Every year, with the arrival of the first warm rays of spring sunshine, Berlin is host to the world’s largest travel trade show: ITB Berlin. It is a harbour of creativity, alive with the smiles and warmth of peoples from all over the world coming to network, learn, communicate and share. “Granny, ITB is likely as big as the city you live in”, I recall explaining a few weeks ago while talking about my travels to Berlin. You need at least half an hour to cross the entire exhibition grounds, if not more: Over 20 large halls display the international travel trade show on several floors! The key to success at this “ITB marathon”? Having a plan. Knowing your priorities. Good shoes. And lots of business cards.
Off we go: The largest travel trade show in the whole world held at ICC Messe Berlin continues to impress trade visitors like me.
Mexico is the official partner country of ITB Berlin 2014, welcoming us to dragons and …
… VW Beetles. Quite original, I would say!
However, being with and learning from the people of a travel destination is what matters most in my eyes. Here, we share moments with Mexicans in Hall 1.1: I feel perfectly reminded of the wealth (and warmth) of colours during my South America travels …
… somewhat serving to offset the otherwise more functional atmosphere at ITB Berlin: People hurrying around the fair grounds to attend meetings and conferences.
What ITB also does is bringing the right people together, those with a common passion, knowledge or interest. Here I am sharing cocktail drinks in “South America” with my travel blogger friend “Claudi um die Welt”, who after more than one year of online sharing I finally get to meet in person. Yay!
(Travel)Bloggers are the new digital media stars at ITB Berlin. They communicate, network and host a number of talks. The international travel world is impressed …
… and by long already working with and responding to our network of digital media experts. More than 200 national and international bloggers have been accredited for ITB Berlin in 2014. What makes professional travel bloggers? Among others, a certain market reach, measured by key numbers and (Social Media) statistics. I am happy to note that my own website “Creativelena.com” has already neared 100.000 page views since its early beginnings, now averaging some good 2.500 unique readers a month – media statistics that continue to rise thanks to the growing influence of Social Media interactions. And the best thing about it is the following formula: 1+1=3! Bloggers and online travel writers like us share thoughts with interested tourism companies through professional, so-called “Blogger-Speeddatings“, meet each other at ITB media centre, gather for “iambassador-Travel Tweet-ups” or host a number of other, different networking events. The result? Interest as well as numbers & Social Media figures are on the rise. A virtual buzz, if you wish: Sharing related content via the use of #hashtags (Social Media keywords) cause a real wave to ripple through the online community. It certainly is exciting enough.
Now how am I going to explain all that to my granny? 🙂
“For Bloggers”: Taking place for the second time this year, the so-called Blogger-Speeddating brings together professional travel bloggers and tourism industry members looking for opportunities to cooperate and connect.
(So what does a “Blogger-Speeddating” look like?). Let me show you here!
Besides “Speeddatings” and else, we do also love taking a lot more time for each other celebrating the opportunity to be together at last. With Monique & Janett, both writing for www.Teilzeitreisender.de, I even share an AirBnB apartment during our time in Berlin. Here we are, laughing into the camera at a blogger event hosted by Tirol Werbung at ITB Berlin.
Another important and successful travel blogger from Germany is my colleague Anja Beckmann, of www.TravelOnToast.de. At ITB Berlin, she talks about what matters most in “Blogger Relations”.
The audience is listening: Check out Anja’s full story here.
Melvin Böcher, founder of the very successful online travel network www.TravelDudes.org, also talks at ITB eTravel Lounge about Social Media and the power of #hashtags (keywords) when searching the web for informed travel decisions.
But it does not stop there. Now the UNWTO World Tourism Organization is impressed with us travel writers & Social Media experts, too.
At the end of his ITB talk, leading creative tourism analyst Greg Richards even goes as far as saying, “Elena, you should know more about this than I do, since you are the one actually travelling around the world (and reporting about it)!”
So what is happening here? Even myself, I am often too stunned to believe it all, though I am right in the centre of this fast-moving, spinning world of online society. Back in 2004, I have first travelled to ITB Berlin as a young student – at a time where Facebook and the power of bloggers as digital opinion leaders was not even heard of. How was I to know that ten years later, I would be coming back as a professional travel blogger / online travel writer? On my ITB badge in 2014, it is written “Elena Paschinger. Austria. Blogger”. It certainly is cool!
