A week of vibrant conference and networking programme comes to a successful close
• As a global stage, the exhibition and conference featured top destinations and speaker companies including Agoda, Hotelbeds, Trafalgar, Tripadvisor, TUI Musement and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC)
• Next ITB Asia to take place as an in-person event in Singapore from 19-21 October 2022
Singapore, 29 October 2021 – Today marks the successful conclusion of the extensive event programme, networking opportunities and business-driven discussions at ITB Asia
2021. For the first time, Asia’s leading travel trade show spanned an entire week, and as usual covered both current and forward-looking leisure, MICE, corporate travel and travel technology topics.
An impressive 42,100 business meetings and exchanges were recorded throughout the week, representing an increase of 31 percent from 2020. The event hosted over 900 buyers and 400 sponsors & exhibitors from around the world who participated in the show’s vibrant agenda of conferences and networking sessions, supported by leading global companies and destinations, including Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Busan Tourism Organisation, Business Events Perth, Danang Center for Tourism Promotion, Department of Information and Tourism,Taipei City Government, Far East Hospitality, Frasers Hospitality, Goyang Convention Bureau, Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation, Jeju Convention Bureau, Leningrad Region, Los Angeles
Tourism and Convention Bureau, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Organisation, Melbourne Convention Bureau, Melia Hotels Group, St. Petersburg Convention Bureau, United Airlines, Worldhotels Collection, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Yokohama Convention Bureau.
The show featured more than 3,200 exhibitor showcases, creating a favorable marketplace for buyers and sellers to engage in meaningful business meetings and discussions. Asia’s leading travel trade show, which was eagerly awaited by the industry, was hosted virtually on the well-established online platform, ITB Community in Asia (ITB Community).
Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia shared: “We are proud that with this year’s virtual ITB Asia, we were once
again able to provide a unique meeting platform for the travel industry in surely one of the most challenging times. I am very pleased with the outcome of the show. Building on
our experience with the virtual edition last year, we were able to further expand the event format and give our clients more opportunities for interactive engagements with
the travel community. We look forward to welcoming the industry back in-person in Singapore from 19 – 21 October 2022, bringing back human connections through face-
to-face business meetings and networking sessions. I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank this year’s Elite Partners, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and the Saudi Tourism Authority, for their support and cooperation over the past
months”.
Recovery and growth of travel represented the 2021 conference theme
Under the overarching theme of “The Decade Ahead: Braving New Realities in
Travel”, this year’s conference programme delivered captivating insights on how to lead
the industry towards recovery and growth, setting the tone for the changes that the
industry is likely to see in the next months. Over 150 key industry experts delivered
fascinating insights at the keynote sessions, as well as focused topics for the MICE and
Corporate segment, Leisure Travel, the Travel Tech space and Tours, Activities &
Attractions amongst others.
With the virtual format of the trade show, over 250 sessions have been made available
on-demand for all registered delegates to view and watch again till 28 November 2021.
The following is an overview of a selection of exciting sessions and speakers from the
past conference:
• What Will Your Future Cruise Look Like?
Ben Angell, Vice President & Managing Director, APAC, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
• Rebuilding Travel Post-Vaccine
Julia Simpson, President & CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
• When Will Asia Pacific Travel Again?
Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director & Vice President Asia Pacific, Booking.com
• The New Normal for the Hotel Business
Nicolas Huss, CEO, Hotelbeds
Carlos Muñoz, CCO, Hotelbeds
• The Evolution of the Traveller Through COVID-19
Stephen Kaufer, President & CEO, Tripadvisor
Sessions led by MICE profiles
• Beyond Hybrid – The Future of Experiential
Anna Patterson, Vice President & Managing Director, George P. Johnson
(Singapore) Private Limited Experience Marketing
• What US Corporations Are Saying About Incentive Travel
Aoife Delaney, President, SITE – Society for Incentive Travel Excellence
• The New Agents of Change
Dan Rivlin, CEO, Kenes Group
• Leadership in Times of Crisis
Jocelyne Mülli, Managing Director, K.I.T. Group GmbH
Sessions led by Corporate Travel profiles
• Back on the Road – New Era, New Rules! Will Business Travel Be the Same
Again?
