Meetings industry at ITB Berlin’s digital edition
As is the case each year, Polish Tourism Organisation will host the Polish national stand at ITB Berlin. Joining the list of exhibitors for the first time ever, Poland Convention Bureau will simultaneously support the business tourism offer presented by professional incoming travel agencies specialised in services aimed at meetings and events.
For more than 60 years hosting the worldwide tourism sector, ITB Berlin is the world’s largest and most prestigious travel trade show boasting a global and supraregional character. Due to the present-day situation related to on-going pandemic, the team behind ITB Berlin decided to create a digital platform. This year’s online-only ITB Berlin NOW 2021 will take place on 9-12 March.
Polish Tourism Organisation (Polska Organizacja Turystyczna - POT) and its Berlin-based International Office are working on a virtual presentation dedicated to Poland. Contrary to earlier editions, ITB Berlin NOW 2021 will be aimed exclusively at the industry.
Germany is the leading outbound travel market for Poland, which in 2019 was visited by 7.067 million German tourists. Trips to Polish cities, road trips, medical tourism, SPA and wellness, as well as active tourism are traditionally among the most popular options.
For the 2021 edition of ITB Berlin, Polish Tourism Organisation booked its presence as part of the All-In for Destinations exhibitor package, which will make it possible to effectively showcase Poland’s tourist highlights, with particular emphasis on travel safety in pandemic times and the country’s high accessibility, also for travellers choosing to use their own means of transport. An equally important goal is to make potential guests aware of Poland’s impressive number of attractions and unexplored destinations that are less crowded but just as noteworthy.
Poland’s presentation will encompass tourism products representing the following areas:
- active, leisure and specialized tourism (including cycling and nautical variety, golf, campsites);
- health tourism, with special emphasis on medical tourism, stays in health resorts, SPA and wellness;
- agritourism;
- urban and cultural tourism that according to latest research continues to be high-ranked among our potential target group, despite certain changes in tourism behaviour resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Polish presentation at ITB Berlin’s 2021 virtual platform will be dedicated to the motto of Polen nah und vielfältig (Poland - close and diverse).
We accentuate the former quality (“nah”) as all experts agree that close-to-home destinations will be in highest demand in the coming season. Importantly, Poland is both remarkably close and attractive as a tourism destination. Moreover, its high accessibility makes it possible to plan both shorter and longer stays.
“Vielfältig” stands for diverse, as Poland’s versatile character represents one of its key advantages. Visitors can choose active leisure in the mountains (all difficulty levels), sail in the lake district, tour numerous cities and savour local specialties. Finding a retreat in a primeval forest to lose yourself in nature or relaxation at magnificent beaches along the Baltic Sea coastline are also highly recommended.
Polish national stand exhibitors receive access to the STARTER package, which entitles them to:
- Brand Card Basic platform (interactive exhibitor profile), making it possible to add videos, photos and files, hold video calls, upload media (audio and video) files;
- publish a logo;
- company name and full address listing;
- 3 product entries;
- 5 tickets (registration of five participants with individual meeting schedules);
- networking - instant networking during the four days of ITB Berlin NOW with all platform users, speakers and other exhibitors via chat and audio/video calls, planning of individual or group meetings in the platform, screen sharing, instant video calls, private text chats; network functionality is offered to all companies that book a Brand Card; registered users can find the right contacts from thousands of participants and get in touch with them directly - here, interest-based suitable contacts are also suggested to open up new business; smart matching technologies will be used for contact recommendations and search functions; in addition, exhibitors will be able to leave a bookmark at their favourite brand card and get in touch later;
- video calls - all registered platform participants will have access to live conferences with top national and international speakers, live or recorded sessions on all topics that are currently moving and advancing the travel industry;
- video on demand access - users can call up and watch videos according to their wishes. This offer will be available until May 31, 2021.
The list of Polish national stand exhibitors includes recommended congress and incentive travel organisers certified by POT PCB:
