Discussions and papers on virtual reality, digital destination marketing and storytelling – awards for the winners of the Start Tourism UP! competition – a look back at the beginnings of travel technology on the 50th anniversary of ITB Berlin
Always one step ahead: at ITB Berlin numerous topical themes and informative examples of best practices await visitors to this year’s eTravel World. From 9 to 12 March 2016 startups and established companies will be gathering in Hall 6.1 to present and debate innovations and new trends in digital marketing, social media and mobile travel services.
At the start of the event on Wednesday, 9 March, Michael Faber, Bastian Hiller and Roland Trebo of Tourismuszukunft will provide an overview of the latest travel technology news from tour operators, destinations and the hotel industry on the eTravel Stage. Among the key topics concerning tour operators at this year’s ITB Berlin are virtual reality as a marketing instrument and the issue of new and faster ways of supplying distribution systems with data. Destinations have their sights firmly set on the visitor with an increasingly intelligent approach. The digital revolution is taking over from traditional destination management methods. In the hotel industry apps are becoming more and more important, with smartphones and tablets being used to communicate with hotels and receptions. Big data is helping to understand the customer better.
Social media campaigns can achieve much more than merely attract followers. At the eTravel Lab, Karsten Palme, managing director of COMPASS GmbH, and Stefan Staub, a network analyst with COMPASS GmbH, will be demonstrating that by carrying out a full analysis of social media one can analyse and visualise participants, interest groups and communication patterns.
On 9 March, in order to mark the 50th anniversary of ITB Berlin, pioneers will be recalling the earliest days of travel technology at a panel discussion on the eTravel Stage. Ali Dogan, managing director of Mouzenidis Travel GmbH, Jan-Frederik Valentin, senior vice president and managing director of KAYAK Europa GmbH, Michael Buller, chairman of Verband Internet Reisevertrieb e.V. (VIR), and Anja Keckeisen, CEO of HolidayCheck AG, will also dare to forecast the future of travel technology. The VIR and other companies will also be congratulating ITB Berlin on its anniversary and saying “Thank you for 50 years of ITB“. Together with the digital agency Ray Sono this organisation is collecting 50 images reflecting digital tourism, which highlight the special moments witnessed by these individual companies. They can be viewed on the stand of Ray Sono in Hall 5.1 and at the eTravel Lab in Hall 6.1.
Startups were invited to submit forward-looking ideas and solutions for the Start Tourism UP! competition. On 9 March the five finalists of this new competition for digital tourism solutions will present their projects at the eTravel World. Start Tourism UP! is organised by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Research and Technology in cooperation with Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator and is sponsored by ITB Berlin, the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb (VIR), the Berlin Startup Unit, traffics and Travel Massive.
On Thursday, 10 March, at Fast Track @ ITB Berlin, Phocuswright will be looking at innovations, trends and disruptive trends in the travel industry. At various presentations and panel discussions, Charuta Fadnis, senior director of Research at Phocuswright, and Florence Kaci, director of Sales, EMEA and European Market Specialist Phocuswright, will be highlighting the latest market research findings and international developments.
In his lecture, Rob Holmes, founder and chief strategist of GLP Films, will be talking about digital storytelling and new strategies in content marketing. Examples of best practices employed by tourism organisations and the media will demonstrate how the stories told by videos, photos and blogs can be used by social channels and the internet. In her lecture Catharina Fischer, of Beratung / Netzwerkpartner Tourismuszukunft, will be talking about “successful ’influencer marketing‘“ and what a campaign needs in order to achieve success. Daniele Beccari, head of Travel Criteo, will be examining the rise in bookings using mobile devices. User-friendly apps, targeted advertising and the user’s ability to move effortlessly between hardware results in highly personal experiences being distributed via every channel and device.
On Friday, 11 March, the lecture to be given by Dr. Peter Agel, a member of the presidium of the Travel Industry Club, will examine the ’Power of social: inspiration at affordable prices’. Last year, urlaubspiraten.de won the competition for the ’Best Travel Industry App – Mobile Services 2015’ organised by the Travel Industry Club. David Armstrong, COO of HolidayPirates GmbH is a successful newcomer to the online travel industry and will be guesting at the eTravel World.
On Saturday, 12 March, in addition to the popular seminars held by the German Travel Association (DRV) the programme will also feature other fascinating events. Frederik Schulz, CCO Exozet, will be providing an interesting insight into virtual worlds, how virtual reality can give an exciting boost to tourism, and how innovative methods can improve marketing.
This year the eTravel World Lounge in Hall 6.1, which is the place to head for visitors, is being sponsored by traffics. For the first time, Pisano Holding brands are sponsoring the eTravel Lab. Other sponsors and partners of this year’s eTravel World include BagApp, Criteo, DRV, Hotelmatching, iAmbassador/Traveldudes, Integrabus, mylike, Phocuswright, Reisebloggerkollektiv, reputize, Sojern, Tnooz, Travel Daily China, Travel Massive, Viator, VIR and Virtual Service Solutions
