The International Tourism Fair (ITB) Berlin has been the leading trade fair for the global travel industry since 1966. Exhibitors, trade visitors, media and guests from all over the world came here to find out about new developments in the tourism market. But pandemics and digitalisation have also led to major changes at the ITB. In 2023, it will be launched with a completely new concept. David Ruetz, Head of ITB Berlin, talks to Diplomatisches Magazin about this.
DM: Mr Ruetz, ITB was extremely popular with the general public. With the new concept, ITB will no longer be a trade show for the general public, but only a trade show. Why?
David Ruetz: Several factors have led to this decision. The desire on the part of our customers to be able to concentrate more on the respective target groups had already been under discussion for some time. With the new format, we are meeting this demand and the feedback from the market has only confirmed this. In the past, many exhibitors strongly targeted the B2B audience. Operating their stand on the two consumer days meant high additional costs for them - for stand personnel, for example. With the new concept, they can now focus on the trade visitor, buyer and media audience.
DM: Are the changes a consequence of the pandemic?
David Ruetz: The pandemic was not the primary reason, but certainly an important driving forcelm for our decision to become even more focused from 2023. As is so often the case, it changed the way we look at things. We have used the past years of the pandemic extensively to rethink the concept of the fair and have spoken with numerous partners and customers. The new format is just one facet of this. Other aspects are the hybrid offers as well as events throughout the year with which we spread the clear message that ITB is by no means limited to a few days a year. We continuously accompany the industry worldwide and not only in Berlin. Our team is constantly planning further events around the world - and we also bring the industry to important host destinations, as we did in the summer of 2022 when we visited Georgia, the current guest country of ITB Berlin, with buyers and media.
DM: Keyword Georgia, guest country of this year's ITB - what is planned?
David Ruetz: We already have many years of close and successful cooperation with Georgia. When we visited Georgia in the summer for our "ITB TRVLX" event with a group of media representatives and top buyers, we were able to get a wonderful impression of Georgia's proverbial "endless hospitality" - by the way, this is also the motto the country is using to promote its appearance at ITB Berlin 2023. We are very pleased that the Caucasus country is now presenting itself to the whole world as our guest country. Together we will be hosting the opening gala on Monday, March 6th, the evening before the show. At ITB itself, Georgia will be represented with a large stand in the new Hub27. And the country will also have a strong visibility at the ITB Berlin Convention, which is taking place at the same time.
DM: Why is ITB now only taking place on three days?
David Ruetz: This was the logical consequence for us to focus on the B2B audience. In the past, this part of the fair has always been held on only three days during the week. The other two days fell on the weekend for the end consumers, i.e. on Saturday and Sunday. In 2023, the fair will also take place one day earlier for the first time. That means it will start on Tuesday and end on Thursday.
DM: And where will the general public be able to find out about global tourism in the future?
David Ruetz: We have integrated our partner event, the Berlin Travel Festival (BTF), into the leisure trade fair Boot & Fun Berlin. The festival offers a wide range of inspiration for individual travel planning - it already took place before the pandemic and always attracted a colourful B2C audience. We were able to celebrate the successful start to this at the end of November this year. With tens of thousands of visitors and almost 100 exhibitors, we offered the festival a new home and brought it from the arena in Treptow to the Berlin exhibition grounds. Boot & Fun Berlin was the perfect new home for it.
Interview Marie Wildermann