: a global attitude towards life turns the conventional hotel industry model upside down’.

Digital vs. real values
At the CEO Panel on the topic of ’Design flashes, digitisation or sustainable values?’ young trendsetters will be able to have their say. Hubert Viriot, chief executive officer of Yotel and Gesine Haag, digital entrepreneur and founder of barefoot living, are proof of how the hospitality industry can successfully reinterpret consumer trends and desires found in other sectors. Yotel Hotels were created because the company’s founder was fascinated by the level of luxury that British Airways offered its first class passengers. Gesine Haag, who for several decades has been helping to create brands and digital worlds, is currently working on the barefoot living concept together with Til Schweiger.

Digitisation is the topic of the final panel discussion at the 10th ITB Hospitality Day. Its thought-provoking title is ’IT takes over the hotel industry: how software and internet distributors are shaking up the industry’. While hotel managers continue to argue about commissions an entirely different struggle involving online distributors is going on in the background. This is about the power of search engines and booking portals in the future. Will SEOs, OTAs and Google be taking over the hotel booking market? Who has control of data and which search machines are likely to swallow others? How much are online distribution costs likely to rise? Can hotel brands survive this clash of the internet giants? Taking part in the debate will be Vassilis Syropoulos, founder and director of the software company Juyo Analytics; Peter Verhoeven, managing director, EMEA, of Booking.com; Brannon Winn, vice president of Business Development EMEA of Sabre Hospitality Solutions; as well as Luis del Olmo, EVP Group Marketing & Asia Pacific at Melia Hotels International and executive chairman of IDISO. Wilhelm Konrad Weber, partner of Swiss Hospitality Solutions, will moderate the event.

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.

She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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