ITB: TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY HALLS

BERLİN - Travel Technology welcomes more than 30 new exhibitors – for the first time there will be guided tours of the Travel Technology halls – the eTravel World features discussions and workshops on the latest social media developments and mobile communications
Once again, Travel Technology is among the segments that are booming at this year’s ITB. With around 170 exhibitors, the Travel Technology halls (5.1, 6.1, 8.1 and 10.1) are booked up already. 30 new exhibitors will be taking part in the world’s largest travel trade show, including IATI, Nor1 Inc, Accelya, Gate7 Reservation Systems, Abreu Online, Roomize and Vioma. Most of the companies exhibiting “traditional“ travel technology products, who for more than ten years occupied Hall 6.1, have now moved to Hall 5.1. The eTravel World, which has moved to Hall 6.1, will feature seminars and workshops on big data, Social Media and mobile communication trends.
This year, for the first time, trade visitors and journalists who want to explore the world of Travel Technology will receive expert help. Experts from Tourismuszukunft – Institut für eTourismus will be taking visitors on 60 and 90-minute tours of the Travel Technology halls. As advisors on how to use electronic media in tourism these specialists have co-organised the tours with ITB Berlin and will focus on themes of importance to tour operators, destinations and the hotel trade as well as on mobile communications.
The tours will take place on 5 and 7 March. Participation is free for trade visitors and journalists, who must register in advance. From the beginning of February registering will be possible on the ITB Berlin website.
According to David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin, the Travel Technology segment is a major event at the show: “Nowadays, travel technology in some form or shape is part of every trip, be it a travel app which searches for a dream holiday or a travel agency’s GDS system which books a hotel room. Every year exhibitors show innovations which surprise both trade visitors and the public. They benefit the tourism industry as well as enhancing the travel experience for holidaymakers as well. In recent years ITB Berlin has made a name for itself as a platform for innovation in this field and in doing so it brings providers and users together.“
The eTravel World’s move to Hall 6.1 means that this segment, which is popular with internet fans, will converge even more with Travel Technology at ITB Berlin. This year, in addition to social media monitoring, big data, total trip planning and the latest apps, key topics include the development of various aspects of gamification. On 5 March 2014, from 1.30 to 2.30 p.m. at the eTravel Lab, Catharina Fischer, social media and corporate communications lecturer at Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus, will have information on working with international bloggers as part of an involvement with a worldwide social media campaign. Two of the papers at the eTravel World will deal with the latest developments in mobile communications. Jörg Goronzy, Chief Sales Officer, Secusmart, will talk about “bug-proof mobile communications – a must on business trips“. Nathan Clapton, vice-president, Mobile Partnerships, of TripAdvisor will speak on the subject of “mobile trends and how they influence travel.“ The programme of the eTravel world is now available at www.itb-convention.com.

ABOUT ITB BERLİN AND THE ITB BERLİN CONVENTİON
ITB Berlin 2014 will take place from Wednesday to Sunday, 5 to 9 March. From the Wednesday to the Friday ITB Berlin is open to trade visitors only. The ITB Berlin Convention is held parallel with the trade fair, from Wednesday to Saturday, 5 to 8 March 2014. It is the world’s largest specialist convention for the industry. More details are available at www.itb-convention.com. ITB Berlin is the leading trade fair for the worldwide travel industry. In 2013 a total of 10,086 companies and organisations from 188 countries exhibited their products and services to 170,000 visitors, who included 110,000 trade visitors.