The show must go on
CMW PREVIEWS THE UPCOMING ITB BERLIN CONVENTION , 8-10 MARCH 2021 , AND DIGITAL BUSINESS DAY , 17 MARCH , BOTH OCCURRING VIRTUALLY FROM THE MESSE BERLIN STUDIO
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TB Berlin Convention , the world ’ s largest tourism trade show , is set to take place virtually , broadcast from the Messe Berlin Studio , Germany , 8-10 March 2021 . This will be followed by the Digital Business Day , 17 March , where buyers and exhibitors will be able to exchange ideas and network online .
Staying virtual Messe Berlin made the decision to continue with the originally planned dates , albeit through a virtual format , owing to the importance of holding the convention for the travel and tourism industry just before the integral summer months .
Martin Ecknig , CEO of Messe Berlin , explained : “ The annual dates of ITB Berlin are deliberately chosen as our customers mostly do business now or around March . For this reason , we are strengthening the digital elements of ITB Berlin at the ITB Berlin
Convention and Digital Business Day .”
ITB Berlin will use Slide , the Q & A and polling platform , that enables interaction between both the audience and the speakers . It will be possible to ask questions , which will be addressed by the moderator in the respective session .
What to look forward to ? This year ’ s ITB Berlin Convention is focusing its attention on digital , sustainable and resilient solutions .
On the first day the emphasis will be on ‘ future and resilience ’, highlighting the mega trends in industry and society and key topics concerning the global travel and tourism industry .
Day two will be devoted to eTravel and the topic of digitisation , which received a huge boost during the pandemic .
On the final day , the topic of ‘ responsible tourism ’ will be discussed , looking into climate change , environmental protection , responsible tourism and sustainable solutions .
Top : ITB Berlin studio
“ It is offering tourism market professionals and providers worldwide an opportunity to network from anywhere around the globe .” David Ruetz , head of ITB Berlin
Left : Backstage at ITB Berlin
The Digital Business Day The Digital Business Day , 17 March , will be a virtual platform which aims to act as a catalyst for business networking . The event will be supported by the IPK ’ s World Travel Monitor , an annual survey examining global outbound travel volume and behaviour , which will provide global trends and forecasts for 2022 .
David Ruetz , head of ITB Berlin , commented : “ It will be a major attraction for the global tourism community . It is offering tourism market professionals and providers worldwide an opportunity to network from anywhere around the globe . It also gives companies sponsorship options , as there are no virtual display areas .”
All users can list their business interests in advance , based on which they ’ ll receive personalised contact suggestions to conduct audio-video meetings with . They can also take part in two one-hour Speed Networking sessions at which , based on their interests , they ’ ll automatically be assigned several meeting partners .
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