The in-person edition of ITB Berlin 2022 will not take place as originally planned. Due to the latest developments and accompanying directives because of the coronavirus pandemic, Messe Berlin is unable to afford its exhibitors and partners the necessary planning certainty with the holding of an in-person ITB Berlin in early March. The current situation surrounding the pandemic, as well as the tightened travel restrictions and limits imposed on the numbers that can take part in large events made Messe Berlin take this step.
Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin, said they considered postponing ITB Berlin until summer but ultimately decided to retain the dates in early March. “These are important for the travel industry, as the summer months are the main period for travel and tourism operations. The annual dates of ITB Berlin are deliberately chosen, as our customers mostly do business now or around March,” he said in a press statement. Components of the 2022 event will include a livestreamed convention and Digital Business Day, in addition to new regional travel events throughout the year.
With its Digital Business Day on March 17, 2022, ITB Berlin will give tourism service providers around the world the opportunity to exchange views virtually and to come together for business, enabling them to generate maximum trade from any place in the world. The Digital Business Day is a further addition to the ITB brand family with the purpose of expanding an existing customer base to reach new audiences. The key themes will be networking and business and on-demand program content. The event platform will already be available for matchmaking and scheduling appointments before the Digital Business Day on March 17, including on mobile end devices.
The travel trade show is also planning in-person satellite events at individual European destinations. Taking place as a roadshow, these will be one-day B2B events at various locations in Europe, where providers and buyers can get together. With these events, ITB Berlin is continuing the success story of the established Travel Meet Asia and ITB China Travel MeetUp events organized by the international ITB brands ITB Asia and ITB China in their respective Asian and Chinese markets.
Note: ITB is for the first time appearing on a single website. The domains itb-berlin.de and itb-convention have been combined into a single brand website at itb.com. This new internet page offers users an entry point for exploring the whole range of ITB brands, which besides ITB Berlin includes ITB Asia, ITB China and ITB India. Independent of ITB Berlin in March, users can access the new content platform 365 days a year to find out everything about the industry, innovations and the latest developments.
ITB Berlin is scheduled to be back to an in-person event in 2023. The dates for the show’s next edition in Berlin have already been set. ITB Berlin 2023 will open on March 8, 2023 and, in accordance with the wishes of all market players, will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
Updates on the new concept will be available from January at www.itb.com. There will be information about cancellations, new conditions of participation, ticketing and the Digital Business Day.
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