Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 6 | ITB ASIA Official Dailies able to improve our process with enhanced technology and i believe this aspect will keep on improving - facilitating business meetings at our show. 5. given that asia has a much younger population than europe, how do you see itB asia evolving differently from itB Berlin? what are the plans for itB asia to become truly a show for asia by asia instead of what it is now, a show for asia by a leading german brand? iTB Asia is already a travel trade show for Asia by Asia. With 90% of our team coming from Asia, we have strong regional talent that equips us with keen market insights which have helped propel the brand to become the biggest B2B travel trade show for the Asian market. Also, the show has a strong Asian focus and 65% of our exhibitors, buyers and delegates that attend the event are also from Asia. it's because of our strong ability to bring together the Asian travel market that we are able to draw a diverse range of international participants looking to find partners to create business value in Asia. during iTB Asia 2013, almost 9,100 visitors from 110 countries attended the event, making it one of the region's most international travel trade events. 6. Finally, how will this year's itB asia be different? This year will see a record number of high quality exhibitors, driven by strong demand from both returning and new pavilions. We've confirmed a variety of new exhibitors from countries such as norway, Albania and Spain who will add to the diversity of this year's event. Also, our new venue partner Marina Bay Sands, provided us with the space needed to cater to the strong response for participation we've gotten so far. iTB Asia 2014 is expected to be the biggest, most exciting edition yet. Leveraging the efficiencies and valuable synergies surrounding all events around TravelRave, we have lined up new content at the show. in addition to iTB Asia's already established high-powered, tailored conference sessions, one new session that visitors can also look forward to gaining valuable insights is the inaugural Business Travel day. nino gruettke, Executive director, iTB Asia 1. you came to singapore as a greenhorn to set up itB asia a few years ago. what has the learning been like? it's been four and a half years since i came to Singapore to establish and grow iTB Asia for the Asian travel market. it has been a very steep but fruitful learning curve. Understanding a brand new market and ultimately integrating into part of the regional landscape was one of the biggest challenges i faced. But we've enjoyed huge successes and have not looked back since planting the iTB brand here. Asia is extremely dynamic and there is huge potential for tourism growth in this region. Singapore in particular has created a fantastic infrastructure for businesses which has led to very rapid industry developments. in the time that i've been here, i've witnessed the growth of mobile technology and internet currencies that have had huge implication on the way businesses now run. That's why i love my job and i love being here- it's always exciting, fast and fresh. 2. how did you have to do things differently in asia versus in germany where itB Berlin's been around for decades? what was your first priority? My first priority starting out in Asia was to listen very keenly to the market. The industry trends that i've seen in germany or Europe do not necessarily replicate themselves in Asia and i had to learn to adapt by constantly interacting with our partners, exhibitors and buyers to get a firm sense of the landscape. iTB Berlin is well established in Europe as a leisure centric trade show. However, the industry trends here reflect the need for a show that represents all segments of the travel market. That's why we established iTB Asia as a hybrid show, covering a more balanced combination of markets within the leisure, corporate and MiCE travel sectors. To help our delegates achieve success in this ever-changing Asian travel market, we also dedicated a strong focus on our conference programme which highlights only the most relevant issues and trends and acts as a current and dynamic knowledge platform for our delegates. Constant communication and effective listening are the keys to our success. That's how iTB Asia was able to lay a solid foundation from which we were then able to build the brand and adapt to industry trends and changes year after year. 3. you're what is considered a Millennial - the generation that will change travel. you will buy travel differently. you will travel differently. you want to work differently. how ready do you think is the travel industry ready for your generation? Both as employers and suppliers? what do they have to do on both fronts? Employers and suppliers in the travel industry have to understand the way in which Millennials are motivated to both work and consume. For one, this market segment cares less about profit and money and is driven more by "meaning" and passion. The rise of the sharing economy also reflects this. Millennials prefer to share the creation, production and consumption of good and services, and they often choose to do this through leveraging information technology. Airbnb is a perfect example of how a supplier within the travel industry was able to adapt and successfully cater to Millennials. Using technology as a platform to connect with their audience, the company facilitates a sharing service which provides a cheap, easy and convenient product that serves a need. We can see a great shift as many companies start adapting their business model to attract this generation. As for employers within the travel industry, we have to understand that old corporate hierarchies are being taken over by fast moving start-ups. in order to retain talent in a highly competitive travel market, employers need to pick up on the strengths and passions of their employees and find roles in which these strengths will add value to their company, while fulfilling their employees' interests. 4. i would think Millennials too would look at exhibitions differently - that's an old model where people stand around in booths and wait for visitors. how do you see exhibitions changing in the next 10 years? i cannot agree that our current exhibition model would be obsolete in future because there is one important aspect of an exhibition that cannot be substituted by anything else. And that is the ability for a show to connect buyers and sellers face-to-face. The personal interaction factor is one that can be facilitated but not replaced by technology. one way in which i can see exhibitions changing is improved effectiveness and smoother match process in which show organizers are able to connect regional buyers and decision makers with exhibitors. iTB Asia does this through its highly successful Hosted Buyers programme where we use a stringent screening process to evaluate all potential buyers to ensure that only the best will enter the pre-scheduled appointment system. Hosted buyers are then carefully matched to exhibitors using complex algorithms to ensure high-quality and productive meetings during the show. Each year, we're BUiLding A RELEvAnT SHoW FoR ASiA nino gruettke believes constant communication and effective listening are the keys to iTB's success. The personal interaction factor is one that can be facilitated but not replaced by technology. FaCe-to-FaCe

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