Exhibitors at this year’s ITB Berlin will present numerous technological innovations â€" visitors can try out interactive technology trends on the weekend for the public.
The World’s Largest Travel Trade Show as a digital experience: at ITB Berlin, on the open days for the public on 11 and 12 March 2017, exhibitors will be presenting numerous highlights for visitors. This year’s dominant trend is interactive technology. Be it VR goggles, a digital quiz or selfie box, the stands listed below will especially impress visitors who are fascinated by modern technology.
Virtual Reality â€" the latest trend
Visitors are invited to take a virtual trip on the stand of North Rhine-Westphalia, where they can get a close-up view of the federal state’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites without actually being there. With VR goggles, the cathedrals of Aachen and Cologne, the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Augustusburg Palace and the Imperial Abbey of Corvey will all seem within touching distance (Hall 8.2).
The Brandenburg Gate Museum also boasts 360-degree views. Visitors to the stand who take a look through goggles or at a tablet can imagine themselves in a fascinating history show and get an impression of the rooms inside the museum. Another reason to visit the stand is the digital competition, with prizes that winners can take directly back home (Hall 12).
VR goggles are a major attraction on the stand of Hamburg Tourismus too. This is where visitors can take a virtual tour of the Poetry Slam on the beaches of the Elbe and go behind the scenes at the airport. There is also multimedia access to a four-metre high model of the Elbphilharmonie. Audio stations offer a musical preview, and animated 3D tours provide visitors with an authentic visual experience (Hall 6.2).
Visitors can take a virtual tour of the IGLOOTEL in Swedish Lapland, a hotel made of snow and ice. The VR tour on the stand of Nordic Marketing explores the various rooms and features of this legendary event hotel, whose reputation extends far beyond Scandinavia’s borders (Hall 18).
The East African destination of Tanzania is one of the most remote virtual tours that visitors can take. The tour operator Akwaba Afrika will provide visitors with Oculus Rift VR goggles so they can experience the country’s natural beauty directly on the stand. Among the views are Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. And finally, interested visitors can get an impression of what a safari in Tanzania might be like (Hall 21).
A cable car trip in the hall and a souvenir photo of ITB Berlin
IGA Berlin 2017 is taking visitors on a completely different tour. The main focus of the presentation is a genuine cable car. Visitors can take a seat inside and view the International Garden Exhibition from above even before it has officially opened. A viewing screen inside the glass floor makes the three-minute trip all the more impressive (Hall 12).
Visitors to the stand of ERV, a travel insurance company, will all be smiling so they can take home a selfie as a souvenir of the fair. Be it New York’s skyline or a beach on the Maldives, a single click will transport travel-hungry visitors into atmospheric surroundings. The photo can be printed immediately and naturally also be shared by email or with Facebook friends (Hall 25). Visitors can also send digital greetings to their family and friends from the stand of the Wadden Sea, where from 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. they can have their picture taken in front of a so-called green screen â€" this is a tour of the Wadden Sea that definitely requires no rubber boots (Hall 4.1).
An interactive LED screen and an app for finds from the Wadden Sea
On the stand of Brandenburg the focus this year is on a super-sized LED screen connected to an interactive media desk, where visitors can access lots of information and test their knowledge in a quiz. Despite all the technological innovation the stand’s natural surroundings are also a place to chill out. With plants, lots of wood and birds in the background the stand is an oasis amid the bustle of the fair (Hall 12).
The BeachExplorer is an app that visitors can use to inspect exciting finds from the beach. Whether mussels, crabs or pieces of amber, only a few clicks are needed so that beachcombers can look at the small treasures they have found on the Baltic or North Sea coast. Furthermore, every hour on the hour visitors can take part in a quiz that offers the chance to win attractive prizes (Hall 12).
Exercising with technology
The stand of Visit England Tellemore, whose main theme is the South West Coast Path, is proof that exercise and technology need not be mutually exclusive. Using a health app or pedometer any visitor able to prove that they have walked one thousand paces or more will be rewarded with a scone, a popular English teatime treat (Hall 18).
On the stand of Wolfsburg in Hall 6.2a visitors can also find out about this year’s theme park programme. The stand features activities especially for younger visitors. Children can try out a mini-beetle simulator that allows them to learn correct road safety in entertaining ways (Hall 6.2a).
Reduced-rate tickets available online and from BVG and S-Bahn Berlin
Visitors can purchase ITB tickets to the open days for the public on Saturday, 11 and Sunday, 12 March 2017 at the reduced rate of 12 euros instead of 15 euros by visiting www.itb-berlin.de/en/Visitors/Tickets/. After printing out their own tickets members of the public can gain easy access to the display halls without waiting in line.
Alternatively, they can buy admission vouchers for ITB Berlin from one of the many ticket machines at the customer service centres of the BVG and S-Bahn, where up until 12 midday on 12 March vouchers for day tickets will also be available at the reduced rate of 12 euros instead of 15 euros.
