ITB Berlin showcases innovative industry products
With ITB Innovators this year’s ITB Berlin is again showcasing innovative and practical travel industry products and is keeping track of the latest innovations. These innovative products can be viewed on the website at http://www.itb-kongress.de/en/ITBBerlinConvention/ITBConvention365/ITBInnovators/ and can be reviewed as well. From 4 to 6 March 2015 visitors to the world’s largest travel trade show can find out more about unique and innovative products that make travelling easier by coming to Hall 7.1b. On 6 March 2015 at 4:45 p.m. at the ITB Berlin Convention a presentation will take place of the innovations which received the most votes in the ‘London’ Room in Hall 7.1b.
Packnada, for instance, a service that up to now has been available in Singapore, promises to make life easier for business travellers. With this new service constantly packing a suitcase becomes a thing of the past, as does worrying about the important things one has forgotten. Customers are given a bag at the hotel reception in which they can deposit up to 20 clothing items plus toiletry articles before leaving. The next time they come to Singapore they will find their baggage items all cleaned and waiting for them at the hotel, regardless of where they are staying.
Another innovative baggage product is that of Bluesmart. This New York-based company has designed a suitcase than can be opened and closed via Bluetooth. It can be physically located using GPS and has a charging point for phones and tablets. The suitcase automatically alerts its owner if he is too far away and can also report its own weight.
Using Oculus Rift goggles customers of TUI Cruises can take a virtual tour of a cruise liner. While at the travel agency they can take a close-up look around their hotel, ship and destination and can inspect the most interesting parts of the ship in advance. This cruise operator had already equipped affiliated travel agencies with VR goggles before the introduction of ’Mein Schiff 3’, for which it received the Best Travel Technology Solution Award from the Travel Industry Club. Smart goggles have already been put to good use on ski slopes. The five skiing regions of the Ski Amadé group are the first in Europe to provide their visitors with local information using virtual images. Wintersports enthusiasts can use smart ski goggles to get up-to-the-minute weather information and can find out which slopes are open and which ski lifts are currently operating. Furthermore, a built-in GPS feature shows the direction and distance to user-selected locations.
Lovers of good cuisine should take note of the Uncover app by Leanmobile Limited. This app shows a list of London’s best restaurants which have free tables for midday or evening meals following cancellations at short notice. Users can see the time a table is free, for how many people, and can make direct bookings.
