“Who does the customer listen to? “ – Opinion-formers from the media and the travel industry discuss the influence of mobile apps and social networking sites and compare them with glossy magazines and quality journalism
The public’s use of the media and the media’s influence on consumers’ buying decisions will be among the topics discussed at the second Media Summit at ITB Berlin, which is due to take place on 11 March 2011. At the ITB Berlin Convention, which will be held at the world’s largest travel trade show, high-ranking members of the media and the tourism industry will debate whether colourful images in glossy magazines still continue to whet readers’ appetites for travelling abroad, and whether consumers base their decisions on the information they obtain from daily newspapers.
Against the backdrop of declining newspaper and magazine circulation figures, of the daily battle for TV ratings, and of the clearly unstoppable online media machine, and notwithstanding the end of the recession in Germany, the job of targeting customers remains crucial to achieving market success. The travel industry in particular must ask itself a decisive question: do consumers only listen to “friends” on social networks, or do they still trust traditional, good-quality journalism? Jürgen Drensek, Chairman of the Association of German Travel Journalists, Christoph Engl, Director of Südtirol Marketing Gesellschaft, Stefan Keuchel, Company Spokesman of Google Deutschland, Moritz von Laffert, Managing Director of Condé Nast Verlag Deutschland and Claus Strunz, Editor-in-Chief of Hamburger Abendblatt will take part in the second ITB Media Summit moderated by Hajo Schumacher, a journalist from Berlin.
Dr. Martin Buck, Director Competence Center Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin: “The media industry is facing massive change. The aim of the ITB Media Summit is to provide impulses and to give answers to questions that the travel industry must ask itself with regard to mobile apps, the iPad, and other topics concerning the public’s use of the media.” A part of the ITB Berlin Convention, this event targets journalists, members of the media and of publishing companies, as well as advertising and marketing executives representing tour operators, the online travel industry, aviation, the hotel industry and tourism organisations.
The ITB Media Summit will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds in Hall 7.1b, Saal London, on Friday 11 march 2011 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is an initiative of ITB Berlin in cooperation with its partners news aktuell/dpa Gruppe, Landau Media Monitoring AG, and travel industry specialists w&p Wilde & Partner Public Relations.
