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Opening press conference: Messe Berlin CEO on formats, innovations and the host country
At today's opening press conference on the eve of ITB Berlin, Dr Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin, welcomed guests to the historic Marshall House with an exciting outlook for the next three days. In addition to interesting innovations, he presented key figures, highlights of the ITB Berlin Convention and an outlook for the coming year with exciting news about ITB's activities beyond the German capital.
’The World of Travel lives here’
With this slogan, Dr Mario Tobias reiterated ITB Berlin’s key role as a global meeting place for the travel industry, and emphasised the fact that communication between cultures and cooperation within the industry was more important than ever in these times of geopolitical tensions, climate change and economic challenges. As a platform for exchanging knowledge and experiences, ITB Berlin offered an ideal opportunity to develop solutions for the future of travel.
At the opening press conference, Messe Berlin CEO Dr Mario Tobias welcomed the guests with an exciting outlook for the next three days.
With 5,800 exhibitors from more than 170 countries and almost fully booked halls, ITB Berlin 2025 mirrored the global travel industry’s growth. Dr. Mario Tobias highlighted that regions such as Southern Europe, Asia, the Arab states and Africa in particular were experiencing growing demand. Travel technology and cruises were becoming more and more important too, as this year's trade show impressively demonstrated.
New formats and digital tools
In his speech, Dr. Mario Tobias also spoke about the new formats and digital tools that have taken this year’s ITB Berlin to a new level. He made particular mention of the new ’Match & Meet’ tool, which has facilitated almost 57,000 meetings between exhibitors and visitors. The technology made it easier for participants to target the right business partners and maximise their networking opportunities. They were a useful feature of the ITB Navigator which, as the main information platform, provided extra help navigating the exhibition grounds and events programme, he said.
ITB Berlin Convention 2025: the challenges of the transition
The Messe Berlin CEO also spoke about the wide-ranging programme of the ITB Berlin Convention, which is taking place parallel with the trade show. Under the heading ’The Power of Transition lives here, the international travel industry’s leading thinktank will examine new approaches and solutions to the challenges facing the industry. He particularly emphasised the importance of artificial intelligence, sustainability and a changing working environment, which will be covered in more than 200 sessions.
In particular, new formats such as the ITB Transition Labs, which will provide valuable insights into market trends and AI innovations, as well as the Corporate Culture Clash, which will look at the expectations of Gen Z on the labour market, were mentioned in the speech.
Programme highlights and prominent speakers
Another important point was the many prominent speakers taking part in the convention programme. Dr. Mario Tobias listed representatives of global enterprises such as Microsoft, Sabre Hospitality and TUI, who will share their perspectives on future developments with the travel industry in the coming days. The ITB Travel & Tourism Report – a three-part survey of industry players carried out over several months – also presents current trends and developments as well as specific recommendations for action.
Host country Albania and exciting news from the trade show itself
Concluding his speech, Dr. Mario Tobias turned his attention to Albania, the official host country of ITB Berlin 2025. Taking as its slogan ’Albania All Senses’, the country will be represented in Halls 3.1 and 4.1 with impressive displays. Dr. Mario Tobias spoke about his own impressions of the country and emphasised how important it was to experience the country's cultural diversity and natural beauty at the trade show.
The director of ITB also announced a special event, news of which is planned for 10 a.m. on the Wednesday of the show. The trade show is about to announce which market it will take on next as a global brand family following Berlin, Singapore, Shanghai and Mumbai, in order to significantly expand its role on the global market.