ITB Asia has announced it has enhanced its conference programme this year with new partnerships and conferences covering key industry areas including corporate, leisure, MICE, travel technology and responsible tourism. The three day event will be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 21-23 October.
Anchored by a stellar keynote line-up, the 2015 programme will kick-start the first and second day with a series of sessions led by unparalleled thought-leaders and visionaries from Tuniu, Ctrip, Airbnb, Agoda, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Uber, Venture Republic Global and MakeMyTrip, who will share insights on trends and developments that will drive industry growth. These two sessions will be moderated by Phocuswright founder and industry veteran, Philip Wolf, and is set to inspire attendees with learnings and anecdotes to propel and shape businesses for success.
“Our audience experiences real-time interaction with the very leaders who are shaping our industry’s growth,” commented Wolf, known for moderating lively sessions on stage. “It’s one of the best ways travel professionals can gain valuable strategic insight that can be put to use.”
“Every year, we plan our conference line-up around the trending topics within the rapidly changing market that is shaping the future of corporate, leisure and MICE travel. We address these topics by partnering with leading professional associations as well as bringing in forward-thinking speakers who are at the top of their game. These specially invited movers and shakers help set our agenda for each session, sharing insights into their own experiences and pitfalls to lead delegates into the next stage of their business and guide the progress of our industry,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organisers of ITB Asia.
Enhancing the region’s meetings and conferences
ITB Asia has partnered with the Incentive Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP) for a half-day conference focusing on the incentive, conference and events market (IC&E) and exploring key areas of interest from technology developments to practical solutions that can make meetings more effective. The show has also strengthened its partnership with K.I.T. Group to enhance its Association conference programme focusing on how European and International associations can optimize their activities and relationships within the Asia Pacific region. There will also be a Business Travel Day hosted by Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) that will deep dive into the current outlook on business spending over the next two years.
Sharing the latest travel trends and insights
As the global travel industry faces challenges in a growing and complex market, it is important to anticipate development trends. There will be two separate sessions on this topic. The first session will be addressed by market research company GfK on how delegates can embrace every opportunity both online and offline to engage consumers and increase profitable growth.
The second session will be jointly held by STR Global and Google on key statistics for the Asia Pacific region such as mobile queries and the way travellers search. There will also be a separate panel session where experts from InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott, Starwood and Travelodge discuss the current and emerging industry trends.
CAPA – Centre for Aviation, a leader in global aviation knowledge, will hold its inaugural industry outlook forum at the event this year. Other highlights include a partnership with DestinationElite to organise the show’s first ‘Luxury Travel & Hospitality Forum’, as well as a session with TravelDaily China to highlight China’s growing importance in the travel industry.
Identifying opportunities in social and digital arena
The first day of the show will see a session in collaboration with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) addressed by PTBA President, Matt Gibson on how blogging and social media can be profitable. This session will outline how investment in social media, blogging and email marketing results in benefits and ultimately profits for an organisation.
On the last day of ITB Asia, Euromonitor will host a session titled ‘The New Online Traveller in Asia’ that will shed light on the evolution of online consumers and how it affects travel patterns.
Taking a stand for Responsible Tourism
A continuation on the successful ITB Asia CSR Day that was launched in 2014, this year’s show also features a comprehensive CSR programme providing insights on how social media can encourage sustainable tourism practices around the region led by discussions with panellists from Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Traveltek, TripAdvisor and Dorsett Hospitality International. A series of Responsible Tourism Clinics and sessions such as the Responsible Tourism Event & Networking supported by Wild Asia and The Blue Yonder will also shine a spotlight on a wide range of issues including tips to tap key grow markets such as Myanmar, how tourism can be an incentive for conservation, the benefits of partnerships with local communities and other sustainable tourism opportunities for emerging markets. In line with this focus, ITB Asia will also be choosing food items sourced regionally from the venue’s Harvest Menu, and be utilising the venue’s environmentally friendly ECO360 settings.
