ITB BUYERS CIRCLE: THE EXCLUSIVE MEETING PLACE FOR SENIOR BUYERS Christina Verhaelen Contracting Manager, Clevertours An exclusive 90-minute ITB Speed Networking event will again be taking place on the morning of Thursday, 7 March 2019… for the fifth time. A prematchmaking system ensures buyers can target those exhibitors whose products interest them. Furthermore, members of the ITB Buyers Circle will be the first to receive invitations to all the important themed networking events. National and international decision-makers from the business travel, MICE and leisure travel sectors, as well as start-ups, can take advantage of the free services offered by the ITB Buyers Circle. At the last ITBBerlin in March 2018 five out of ten members had at least five million euros at their disposal, six out of ten were from companies with more than 100 employees, seven out of ten had previously visited ITBBerlin at least four times, and eight out of ten operated in Europe. The senior buyers of the ITB Buyers Circle benefit from numerous services which save time and significantly improve efficiency as well as ensuring a pleasant stay at the show. The ITB Buyers Circle Lounge at the Marshall Haus offers a tranquil atmosphere, where fully equipped work-places, Wi-Fi, refreshments and a quiet area are available to the select members. Buyers can make use of the Open Networking Area in the gallery and one of six separate meeting rooms, which can be booked in advance, for in-depth meetings with exhibitors away from the bustle of the fair. Other advantages of the ITB Buyers Circle include free admission, including to the ITBBerlin Convention, early access via a fast lane to the exhibition grounds from 8.30 am, and various shuttle services Clevertours.com looks to connect with airlines, hotels and agencies Christina Verhaelen is Contracting Manager at Clevertours. We asked her about the business and her focus at ITBBerlin. Clevertours.com, which is part of DER Touristik group, designs and markets high-quality travel products for end consumers and business partners. The attractively priced Clevertours.com offering has proven successful with end consumers and key accounts such as the travel agency sales business and retail companies including REWE and PENNY. What are the main trends you are seeing in terms of buyer demand? As a direct selling tour operator with monthly catalogue productions, we work extremely flexible. We offer all different types of holidays: beach holidays, roundtrips, cruises, city trips and a whole lot more. What are you hoping to gain from this year’s ITBBerlin? Meeting present partners to talk about common experiences and possible improvements because there’s always space to learn from the past. I also want to meet new contacts and take home new ideas to constantly develop our portfolio. Are you particularly interested in particular travel themes? My main focus is on connecting with airlines, hotels and agencies for group tours. Besides that, I always keep my I AM GOING TO ATTEND THE SPEED DATING NETWORK FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR eyes peeled for new ideas and trends as our business is a fast one. How important is the speed dating organised at ITB for you? I am going to attend the speed dating network for the first time this year and hope to meet new and interesting people within a short period of time. Why did you decide to join the ITBBerlin Buyers Circle, and what, for you, are the key advantages of being a member? I have been a member for years now – a friend of mine recommended attending ITB Buyers Circle and, in my view, it is still the perfect basis when it comes to planning my yearly visit to ITBBerlin. How important is ITBBerlin for you as an event and why? ITB is the “place to be” in the tourism industry ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 27 th February 2019 www.itb-berlin-news.com
Zeljka Galik Cimic Product Development Manager, Scenic tours Europe AGs Andrew Yell General Manager, Global Sales, Product Contracting & Operations, Excite Holidays Scenic tours Europe to target cruise sector in 2019 Themed travel experiences are in demand Zeljka Galik Cimic is Product Development Manager, Scenic tours Europe AG, which was established in Newcastle, Australia in 1986. We asked her to tell us more about the business and what she is looking for at ITBBerlin. The Scenic story began when our founder Glen Moroney began operating coach tours throughout Australia, quickly expanding into New Zealand, Norfolk Island, and South Africa. By the end of the decade, Scenic was hosting tours to Canada and Alaska, and in 2008 we launched our unique Space- Ships and began offering luxury allinclusive river cruises throughout Europe. In 2019, Scenic will enter a new chapter in its journey with the launch of its first ocean cruising vessel, Scenic Eclipse. What are the main trends you are seeing in terms of buyer demand? Cruise passengers are becoming younger and more active. Guests are looking for unique events and off the beaten path locations and experiences. What are you hoping to gain from this year’s ITBBerlin? ITB is great place to look for new ideas to further develop our tours and cruises, it also provides opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues and vendors. Are you particularly interested in particular travel themes? New ports and destinations that are trying to come to tourist market are always interesting to me. It is great to see new destinations seeing the value in development of tourism infrastructure. How important is the speed dating organised at ITB for you? It helps to establish initial contacts with potential vendors. Why did you decide to join the ITBBerlin Buyers Circle, and what, for you, are the key advantages of being a member? Buyers Circle membership helps to make the whole experience less stressful. It is great to have central location to meet with suppliers or just relax between meetings, also fast lane admission helps a lot to start meetings early and have more productive day. How important is ITBBerlin for you as an event and why? ITBBerlin is one of the most important events in a year for me because of opportunity to meet worldwide suppliers within few days. It provides great opportunity to learn and develop products in new regions and get ideas to improve already existing programs. It is always nice to learn about new trends and developments on the market Andrew Yell is General Manager, Global Sales, Product Contracting & Operations, Excite Holidays, which has enjoyed year-on-year growth from a single office in Sydney, Australia to include offices in New Zealand, USA, UK, Thailand, Singapore and Greece since its inception in 2002. We asked him to tell us a little more about his organisation and what he’s looking for at ITBBerlin. We secure the best possible rates from the world biggest hotel chains to one of a kind boutique properties. We work exclusive with travel agents in a B2B environment and we own and develop our own technology which ensure we stay one step ahead. What are the main trends you are seeing in terms of buyer demand? Suppliers moving away from static contracts and taking control of their yield and inventory. Travel agents are demanding best rate of the day and last room availability all within in one simple booking environment, consumers are well researched and don’t like being dictated to, they want choice and options presented to them. What are you hoping to gain from this year’s ITBBerlin? ITB gives me a way to connect with our existing partners all in one place, but more importantly it gives me a global perspective on the tourism world. Are you particularly interested in particular travel themes? Emerging markets are always of interest to see what’s the “next hot place”. Themed travel experiences are in demand so I will be using some of my time to further explore specialised operators in this space as well as new technology Why did you decide to join the ITBBerlin Buyers Circle, and what, for you, are the key advantages of being a member? Being a member of the ITB Buyers Circle is important for me personally and for Excite Holidays, it signals to all parties that the members of the Buyers Circle are there for serious business and that we have significant commercial business to transact ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 27 th February 2019
