I EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IA
I EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IA difficult decision… and a new visionDavid Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin – on the cancellation of the show… and counter measures being put in placeDavid RuetzHead of ITB BerlinFOLLOWINGTHE SHOW’SCANCELLATION,THE ITB TEAMEXPANDEDTHE FUNCTIONSOF ITB.COM ATSHORT NOTICELooking back at the cancellation of this year’s ITBBerlin, we asked David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin, justhow difficult it was to make the decision, and what theprocess was behind it.Messe Berlin had been pointingout for weeks that the decision tohold or cancel major events couldonly be made on the basis of therecommendation or instructionof the relevant authorities.Only these authorities haveall the necessary informationand expertise to draw the rightconclusions. Torn between thewellbeing of all participants andthe economic consequences,the authorities had to make adifficult decision. The responsiblepublic health authority ofCharlottenburg-Wilmersdorf ofBerlin had greatly increased therequirements for holding theevent.What has the general feedbackbeen like from exhibitors andwould-be attendees?As far-reaching as theconsequences were for visitorsand above all for exhibitors –there was widespread sympathyfor the decision. This istotally out of the ordinary.Nothing like this has everhappened before in thehistory of ITB Berlin. Thereactions we received weremainly positive.You have countered someof the negative effects ofthe show’s cancellationwith the launch of ITB.com – a new platform forindustry communications.What was the thinkingbehind this, and what doyou hope to achieve thanksto this site?ITB has been a global brand forsome time now, and with ITB.comit has acquired a digital platform.This allows us to channel thecommunications of all four tradeshows. This is where the globalITB family can come togetherand meet again, where they cannetwork on the 350 days in ayear when ITB is not taking placesomewhere in the world.Can you tell us more aboutthe individual elements of ITB.com and how people can benefitfrom these?ITB.com spans a bridge betweenreal-life meetings and digitalnetworking and featuresinnovative options for three areas:networking, virtual conferencesand industry news. With the helpof AI, users are recommendedcontacts that match their profileand search options. This tool isa digital extension of the event.It allows trade visitors to makebetter preparations ahead of theshow and target the contactsthey want to meet.The launch of the website wasoriginally planned as a highlightat the opening of this year’s ITB.Following the show’s cancellation,the ITB team expanded thefunctions of ITB.com at shortnotice. Over the weekend, theidea came up to use ITB.com toat least make holding a virtualITB Convention possible. The ITBVirtual Convention has now beenon air since last Thursday at 1 pm.At over 25 forward-looking events,more than 35 internationalspeakers from ITB are discussinghow the world’s travel industrycan harness intelligent strategiesto make sure it remains futureproofeven in a challengingenvironment. From 5 to 11 March2020 viewers have been able tofollow exclusive live streams, inGerman and partly in English, inreal time on itb.com. Afterwards,they are being made available asvideos on demand.The ITB team was also able toset up “Virtual Rooms”, whichwere originally scheduled fora later date. This is where upto four participants can havea conversation via a videocall. It means lots of tourismprofessionals can still hold themeetings they had previouslyplanned for ITB.Do you have plans for the site toevolve or grow?We want to continually expandthe services on the website andmake it a leading platform in linewith our three USPs: contacts,content and commerce. Throughit we want to become the world’sleading platform for the industry– not just during the actual tradeshows, but digitally for 365 daysa year.What has the feedback been sofar about the site?The feedback to date has beenvery positive. Over 2,200 usersregistered during the first fewhours after the launch of ITB.com was announced. The livestreams from the Virtual ITBConvention have been followedby 1,000 viewers per session.Currently more than 3,400meetings have been arrangedover the Travel Network, with13,300 recommendations havingled to a connection and with morethan 4,300 messages being sent.ITB.COMSPANS A BRIDGEBETWEEN REAL-LIFE MEETINGSAND DIGITALNETWORKINGEven in our “peoples’ business”,this shows how important it is toaugment our industry platformwith a strong digital component.What is your personal messageto those affected by thecancellation of ITB Berlin?Despite this unprecedentedsituation in 2020 we would liketo stress how important the tradeshow is conceptually for ourindustry in the future. Naturally,we are able to mirror individualaspects digitally to a certaindegree. However, the travelindustry depends on face-to-facemeetings like no other.We therefore lookforward to welcomingthe world again in thecustomary manner inBerlin in 2021THE CONVENTIONYOU HAVE WHENYOU’RE NOT HAVINGA CONVENTIONThe annual ITB Berlin Convention has so much excitingnews, so much expert knowledge, and so manyvaluable opinions just waiting to be shouted out to theentire tourism industry, that its cancellation would leavea giant void.And because the ITB BerlinConvention and its 400+ speakerscould not simply be replaced,ITB came up with somethingcompletely new: the ITB VirtualConvention.From 5 to 11 March, internationaltop-notch speakers have beensharing valuable content theywere to share on the stage inBerlin LIVE online: easily and freelyaccessible from anywhere youare in the world at any time youwant. The ITB Virtual Conventionis a new compass in dynamic,challenging times. It picks-up themost relevant topics of the globaltravel industry that will change andshape the industry.It’s a first for the industry, andeven when ITB gets back on alevel pegging, this will no doubtbecome a valuable addition to theoverall recipe for the show’s globalsuccess16 • ITB BERLIN NEWS • THURSDAY 12 TH MARCH 2020 www.itb-berlin-news.comITB BERLIN NEWS • THURSDAY 12 TH MARCH 2020 • 17
