TRADE TALK 11 The
TRADE TALK 11 The Ultimate Buyers’ Club The ITB Buyers Circle is back – enhanced contact and work space for the world’s top purchasers Big Business is best in a small circle. The ITB Buyers Circle is where 1,000 top buyers from all around the world meet at ITB Berlin. For more than five years, this has been the exclusive place to be. ITB Berlin is proud to host the 6th Edition. At ITB Buyers Circle, companies from all over the world, from start-ups, medium seized to global players, from one to several thousand employees, come together from fields such as leisure travel, MICE, business travel or luxury travel. Every buyer is handpicked by an international team and carefully chosen, and membership is limited to one year. Buyers gain different on site benefits. So establishing new contacts, keeping up business connections, concluding business and observing new developments, markets and competitors is made easier and more successful. Additionally, ITB Berlin is organising events with special focuses for buyers; and for the first time, ITB Speed Networking, ITB Chinese Night, a Luxury Reception and a Travel Technology breakfast. Sundance Travel Group powered by LATIF Group is the official sponsor of ITB Buyers Circle and ITB Speed Networking 2017 Speed Dating – Simply Networking … An effective way to network – where senior buyers meet exhibitors face to face ITB Berlin offers a large variety of networking instruments such as the ITB Networking Tool, but also many networking possibilities during the trade show in order to enable an active exchange. In addition to the ITB Berlin Convention, ITB Berlin offers other networking events of a special kind: the ITB Blogger Speed Dating and ITB Speed Networking. This year, on 9th March, ITB Berlin is organising two speed dating events that will enable buyers as well as bloggers to establish valuable links with exhibitors from around the world in the shortest possible time. In the morning, members of the exclusive ITB Buyers Circle can meet national and international exhibitors at the ITB Speed Networking event. With this event, exhibitors and buyers have 8 minute slots for a first business talk. For the participants, there will be also refreshments. The official sponsor Sundance Travel Group powered by LATIF GROUP will inform about their current and upcoming projects in Egypt. ITB Speed Networking took place for the first time during ITB Berlin 2015. Since then, top buyers from ITB Buyers Circle meet exclusively with exhibitors. And new this year is the fact that exhibitors and buyers are able to pre-schedule fixed meetings for the ITB Speed Networking event within an online matchmaking-tool. About 1000 appointments have been pre-scheduled for the event. Feedback from those who have participated in previous events underlines the importance of the meetings. Peter Strub, Managing Director, Studiosus Reisen said, “I think that ITB Speed Networking is a good opportunity to gain a lot of new contacts in a short time. My calendar is quite full during ITB Berlin and I nearly have no time to meet new exhibitors besides my scheduled meetings. ITB Speed Networking enables me to win new contacts and get to know new products before the trade show even starts. I encourage other buyers to do the same and to register for the event.” In the afternoon, at the ITB Blogger Speed Dating event, experienced bloggers can make use of eight-minute time slots to talk to representatives sitting opposite from the global travel industry. The new ITB matchmaking tool makes it easy to arrange appointments beforehand for both events. Additional details and contact information on the ITB Speed Dating Day can be found at www.itbberlin.com/Exhibitors/ SpeedDating/ ITB BERLIN NEWS • Thursday 2 nd March 2017
