ITB Asia will welcome a greater contingent of meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions (MICE) representatives to its event this year, organisers claim.
According to the latest figures from Messe Berlin (Singapore), who organise the three-day travel industry tradeshow, 43 per cent of buyers coming along are from the MICE sector, up from 32 per cent last year.
ITB Asia executive director, Ninon Gruettke, attributed the increase to ITB Asia’s new Association Day, on 20-21 October, which will cover best practice, operational realities and new opportunities in the association event sector. Association Day attendees from 17 countries are expected to attend ITB Asia this year.
“We listened to our exhibitors,” he said. “They told us they wanted more MICE buyers and more buyers from Europe this year.”
ITB Asia will take place at the Suntec Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre from 20 to 22 October and is supported by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau.
Messe Berlin (Singapore) also reported 47 per cent of hosted buyers this year will be new to the event, and 62 per cent represent Asia-Pacific countries. Europe will be the second-most represented region, making up 26 per cent of total attendees. Forty-seven per cent of all buyers will represent leisure travel companies and 10 per cent are primarily interested in corporate travel, it stated.
ITB Asia 2010 will include exhibition pavilions as well as a tabletop presence for SME-sized services providers. Exhibitors range from destinations and airlines through to airports, hotels, theme parks, inbound tour operators, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities and travel technology companies.
Earlier this week, Messe Berlin (Singapore) signed a three-year deal with Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre to host the exhibition from 2011-2013.
