For the first time eTravel World joins Travel Technology at ITB Berlin (March 5-9) under one roof in Hall 6.1 with an extra 50% floor space and a larger stage to host workshops, papers and discussions.
A pressing issue, which experts holding three lectures will be discussing, is secure communications. Secusmart and Sophos will present papers on “Bug-proof mobile communications“ and “Bring Your Own Device“ respectively on March 5. On March 9, software manufacturer, SAP, will give a talk on “The cloud“.
Big data is another key topic. ITB Berlin and the International Federation for Information Technologies in Travel and Tourism (IFITT) will co-organise a two-hour workshop (IFITT@ITB) on March 6, which will be moderated by Prof. Dimitri Buhalis. International experts will discuss “E-tourism – social media and big data: In search of competitiveness“. The workshop will also highlight the potential of business intelligence and data mining for the travel and tourism industry.
March 7 will see a panel discussion by Traveldudes, Reiseblogger Kollektiv, DZT and häberlein & maurer on “Social media monitoring” and “Return on investment”.
Innovations to kickstart future trends are also on the agenda. On March 5, iBusiness will debate the issue of how much web and app developments really cost, followed by mattheis.werbeagentur presenting “Gamification in tourism“ the following day. Taking to the stage on March 7 are SITA will demonstrating “Wearables“, Internet agency Ray Sono presenting “Responsive Design“, and March Routerank discussing the possibilities for planning door-to-door travel.
There will also be lectures and discussion by some of Germany’s well-known bloggers including Anja Beckmann (travelontoast.de).
Another first are tours co-organised by ITB Berlin and Tourismuszukunft to guide visitors around Travel Technology. The tours, on March 5 and 7, will focus on software for the hotel industry, destinations and tour operators, and mobile technology. Participation is free for trade visitors and journalists, who have to register in advance (Register here),
Click here for full details of the events programme.
• Photo credit (world travel): ecco/Shutterstock
