Quo vadis, ITB Berlin? 🌍
This year's edition of the World's Largest Travel Trade Show in Berlin has been a massive success with its more than 5500 exhibitors from about 160 countries, yet in the aftermath I'm left wondering about the ITB's course for the future.
➡ Why is that?
Looking at the fair at large from a MICE perspective, I noticed two things:
1️⃣ Many hotel chains that used to have sizable fair stands were absent
2️⃣ Those present were wondering if it's reasonable to come back next year
While some of the big players upheld their fair presence, surprisingly many influential brands that used to exhibit at ITB in the past were either completely absent or attended with significantly reduced capacity. The trend seemed to be going towards individual hotels operating their own small booths rather than being represented by their umbrella group.
The floor space not taken up by hotel chains naturally didn't remain empty – it got taken up by airlines, booking, leisure and tech companies instead.
Diversity and a broad range in exhibitors have always made the ITB an immensely important, interesting and fun fair in my eyes. Despite this seeming shift in priorities, I think there is always going to be MICE representation at the ITB in some form.
However, with the IMEX 2024 only 2 months away from now, it's going to be interesting to see if the same brands absent in Berlin last week will appear with increased presence in Frankfurt.
➡ Is the ITB going to stay relevant for the MICE industry?
➡ Will we see the industry focus on IMEX Frankfurt in the future?
What are your thoughts? I would love to hear your opinion! 💬
#itbberlin #mice #industryinsights
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