ITB Asia returns as Asia’s largest travel trade show

ITB Asia, ‘Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show’, now in its 15th year, gracefully opened today at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

Co-located with MICE Show Asia and Travel Tech Asia, the 3-in-1 show will run as an in-person event until Friday, 21 October 2022.

Reflecting renewed confidence in MICE events, ITB Asia 2022 has attracted over 80 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs).

Under the anchor theme, “Go Big & Go Forward: Travel Industry on the Road to Recovery and Growth”, travel leaders who are at the top of their respective industries will share insights on key trends and how to stay competitive and quickly maximise growth potential.

Commenting on this year’s in-person event, Dr Martin Buck, Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin GmbH, said that with the industry in Asia optimistic again, they are delighted to bring international travel professionals back to Singapore for meaningful business, networking and learning through face-to-face interactions.

It remains crucial for us to offer a balanced mix of geographic markets and sectors such as MICE, leisure, corporate travel and travel tech to ensure a high-quality buyer-seller experience, thus maintaining ITB Asia’s position as the leading business platform in the APAC region.

As a global stage, the 3-in1- show presents a strong participation from NTO and RTO

Over the course of the next three days, the strong exhibition and attendee participation continues to facilitate business appointments for attendees around the world to engage with key clients and partners. The show welcomes participation from over 80 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and Regional Tourism Organisations (RTOs) including Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, Business Events Perth, Busan Tourism Organization, Coahoma County Tourism Mississippi, Czech Tourism Authority, Department of Tourism and Creative Economy of Jakarta, Department of Tourism, Government of Goa, Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Gangwon Tourism Organization, Gyeonggi Tourism Organization, Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center, Istanbul Airport, Japan National Tourism Organization, Jeju Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jeonbuk Culture and Tourism Foundation, Karnataka Tourism, Kerala Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, Malta Tourism Authority, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, Penang Global Tourism, , Sabah Tourism Board, Sarawak Tourism Board, Saudi Tourism Authority, Saxony Tourism Germany, Seoul Tourism Organization, Silk Road Samarkand Tourist Complex, Singapore Tourism Board, Taipei City Government, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Tourism Fiji, Tourism Ireland, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines, Tourism Seychelles, Tourism Development Support Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ulsan Tourism Organization, Vanuatu Tourism, Visit Almaty, visitBerlin, Visit Brussels, Visit Estonia, Visit Finland, Visit Guam, Visit Iceland, Visit Jordan, Visit Levi, Visit Maldives, Visit Monaco, Visit Rovaniemi, Visit Sarajevo, Visit Turku Archipelago and Zagreb Tourist Board.

The organisers are delighted to count on strong partners in the revival Asia’s leading travel tradeshow. Marina Bay Sands is the Official Partner Hotel, Saudi Tourism Authority is the Official Partner Country and Berlin Brandenburg Airport is the Official Partner Airport of this year’s in-person show.

ITB Asia 2022 has assembled a top-notch conference programme

The 100+ session themed agenda, led by over 180 leading industry speakers and innovators will have over 3950 minutes of high-powered content across three conference tracks: Knowledge Theatre, MICE Show Asia & Travel Tech Asia.

This year’s conference programme has been specifically curated to support the travel industry and will discuss topics critical to the future of MICE, corporate travel, leisure travel and travel technology.

As part of the Day 1-keynote line up (19 October), Michael Dykes, Vice President, Marketing Management (APAC), Expedia Group will provide insights on what will disrupt and change the way we travel and do business in his keynote, titled, “Travel in Action, Digitally”.

Named, “Rebuilding Confidence: How COVID-19 Fostered a More Resilient Future for Travel”, Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific (Excluding Greater China), Marriott International will deliver a keynote speech on the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic that paved the way for remarkable moments of resilience, new business models, and ingenuity across travel sectors.

The morning keynotes conclude with a Keynote Fireside Chat on “Looking Toward 2025: Where Travel Will Be” featuring the keynote speakers Michael Dykes and Rajeev Menon who take a look ahead in three years’ time or even further.

Together with moderator Monica Pitrelli, Editor at a news channel, the two industry leaders will figure out what challenges will come next, what innovations will take place, and how the industry can adapt and evolve in a fast-changing world.

Tomorrow (20 October), attendees can look forward to hearing a panel discussion on Meaningful Tourism as the new paradigm for the post-pandemic development of global tourism.

Titled, “Beyond Sustainability – Meaningful Tourism as the “New Normal” Offering Benefits for All Stakeholders” the session welcomes Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, CEO, Meaningful Tourism Center as Chairman and Burkhard Kieker, CEO, VisitBerlin and three winners of the Meaningful Tourism Award 2022, as expert speakers, exploring best practice examples of Meaningful Tourism that can provide quality, benefits and satisfaction for all industry players.

The names of the 18 winners of Meaningful Tourism Awards 2022 will also be announced at this session.

Travel Tech Asia Partners with Singapore Venture & Private Capital Association (SVCA)

Since its launch in 2019, Travel Tech Asia has been a must-attend event for all Travel Tech industry professionals. The face-to-face exhibition and conference offer both B2B appointments and thought-provoking conference programme for travel tech decision-makers and suppliers.

Travel Tech Asia partners with the Singapore Venture & Private Capital Association (SVCA) to co-organise a panel discussion session featuring executives from its member venture capital firms to discuss the investable opportunities in the “TravelTech” space in Southeast Asia.

Titled “VC Opportunities in TravelTech in Post-Pandemic SEA”, the panel discussion will be led by moderator Sang Han, Partner, Cento Ventures, and hear first-hand sharing from Tiang Lim Foo, Co-Founder and Partner, Forge Ventures, Murli Ravi, Co-Founder, Tin Men Capital and Joe Zhang, Principal, TNB Aura, on what venture capitalists in the region are looking to explore to broaden the industry’s understanding of the venture capital perspective.

Over the past three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, travel tech innovations have gone from futuristic to familiar, shaping the way people travel throughout their entire journeys.

The Tech Leaders’ Panel, titled “The Future is Digital” will bring together experts from across the travel ecosystem to talk about the latest innovations that will impact travellers’ next journeys, as well as strategies for travel brands to up their 4.0 game.

Confirmed speakers include Khang Nguyen Trieu, Group Chief Technology Architect at Accor, Terence Eng, CTO at FCM Travel Asia, Bryant Kok, Director, Digital Transformation & Information Technology at Gardens by the Bay, Wong Ming Fai, CTO at Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Jane Lim, Vice President, Global Markets at Tripadvisor. The panel will be moderated by Jeff Pan, Venture Builder at McKinsey & Company.

MICE Leaders to Reconnect and Schedule Meetings at MICE Show Asia

With a strong international participation and long-standing support from speakers and partners from world renowned MICE associations and leading MICE companies, MICE Show Asia 2022 will bring together industry suppliers, meetings & events professionals and emerging MICE innovators to connect and build the future of MICE.

The MICE Leaders’ Panel, titled “Return to a World Transformed: Revitalising MICE for a New Era”, will feature a discussion where professionals, buyers and sellers of travel and meetings services explore how different players in the MICE ecosystem can work together to deliver a better bottom line and future for the industry.

The panel will be moderated by Richard Ireland, President, Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS). Confirmed panellists include Patricia Cheong, Managing Director Asia, International Conference Services (ICS), Waikin Wong, Regional Director Asia Pacific, ICCA – International Congress and Convention Association, Wee Min Ong, Vice President of Conventions & Exhibitions, Marina Bay Sands, Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO, Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau and Arnold T. Gonzales, Head, MICE Department, Tourism Promotions Board Philippines.

source: Travel And Tour World