ALL ITB BERLİN NOW SOFT OPENİNG PROGRAMM

BERLİN- All ITB Berlin NOW Press events at a glance: Soft Opening, opening press conference, exhibitor presentations and exhibitor press conferences

Soft Opening programme: 8 March, from 11 a.m. (CET) – Opening press conference on 9 March, 9 to 10 a.m. – 27 exhibitor press conferences and 88 exhibitor presentations – SAX TALK - Appetizers from Saxony on 9 March, 10 – 10.30 a.m. – LGBT+ Media Get Together on 9 March, 10.30 a.m. to 12 noon – Medical Media Get Together: 9 March, 1.30 to 2.30 p.m.

From 9 to 12 March the who’s who of the global B2B travel industry will meet on the new virtual platform of ITB Berlin NOW, which is tailored entirely to the needs of tourism professionals. The World’s Leading Travel Trade Show is also bringing the industry together in virtual form and offering numerous opportunities for networking and negotiating business along with information on the latest industry products. In order to fully test the platform one day before the event begins and to let users familiarise themselves with all the main functions, an official Soft Opening will take place as an orientation day on Monday, 8 March.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Programme: Soft Opening
Monday, 8 March, from 11 a.m. (CET)

Embrace the Train Wreck: A survivor’s guide to MS Teams- conferences and everything else
11 - 11.20 a.m.
Syd Atlas, an outstanding motivational speaker, shares personal stories and compelling insights on how to find resilience, create a growth mindset and hang on to real life in a virtual world. She is the go-to coach for empowering leaders worldwide and leads group sessions on compassion and the power of storytelling.

ITB panel discussion: ITB's International Women’s Day Special: Women in Tourism Building Back Better powered by SheTrades, International Trade Centre (ITC)
1 - 1.40 p.m.
Discussion topics: resilience and sustainability, leveraging technology and the role of international organisations and national tourist boards.
Panel guests: Pamela Coke-Hamilton, executive director of the International Trade Centre, Angela Njehia, director of Tierranjani Africa Ltd, Naa Oyoe Ofei-Aryeh, managing director of Sunset African Tours Gh. Moderated by Phyllis Mwangi, national coordinator for Kenya at SheTrades.

Shape the future of the travel industry!
3 - 3.20 p.m.
Two generations of travel professionals in a forward-looking conversation about opportunities for the travel industry. Lea Jordan, co-founder of techtalk.travel, and Philip C. Wolf (Travel Industry Investor, Mentor & Serial Board Director, founder of PhoCusWright), an industry veteran and known to many as the guru of travel, share ideas in a genuine conversation on the opportunities and prospects for companies in the crisis. Their focus is on what action to take and why pivoting is so important.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Opening press conference at ITB BERLIN NOW 2021
Tuesday, 9 March 2021, 9 - 10 a.m.

Moderator: Monika Jones, news anchor, Deutsche Welle

Panel:

Martin Ecknig, CEO Messe Berlin
Opening speech and highlights of ITB Berlin NOW 2021

Caroline Bremner, head of Travel Research, Euromonitor International
Travel forecast model: COVID-19 scenarios
One year after the pandemic: an insight into global consumer behaviour
New Sustainable Travel Index: announcement of the number one destination

Claudia Cramer, director of Market Research, Statista Research Analysis
Travel demands and trends 2021 – evaluating customer needs during the pandemic

Norbert Fiebig, president, German Travel Association (DRV)
The coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the travel industry – a look back and towards the future

After each session there will be a Q&A lasting approximately 10 minutes, during which media representatives can use a chat tool to ask the panel questions. The opening press conference of ITB Berlin NOW will take place in English only and in a virtual format.  Registered participants can follow the event on the homepage of ITB Berlin NOW at www.itb-now.com.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Exhibitor press conferences

Exhibitors at ITB Berlin NOW can communicate their latest and most important news to a wide range of media representatives. Corporate decision-making, looking towards the future and innovations relevant to the industry will be made public. The press conferences will be recorded and available afterwards as on-demand videos on the platform until May 31. All dates can be found in the online program or viewed as PDF (PDF, 243,0 kB).

Exhibitor presentations

At the exhibitor presentations the focus is on product presentations and exchanging information on best practices. Lively discussions via chat functions are encouraged. The presentations will be recorded and available afterwards as on-demand videos on the platform until May 31. All dates can be found in the online program or viewed as PDF (PDF, 293,4 kB).