Bertrand Saillet, Managing Director, FCM Travel Asia
• Environmental, Social and Governance: Business Travel’s Responsibilities
Brett Thomson, General Manager, Corporate Travel, TAG Global Travel and
Events
• Navigating Through the Industry’s Greatest Crisis
Carl Jones, Vice President, Head of Strategy, Asia Pacific, SAP Concur
• How Digital Nomads and Bleisure Are Re-Defining the Future of Business
Travel
David Hughes, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, UNIGLOBE Travel
International
• High Touch Service in the Digital Age
Jane Warren, CEO, APAC & ME, Reed & Mackay
• Business Travel Post-Vaccine: A Reset for 2022
Michelle McKinney Frymire, CEO, CWT
• Corporate Travel Megatrends
Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA – Global Business Travel Association
Sessions led by Accommodation and Hotels profiles
• COVID-19 – Emerging Stronger and Better
David Kong, President & CEO, BWH Hotel Group
• How the Extended-Stay Segment is Leading the Journey to Recovery
Dean Schreiber, CEO, Oakwood
• Asia Pacific Recovery: How Hoteliers Can Reignite Confidence in Travel
Joon Aun Ooi, President, Asia Pacific, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Shifting Sands: How We Can Adapt to Changing Perceptions of Travel
Michael Marshall, CCO, Minor Hotels
• Restoring Travellers’ Confidence
Olivier Berrivin, Managing Director – APAC, WorldHotels
• The Future of Family Travel: RE-connecting or DE-connecting?
Rachael Harding, CEO of East, South Asia and Pacific, Club Med
• Banking on Technology and EQ to Thrive Through the Recovery and Beyond
Rainer Stampfer, President, Hotel Operations – APAC, Four Seasons Hotels &
Resorts
• People, Communities and Our Big Opportunity
• Rajit Sukumaran, Managing Director, South East Asia and Korea, IHG Hotels
& Resorts
• A CEO’s Vision of Recovery and Opportunity
William (Bill) J. Hornbuckle, CEO & President, MGM Resorts International
Sessions led by Travel Technology profiles
• How Will Technology Change Travel?
Eric Bailey, Global Director, Travel, Meetings & Payments, Microsoft
Shane O’Flaherty, Global Director, Travel, Transport, Logistics & Hospitality,
Microsoft
• Technology, Travel and COVID Recovery
John Brown, CEO, Agoda
Timothy Hughes, Vice President, Corporate Development, Agoda
• Accelerating Hospitality’s Recovery: The Vital Role of Technology
Patrick Andres, Regional Vice President Asia-Pacific, Oracle Hospitality
• Technology and the Future of Travel
Renaud Nicolle, Senior Vice President, Business Travel, Amadeus, Asia
Pacific
Sessions led by Tours, Activities & Attractions profiles
• The Next Generation of Technological Innovation in the Travel Sector
Dana Dunne, CEO, eDreams ODIGEO
• How Will Tours & Activities Support the Return of Travel?
David Schelp, CEO of TUI Musement, Member of the TUI Group Executive
Committee
• New Ways of Generating Business for Tours and Activities
Enrique Ybarra, Founder, President & CEO, City Sightseeing Worldwide
• The Future of Travel Experiences – Adopting Digital While Retaining a Genuine
Human Touch
Hamish Keith, CEO, EXO Travel Group
• The Tomorrow’s DMCs
Stephan Roemer, CEO, Diethelm Travel Group
• Making Every Travel Experience Count Through Sustainability
Wolf Paunic, President, Trafalgar
Save the date: ITB Asia 2022 live in Singapore again
Next year’s edition of ITB Asia is scheduled to take place as an in-person event in
Singapore from 19-21 October 2022. Stand registration for ITB Asia 2022 is available
through this link. For more information on ITB Asia 2022, the sales brochure can be
downloaded here.
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About ITB Asia
ITB Asia, Asia’s leading travel trade show, is organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte
Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau. The annual B2B
trade show and convention will feature hundreds of exhibiting companies from the Asia-
Pacific region, Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, covering not only the
leisure market, but also MICE and corporate travel. Exhibitors from every sector of the
industry, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels and resorts, theme parks and
attractions, inbound tour operators, inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other
meeting facilities and travel technology companies are all expected to attend.
ITB Asia is the premier meeting place for the travel trade industry for forging new
partnerships and strengthening existing business relationships with the most important
players in the region.
About MICE Show Asia
MICE Show Asia is the premier MICE event in Asia where incentive travel, meetings and
events industries come together to connect and build the future of MICE. The annual
business-to-business trade show and convention featured industry suppliers, meetings &
events professionals to up-and-coming MICE innovators from a wide range of disciplines,
sectors and all levels of seniority. The show is co-located with ITB Asia and Travel Tech
Asia.
About Travel Tech Asia
Travel Tech Asia is the premier travel technology show in Asia. The trade show is where
latest technologies, emerging trends, leading travel brands and innovative start-ups are
all at one place to create the new possibilities of travel. From travel tech suppliers,
innovative start-ups and leading travel brands who are at the forefront of the industry
transformation, Travel Tech Asia welcomes attendees from all levels of seniority across
a wide range of disciplines and sectors in the travel industry. The conference will be co-
located with ITB Asia and MICE Show Asia.
