ITB Berlin Expands Role as Global Market Leader
180,000 visitors – six billion euros in orders – foreign trade visitor attendance stable, growth in numbers from Asia – ITB Berlin Convention very well received – highest number of senior executives and leading politicians to date at ITB Berlin – approximately 7,200 journalists from around the world cover trade show
Worldwide, ITB Berlin is the only travel trade show that continues to expand in the international marketplace, with the 44th edition of ITB Berlin emphatically confirming its leading role. A slight rise in exhibitor attendance and stable trade visitor numbers from both Germany and abroad ensured the trade fair was a success. Dr. Christian Göke, Chief Operating Officer Messe Berlin, gave a very positive assessment: “ITB Berlin 2010 broke records despite the difficult overall economic situation. More than 11,000 exhibitors placed a total of more than six billion euros worth of orders. The industry demonstrated resilience and placed its trust in the strong brand that is ITB Berlin, which once again was able to gather all the leading players in the market. ITB Berlin is the trade show where senior executives do business. The proportion of decision-makers attending this year’s fair was greatly in excess of fifty per cent.“
11,127 companies from 187 countries (2009: 11,098) exhibited the international travel industry’s entire range of products and services. 110,953* trade visitors from 180 countries attended the show, equalling last year’s figures. As in 2009, 45 per cent of the trade visitors came from abroad. This year there was a considerably higher number from Asia. Due to a well-chosen range of topics the ITB Berlin Convention once again emphasised its role as the travel industry’s foremost discussion forum and think tank. Attendance rose yet again, with 12,500 delegates taking part in the convention. At the ITB Future Day topical issues such as Web 2.0 best practices and the latest market analyses attracted such high attendance that for the first time available room capacity reached its limits.
After three months of snow the locals from Berlin and Brandenburg turned their thoughts towards holidays and on the weekend thronged the halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. 68,398* members of the general public (2009: 68,114) took the opportunity to obtain wide-ranging information from tour organisers and find out about niche market providers offering individual travel. A total of 179,351* visitors (178,971) attended the show.