SINGAPORE, 26 June 2019: ITB Asia has introduced a new Buyers Elite Partner Programme (BEPP) that offers complimentary hosting based on new buyer referrals.
Under the new initiative, partners who recommend 15 successful buyers to attend the show, ITB Asia will provide complimentary hosting.
This gives partners a platform to develop stronger trade ties with recommended buyers and secure more business opportunities together.
To maintain the quality of buyers at this year’s show, ITB Asia has been working closely with industry partners from the event business, corporate and leisure segments.
Corporate partners this year include the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), new partner Corporate Travel Management (CTM), and the United Networks of International Corporate Event Organisers (UNICEO). ACTE will be returning with its Corporate Travel Day once more this year.
CTM will host a conference for corporate travel, providing curated content for the corporate buying segment to learn and network with industry leaders.
CTM Asia chief executive officer Larry Lo said: “We are partnering with ITB Asia this year to showcase how our innovative technology helps us to provide personalised services and a positive return on investment for our customers.”
Visit Finland, Korea Tourism Organization, Singapore Tourism Board and new partner, the Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA), have also been listed as BEPP partners for the event under the leisure segment.
MICE Show Asia launch
In addition to corporate and leisure partners, ITB Asia has experienced a boost in partners from the MICE segment. With the launch of the new MICE Show Asia to take place alongside ITB Asia this year, it has attracted a pool of quality MICE buyers.
MICE partners under BEPP include Advantage Meetings and Events, EVINTRA, Helmsbriscoe, who will be bringing the largest contingent of MICE buyers this year, Korea MICE Association (KMA), Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), Philippines Association of Convention Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (PACEOS), and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), who is taking part for the first time.
“PCMA is excited to be partnering ITB Asia at their inaugural MICE Show Asia,” said PCMA regional business director in APAC Antonio Codinach. “We believe that MICE Show Asia will deliver that platform – to bring the community together to learn and network – and through the education sessions curated by PCMA, we hope to share the knowledge to help spark ideas and discussions within the growing BE sector in Asia.”
Buyers who have registered to attend the show include established MICE planners such as MEP Meeting & Exhibition Planners, Nuskin, Philips, as well as professional associations such as the International Financial Cryptography Association, International Society for Professional Innovation Management and International Society for Fibrinolysis and Proteolysis.
Building on the 2018’s Buyers Programme, this year’s ITB Asia has already seen a 35% increase in approved buyers. More buyers are coming from high-growth markets such as Southeast Asia, China and India.
“As the leading travel trade show, we want to provide a dynamic and diverse platform for our stakeholders to forge strong business relationships,” said the organiser of ITB Asia, Messe Berlin (Singapore) managing director, Katrina Leung.
“We are pleased to have attracted a greater number of buyers to this year’s show, specifically from markets which have shown to have huge growth potential in travel and tourism. “By working closely with our exhibitors and through the new Elite Partner Programme, we hope to spur more business opportunities for both parties.”
