The digital transition has taken giant strides forward in the travel industry.
Nowadays, a robot welcoming guests to a hotel with glasses of champagne is no longer pure fantasy. Under the heading of ‘Travel 4.0 – the digitalization of the travel industry’, the convention will examine a number of topics, including virtual reality, the digital transition and the use of humanoid robots in the tourism industry.
Four individual tracks at the ITB Berlin Convention will focus on the opportunities and challenges arising from the mega trend of digitalization. Günther H. Oettinger, the EU Commissioner responsible for the digital economy and society, will open the ITB Future Day with a keynote speech on ‘shaping a mega trend in Europe’. In an ITB CEO interview Philip C. Wolf, the founder of Phocuswright, will be talking to Darren Huston, the president and CEO of the Priceline Group and Booking.com, about ‘recipes for success in times of complex markets and rapid global expansion’. In a keynote interview on the topic of ‘Google View: from micro moments to a seamless travel search and booking process’, Prof. Dr. Roland Conrady, the science head of the ITB Berlin Convention, will be talking to Dr. Oliver Heckmann, vice president of Travel and Shopping, Google Inc. Rounding off the ITB Future Day, ministers from countries which have pioneered the digital transition will be taking part in the ITB Ministers’ round table on new business models in the age of digitalization. Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of UNWTO, will moderate the session.
The ITB MICE Day will begin with a keynote speech on the ‘digital transition – how smart media and innovative technologies are changing our way of thinking’. Afterwards, Prof. Wolfgang Henseler, the founder and creative managing director of Sensory-Minds, will be illustrating emerging technology trends and innovations as well as their impact on society, the economy and people. Prof. Dr. Hans Rück, dean of the Faculty of Tourism and Transport Studies at Hochschule Worms, will be talking about the ‘new frontier’ in the event industry. In his paper he will explain the meaning of ‘SoLoMo’ and the best way to integrate digital applications into the four stages of an event. Doreen Biskup, managing director of the MICE Academy, will be looking at the topical issue of how and whether emotions can be triggered at the touch of a button and whether digitalization appeals to all the senses.
