ITB Berlin and the Berlin Travel Festival will this year entirely a virtual event

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

ITB Berlin and the Berlin Travel Festival will hold a three-day online event for trade visitors and the general public from 16 to 18 October 2020 – Live-streamed events and virtual exhibitors – Friday will feature discussion rounds and virtual networking sessions for all registered trade visitors – Free live-streaming on the weekend without prior registration

As a result of the latest coronavirus developments in the German capital, ITB Berlin and the Berlin Travel Festival have decided to hold the upcoming We Love Travel! event at Arena Berlin without exhibitors or visitors on-site. Four central districts in Berlin have been classified as high-risk areas by the Robert Koch Institute. Consequently, the situation has become too unpredictable to proceed with We Love Travel! as a hybrid event as originally planned. The safety of exhibitors, speakers, visitors and co-workers has the utmost priority for the organisers. ”This decision is a clear ‘thumbs up’ for the We Love Travel! event and the industry. We now want to make a greater effort to enable a dialogue in the virtual environment. Unfortunately, our motivation and good intentions had to succumb to the latest developments. However, the safety of everyone involved has the highest priority for us,“ said Bernd Neff, founder of the Berlin Travel Festival.

The show due to take place from 16 to 18 October 2020 was originally intended as a hybrid event featuring a live-streamed programme on stage. The organisers remain committed to this format. Many of the speakers scheduled to take part in panels on the Friday for B2B visitors and the weekend for the general public will still be attending in person at Arena Berlin, which will be subject to stringent safety and hygiene measures. All events will be live-streamed and broadcast online on the We Love Travel! website (www.welovetravel.berlin). At the discussion rounds participants will be able to put questions to the individual speakers and the moderator. Exhibitors will also be able to present their company and products in an exclusively virtual format. Furthermore, buyers, exhibitors and trade visitors can use the online networking platform to communicate in a virtual meeting room. David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin: ”It is always a difficult decision to reschedule events organised for months beforehand from one day to the next and to adapt to new circumstances. The object now is to offer the industry a virtual platform so they can successfully take part in a dialogue. We are very well prepared in that respect, as we planned the show as a hybrid event from the start.“

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