5 Can’t Miss Things to Experience at ITB Berlin 2018 — Photo by hospitalityPulse, Inc.

The perfect vacation, whether a relaxing getaway, an adrenaline-packed adventure or a balance between business and pleasure, takes a great deal of work. In fact, it takes a village — one which can be found within the hospitality industry.

Our industry is rife with passionate professionals eager to apply the latest trends and technology to their service offering, as they work to continuously enrich the guest experience. With this desire to remain aligned with all that is cutting edge, comes the question of which conferences, networking events, and trade shows to attend each year.

Luckily, the world's leading travel trade show ITB Berlin is running from March 7th-11th and will feature over 10,000 Exhibitors, 1,000 Qualified Top Buyers, and passionate attendees from 187 different countries. With this year being the biggest show yet, ITB Berlin is a must-attend event for every international expert in the tourism industry.

To ensure you get the most out of your ITB Berlin experience this year, we've compiled a list of 5 things you can't miss while there.

1. Get the World Tour

When else can you feel like you have access to the whole World in one place? Visit the many amazing countries that are displayed throughout the conference via their tourism organizations. These countries include: Brazil, Romania, Italy, Japan and many, many more, while learning about the various unique tourist opportunities that make them a must-visit destination (for tourists and industry professionals alike).

2. Visit the Technology Pavilions

New and innovative technologies are on display that directly impact the hotel and travel industry. The Travel Technology section of the conference will feature four halls where providers will demonstrate their new reservations and hotel operations platforms. Messaging, AI and chatbots will be big this year along with everyone trying to figure out the impact of blockchain on our industry. Some of these new technologies will save you money, help with operations efficiency and help drive revenues.

There is also a ITB Startup Pitch, powered by Phocuswright, scheduled for Friday, March 9th (eTravel Startup Day, Hall 6.1). During this event, five companies – carefully selected by Phocuswright's experienced team of innovation analysts – have just six minutes each to demonstrate their travel innovation in front of the live audience. The companies selected for this year's pitch include: Ads Hotel, Beach-Inspector, bookingkit, MagicStay and Redeam.

Ready to step up the technology offerings within your hotel? This is where you want to be.

3. Exotic Displays, Giveaways, Free Stuff and More

Over the course of 5 days, ITB Berlin offers exotic displays, dance shows, giveaways, free local food and drink samples, rides and various meet-ups for industry patrons looking to network or re-connect with colleagues.

You can also download the ITB app (new this year) and make use of the free, public wifi in order to plan your time around the venue and stop by must-see booths and attractions. For those professionals who have a penchant for networking opportunities, the conference is even hosting Blogger Speed Dating and ITB Speed Networking.

4. Become a Berlin Tourist

A popular tourist destination, Berlin has a lot to offer. While you're there, consider setting aside some time to visit popular attractions such as the Reichstag Building, the Brandenburg Gate, the memorial of the Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate, Museumsinsel (Museum Island) and much more.

5. Experience Berlin's Nightlife

You can't come to Berlin without experiencing their party scene. Between the späti, a late-night supermarket, internationally acclaimed clubs and venues, house music culture and the events curated specifically for ITB, there is plenty to choose from.

If you're a beer fan, be sure to swing by the ITB's Travel Cinema with Beer Tasting on March 7th in Hall 3.1. More interested in networking with industry professionals? Check out the HEDNA Networking Event March 7th (R13, Level 3, CityCube

Berlin).

With just over two weeks to go, we look forward to connecting with you at ITB Berlin 2018 and enjoying all that the conference (and Berlin) has to offer.

Be sure to come see hospitalityPulse at ITB - Hall 8.1, Booth 124a

and look at our new INSIGHTS product. INSIGHTS is a free of charge hotel operations BI tool. It lets you keep your finger on the pulse of your operations. Gain immediate visibility into Check-in statistics by date, agent, hour, or shift. It provides deep visibility into what is really happening in your hotel.

About hospitalityPulse

hospitalityPulse was designed by hotel technology and operations veterans tackling one of the most difficult problems hotels are facing: room assignment and its direct effect on guest satisfaction. Our patent-pending optimization algorithms, combined with an intuitive user interface enable hoteliers to assign the optimal room for every guest, every time, with consistent efficiency. Using the multi-dimensional FIRE engine, hoteliers can rely on providing the booker with the trueAvailabilityTM of room and feature combinations on the dates selected. roomPulse dynamically optimizes each room assignment in real-time, all the time. Visit us at www.hospitalitypulse.com.

Pierre Boettner
hospitalityPulse, Inc.