Back in 2005, I have been on an internship with the United Nations World Tourism Organization in Madrid. Now, it is me who is talking to my former colleagues here at ITB about the likes of creative cultural tourism research as well as effective communication through blogs & Social Media. Wow. Happy as can be, I walk away from my inspirational one-hour talk with them, only to be welcomed to another promising travel blogger event. A world we live in …
The ITB Culture Lounge brings international experts and speakers focusing on “culture tourism development” together – an amazing opportunity for me working in this field.
Here, I get to listen to THE creative culture tourism expert worldwide: Greg Richards! A mentor and a mastermind in many ways for the likes of myself dealing with creative culture tourism around the world.
Just as much as the creative travel phenomenon itself, the definition of creative tourism keeps evolving. Note the growing importance of technology, such as digital publishing through blogs or Social Media, at the intersection of the creative economies and tourism worldwide.
A lot have come to attend Greg’s session about creative culture tourism development.
And finally, one of the highlights of my time at ITB Berlin: Presenting new forms of cooperation in culture tourism with my colleagues from UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organization. Loved it !!
Last but not least, I am actually using ITB Berlin “predominantly” as a research facility for my next round the world trip and book project.
Yes guys. I could, but I do not have to. Travelling around the world once more. Writing a book. Now you know this much, dear readers. But who of you, living with the travel bug, would not be tempted to seize this incredibly exciting opportunity? Next to my friends & family, you are now officially the first ones to know. These upcoming travel plans are going to be the basis for a long desired project of mine: Writing my very first book. A life dream for me, the very thought making me feel giddy and happy on the inside! Also, or especially, when you have already written almost 400 travel articles as an online travel writer at www.Creativelena.com. ITB is centre stage in all of this right now. Here, I have come to research creative destinations all over the world, from Vanuatu to the Philippines, from Santa Fe to Madagascar. The first talks already prove to offer a lot of emotions, adventure and beautiful experiences on the way ahead. Travelling the creative way, in sync with the local populations on this planet Earth is simply who and how I am – and this is what I intend to share with you in my book. As a practical and useful travel handbook for travellers worldwide. I AM SO MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS! All my emotions, then, go into the ITB press conference talking about our national association Creative Tourism Austria. I have a feeling it all falls into place: Quality, reliability, a creative vision spiced with humour and the eternal trust that life is good and full of exciting, fulfilling opportunities. Bring it on, then, I say!
😀
Doing research at ITB Berlin: The official partner country Mexico even offers a virtual guide to all their exhibitors in hall 1.1 – a practical invention!
Here at South Pacific Vanuatu island, these two charming ladies tell me all there is to know about creative culture travel in the Pacific, such as nut carving, sand drawings or underwater music with the local women in Vanuatu island. Wow: I guess I “have to go” to the South Pacific, then. 😉
Japan talks to me about creative workshops such as learning how to make Sushi or painting the plastic that gets exhibited in restaurants worldwide … creativity round the globe certainly has no limits!
The Philippines end up assuring me of their full support when it comes to planning my creative round the world trip, sharing beautiful creative travel stories with me right here at ITB Berlin.
Last but not least, I even find creative travel in the most “unlikely” of places: Asking for local, authentic culture travel experiences I …
… am referred to the Emirate of Sharjah, near Dubai, where I even watch a creative workshop taking place right in front of my eyes! Very interesting indeed: So maybe the Arab world will see me on my way?
If I get to be around early next year, Finland could be an exciting destination currently gathering support for designing next year’s travel blogger conference Matka in January 2015. I started by putting my wish for creative experiences down here.
Introducing “Creative Tourism Austria” during our ITB Berlin press conference is a lot of fun, too …
… and finally, I wish to thank all those who have come, shared with me and inspired me to even further events and travels all over the world: Thank you Janett & Gudrun, who besides being colleagues in the travel blogging world are just beautiful friends I am happy to have met along the way. Let’s hope ITB Berlin and lots more travel events will continue to bring us all together even more.