ITB Asia

Leading travel trade show delivers over 3700 minutes of high-powered content in largest ever conference line-up

Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia, ‘The Trade Show for the Asian Travel Market’, has announced the addition of three new conference partners to this year’s powerful programme line-up.

This year, leading travel industry experts representing MCI, National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) and Panacea Publishing Asia will come together at ITB Asia to deliver and discuss innovative solutions and best practices of the travel industry and related sectors.

Apart from attracting new programmes, ITB Asia continues to develop and grow with its existing partners TTG Asia Media and Web In Travel to deliver critical and path-breaking developments in the travel industry to ITB Asia delegates.

ITB Asia 2011 delivered a record number of over 3000 minutes of high-powered content and this year’s show is set to top that record by 16%, delivering over 3700 minutes of quality conference content. Now in its fifth year, ITB Asia 2012 will be held from 17-19 October at The Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

“We constantly strive to listen to our buyers and exhibitors to help us focus on delivering high impact conferences that not only meet, but exceed their expectations. To our buyers, ITB Asia is not just a leading trade show for them to generate business leads but also a platform to network and learn from the best in the industry,” said Nino Gruettke, Executive Director of ITB Asia.

“This year, we’ve upped our game again by adding new conferences to our already powerful line-up of events, delivering quality content that is most relevant to our delegates. With three new conference partners adding their experience and expertise to our knowledge platform, we are a step ahead in our goal to develop ITB Asia into a leading think tank for the Asian travel, tourism and hospitality industry,” added Gruettke.

Buyers and delegates at ITB Asia can look forward to the first Corporate MICE Buyer Program, a high level educational program for buyers of Corporate Meetings, delivered by MCI. The programme, with forums on ‘Performance Improvement’ and ‘Procurement Insight’, will deliver cutting-edge knowledge on a range of topics that include interactive round table discussions moderated by Rob Morrow, Global Director- Performance Improvement, MCI, and Robin Lokerman, President Asia Pacific, MCI.

Held on 17 October, the inaugural NATAS Travel Conference is a key event organized for travel industry leaders and experts to share knowledge and build networks. The conference also seeks to address the impact of the rapidly changing needs of today’s savvy travellers, and guide travel agents on building their brands.

Panacea Publishing Asia, also joining ITB Asia for the first time, will address the effectiveness of travel incentives in increasing employee productivity with its panel discussion titled ‘The Power of Incentives – New Initiatives, Same Objectives’. The conference, led by incentive travel organisers from prestigious corporations, will be held on 19 October.

After a successful debut at ITB Asia 2011, the TTG Travel Experts Conference returns to the show for the second time with a workshop titled ‘How to be profitable in an Internet era’. The workshop, which aims to assist travel agents to remain profitable in a market increasingly dominated by online bookings, will be held on 18 October.

Held in conjunction with ITB Asia, long time event partner, Web In Travel (WIT), returns for its eighth session from 15 to 17 October and delegates can also look forward to attending ITB Asia Clinics on 18 October focusing on imparting industry how-tos. Further details on the forums and more conference partners will be announced in the coming months.

ITB Asia is a unique international platform that unites the travel and tourism industry to exchange valuable insights and business leads; attracting over 7500 attendees representing over 90 countries in 2011. ITB Asia is also a partner event of TravelRave, a mega travel and tourism festival week organised by the Singapore Tourism Board to be held in Singapore in October 2012.

About ITB Asia 2012

ITB Asia 2012 will take place at The Sands Expo and Convention Center, from 17 to 19 October. It is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The event will feature hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, covering not only the leisure market, but also corporate and MICE travel. ITB Asia 2012 will include exhibition pavilions and tabletop presence for Business Start-ups providing travel services. Exhibitors from every sector of the industry, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels and resorts, theme parks and attractions, inbound tour operators, inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities and travel technology companies are all expected to attend. www.itb-asia.com.

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