July 30, 2018 TnH Global 1

Record number of buyers set to attend ITB Asia 2018

ITB Asia, ‘Asia’s Leading Travel Trade Show’, has seen a record number of buyers registering for this year’s show with nearly 1,000 approved buyers set to attend, a 12% increase on last year. Hosted at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands, the conference will take place from 17 – 19 October 2018.

This year, the top ten source markets for buyers from the Asia Pacific region include China, Oceania, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand.

ITB Asia has been working closely with new industry partners to bring in a fresh pool of buyers to the show via the Buyers Programme. New corporate partners on the Buyers Programme this year include Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Far East Hospitality, Caissa and Singapore Airlines. ITB Asia is also collaborating with leading travel associations in the region including Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), The Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA), Korea MICE Association (KMA), Taiwan Convention & Exhibition Association (TCEA). Confirmed associations under FATA include the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), Malaysian Association of Tour Travel Agents (MATTA), Association of Travel Agents Indonesia (ASTINDO) and Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA).

This year sees the launch of new initiatives for the MICE and corporate segments due to increased focus on these areas – the MICE & Corporate Hub, and a brand-new concept, the MICE & Corporate Speed Networking. Dedicated content tailored for the MICE and corporate segment will be featured at the MICE & Corporate Hub, and this allows for the MICE and corporate buyers and exhibitors to meet and network. On the other hand, exhibitors and targeted buyer segments can gather and engage with potential business partners at the MICE & Corporate Speed Networking.

ITB Asia has also been working in partnership with ACTE, the leading corporate travel association, which has recommended its pool of corporate buyers to the show. ACTE will be hosting a one-day conference at ITB Asia with curated content for the corporate buying segment to learn and network with industry leaders.

Top buyer companies to feature at ITB Asia 2018 include Abbot, Accenture, AIA Financial, Apple Inc, BHF Bank, Cook Medical, CTS MICE Service Co Ltd, General Electric, HDFC Standard Life Insurance Co Ltd, IBM, Markets and Markets, Mastercard, Nu Skin Enterprises, OSRAM, PHILIPS, Rotary International, Samsung Asia Pte Ltd, Schlumberger, Schneider Electric India Pvt. Ltd, Siemens, Twitter Asia Pacific Pte Ltd and Verve Events International.

“We are delighted to see a record number of buyers registering for ITB Asia this year, driven by our new partnerships with leading corporates and travel associations on the Buyers Programme. We have also increased our focus on the MICE and corporate segments this year and are excited to launch a dedicated MICE & Corporate hub at the show as well as a new MICE & Corporate Speed Networking session. We look forward to welcoming delegates to this year’s event and have no doubt that a high volume of business deals will be generated at the show,” said Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), organiser of ITB Asia.

Buyers at ITB Asia typically have high purchasing power with more than 40% of buyers making purchases of between USD $500,000 – USD $1 million and 20% of buyers spending more than USD 1 million. 40% of buyers at ITB Asia are leisure, 35% are MICE and 25% are corporate. 80% of buyers at ITB Asia are from the Asia-Pacific region, the remaining 20% of buyers come from Europe, North & South America, Middle East and Africa.