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

SAX TALK - Appetizers from Saxony
Tuesday, 9 March 2021
10 – 10.30 a.m.

Saxony on stage: Veronika Hiebl, Managing Director and Wolfgang Gärtner, Head of International Marketing of Saxony Tourism warmly welcome you to Saxony- the “Official Cultural Partner” of ITB NOW. Don’t expect an old-fashioned power point presentation or a list of all the great attractions you can visit in Saxony. Everybody could do this- they tend to be different. Join both for a light-hearted introduction to the region and have fun.

Adventures of Georgian living culture: from peaks to the sea coast
Thursday, 11 March 2021
1 - 1.30 p.m.

Anna Kekelia, Head of the Brand Development Department of the Georgian Tourism Administration, presents the Digital Adventure & Sustainability Partner of ITB Berlin NOW. In 2022 Georgia will be the official cultural destination of ITB Berlin. The title of Official Host Country will follow in 2023.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

LGBT+ Media Get Together

Official opening of the Virtual LGBT + Media Café
Tuesday, 9 March 2021
10.30 a.m. – 12 noon
Rika Jean-Francois, commissioner for Corporate Social Responsibility, ITB Berlin, and Thomas Bömkes, LGBT+ Tourism advisor ITB Berlin, Diversity Tourism GmbH München, present the café partner Spanish Tourist Board – Turespaña,represented by Arturo Ortiz. The café offers journalists, bloggers and freelancers an opportunity to meet and network.

Official opening of the Virtual LGBT + Tourism Café
Tuesday, 9 March 2021
12 noon  – 12.15 p.m.
Rika Jean-Francois, commissioner for Corporate Social Responsibility ITB Berlin and Thomas Bömkes, LGBT+ Tourism Advisor ITB Berlin, Diversity Tourism GmbH München, present the café partner Italian Tourist Board ENIT, represented by Maria Elna Rossi, marketing director of ENIT.
IGLTA LGBTQ+ Travel Corner
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association is world leader in promoting LGBTQ+-travel.
IGLTA Foundation
The philanthropic IGLTA Foundation supports education, research and leadership development to improve conditions for LGBTQ+ travellers.
Local gay guides
Local gay guides offer gay tours for the community and friends worldwide.
EU fundraising in LGBT tourism
Find out about the coronavirus recovery with EU funds in LGBT+ tourism.
Connect Thrive Summit
Together with IPW Las Vegas 2021 the event focuses on developing a community spirit through LGBTQ+ travel, sports and entertainment.

Official opening of the Virtual Medical Tourism Café & Meeting Corners
Tuesday, 9 March – Friday, 12 March 2021
12.30 – 1 p.m.
With Rika Jean-Francois, commissioner for Corporate Social Responsibility ITB Berlin and Thomas Bömkes, Medical Tourism advisor ITB Berlin, Diversity Tourism GmbH München. Supported by EVES Hospitals.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Barcelona Medical Destination: High complex treatments and COVID-19
Tuesday, 9 March 2021
1 – 1.30 p.m.
Esther Orriols, Brand Manager Barcelona Medical Destination, Catalan Tourist Board, and Dr. Antoni Arias, director of Internacional Services, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, talk about the idea behind the Barcelona Medical Destination (BMD). BMD is a platform for medical centres, hospitals and clinics which aims to promote Catalonia as a destination for specialist medical treatment.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

About ITB Berlin NOW and the ITB Berlin NOW Convention

ITB Berlin NOW will take place from Tuesday, 9 to Friday, 12 March for trade visitors only and as an entirely virtual event. ITB Berlin is the World’s Leading Travel Trade Show. As part of ITB Berlin NOW, the ITB Berlin NOW Convention, the largest travel industry event of its kind, will also take place as a virtual event. The World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) is the co-host, Mascontour Track is the sponsor of the ITB Future Track, Google and Lufthansa are track sponsors of the ITB Marketing & Distribution Track, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is the ITB Sustainability Track partner,  SIO AG is the track sponsor of the eTravel DATA TALKS and Studiosus is the session sponsor. For exhibitors, trade visitors and the media, participation in the ITB Berlin NOW Convention is included in the price of a ticket. Additional information is available at www.itb.com/now and from the ITB Social Media Newsroom.