[FairNews]The number of international exhibitors at this year’s ITB Berlin will be higher than ever before. More than two-thirds of the exhibitors in the 26 fully booked halls are from abroad. The number of international trade visitors (2013: 40 per cent) at this year’s show is set to rise significantly too. 110,000 trade visitors are expected to attend. From 5 to 9 March 2014 ITB Berlin offers visitors an overview of travel products and services from around the world and of niche markets. At the 48th edition of the world’s largest travel trade show 10,147 companies (2013: 10,086 exhibitors) from 189 countries are represented. On the weekend of the show members of the public can again purchase travel products directly from exhibitors. This year’s partner country Mexico presents its wide range of products and services in Hall 1.1 and hosts the opening ceremony in the International Congress Center (ICC Berlin). Next year, the ceremony will take place in the CityCube Berlin. Dr. Christian Goke, CEO, Messe Berlin GmbH: “ITB Berlin mirrors the entire value-added chain of the international tourism industry and boasts the world's largest attendance of international exhibitors. ITB Berlin is also a leading knowledge platform. Exhibitors and trade visitors can find out about the latest trends and information on exploiting new markets.“ Travel Technology and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Travel (LGBT) are also among the growth segments at ITB Berlin.
ITB Berlin 2014 is celebrating two new events. On the Tuesday before the opening the ITB Summit takes place with 600 delegates. Among the speakers is Lee McCabe, Head of Travel, Facebook, who talks about omni-channel marketing. The new web platform ITB Innovators provides an overview of 100 travel and marketing innovations. From 5 to 7 March these are exhibited in Hall 7.1b. At the ITB Berlin Convention Nils Muller, CEO of TrendONE, gives his prediction on how people will travel in 2025.
Once again, ITB Berlin provides senior buyers from the international tourism industry with access to an exclusive business circle with numerous benefits. Around 700 hand-picked senior buyers from Europe, Canada, the USA, South America, Australia, Asia and Africa join the exclusive Buyers Circle 2014. 80 per cent are at the show in a decision-making capacity. The overall purchasing power is equivalent to 1.8 billion euros.
