SINGAPORE, 24 July 2019: ITB Asia is set to deliver inspiring content to travel industry practitioners as part of its conference programme 16 to 18 October.
Themed ‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’, the conference will bring together thought leaders from across the events business, leisure, corporate, and travel tech sectors to discuss trends that galvanise change.
Across the three days of the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to experience over 100 sessions featuring insights from more than 260 speakers.
“ITB Asia is bringing together key industry players who are shaping the future of travel. They will identify opportunities, products, services and technologies and debate how to maximise benefits for both providers and travellers,” said ITB Asia’s organiser Messe Berlin (Singapore) managing director, Katrina Leung.
Knowledge Theatre to host ITB Asia 2019 keynote discussions.
‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’ will feature a wide range of themed sessions, including Corporate Travel, Travel & Tech, Destination Marketing and Muslim Travel. Keynote discussions will be held in ‘Knowledge Theatre’, ITB Asia 2019’s main stage.
Day One
Speakers from American Express Global Business Travel (AMEX GBT), CTrip, CWT, Sabre and Traveloka will assess the future of technology. They will share insights on innovations that will shape the travel ecosystem and how consumers’ mindsets and travel behaviour will be affected by them.
Day Two
The agenda includes a keynote session on the future of travel distribution. Speakers from Agoda, Hotelbeds, KAYAK and TripAdvisor will outline how they innovate to remain competitive in a fast-evolving industry.
Day Three
Representatives from companies such as Booking.com, OYO Hotels & Homes, and Thomas Cook China will uncover the potential that Chinese travellers’ evolving preferences will offer to businesses.
In response to its popularity last year, Knowledge Theatre will also see the return of C-Suite talks. Senior representatives from AKARYN Hotel Group, GCP Hospitality, Intrepid Group, Lonely Planet, THE RIDE and Travelzoo, will share their perceptions on the vital issues facing the travel industry today.
Corporate Travel track to uncover new paths
Catering to corporate participants, ITB Asia’s ‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’ will include a corporate travel showcase for industry experts to discuss breakthrough developments. Featured sessions will include insights sharing by leading brands including Amadeus, Egencia and SAP Concur as well as emerging travel players Grab and Travelstop. Topics will include divergent approaches to managing corporate travel and how to cater to millennials.
In addition to the business travel trendsetters featured in ITB Asia’s conference line-up, corporate partner, Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), will again be organising its exclusive Corporate Travel Day on Day Two of the show. Attendees can look forward to a line-up of relevant discussion topics, with experts sharing the emerging trends and best practices that are defining the future of this travel sector.
Travel & Tech track to explore cutting-edge developments
Maintaining ‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’ focus on the future, leading travel players will identify the trends and cutting-edge technologies that are driving the travel industry. Speakers will also highlight how organisations can innovate to stay ahead of their competitors through the adoption of game-changing technologies that will transform travel, meetings, and business dealings.
The Travel & Tech track showcase will also dedicate an entire series to trends in hotel technology. The sessions will explore the growing role of automation and artificial intelligence and how they can revolutionise a hotel’s offering.
Destination Marketing and Muslim Travel
This year will also see two other showcase tracks in destination marketing and Muslim travel. Top practitioners in these sectors will share insider tips on getting the most from social media to promote travel destinations. They will discuss how to use destination brands to attract interest. Discussions will focus on best practices in developing Muslim-friendly destinations and reaching out to the modern Muslim millennial.
Shining a new spotlight on MICE
‘Bold Thoughts, Bold Moves’ themed sessions are part of a varied programme of events designed to make this year’s ITB Asia the largest in its twelve-year history.
For the first time, ITB Asia will share the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the Marina Bay Sands with its co-event, MICE Show Asia. A featured line-up includes speakers from the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and the United Networks of International Corporate Events Organizers (UNICEO) as well as entrepreneurs such as Meetingbox and PouchNATION.
Attendees will also hear about forecasts for the global meeting and events industries in 2020, as well as how digital transformation is impacting the meeting and events industries.
For more information, ITB Asia 2019, visit http://www.itb-asia.com/.
ITB Asia’s Buyers Programme, visit https://www.itb-asia.com/buyers-programme.
MICE Show Asia 2019, visit https://www.miceshowasia.com/.
