The best of the best at ITB 2013

Germany belongs to a group of 10 countries boasting an exceptional image.

Germany belongs to a group of 10 countries boasting an exceptional image. That is the result of a survey among trade visitors at ITB Berlin, carried out by the Denmark-based Reputation Institute, which polled 1,145 trade visitors at the worldโ€™s largest travel trade show. Half of the respondents came from Germany. The other half came from 84 different countries. Opinions were asked regarding the image of 20 countries.

The countries boasting the best reputations were: Australia, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Indonesia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Austria, Japan, and France. Of these, Germany was ranked fourth among the 5 countries most worth visiting. It was led by Spain, Switzerland, and the UK and trailed by France.

Among the top 5 countries for investing in, Germany climbed to second place behind the UAE, ahead of Switzerland, the UK, and Austria. The top 5 countries for living in were Australia, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and the UAE. Among the top countries for studying in, Germany was ranked second, behind the UK in first spot. The remaining places were taken by Switzerland, the USA, and Australia.

Germany came first in two categories. It was voted the best country to work in, beating the UK, Switzerland, Australia, and the UAE. Trade visitors at ITB Berlin also considered Germany the best country for introducing new products to the market, ahead of the UK, Switzerland, France, and Japan.

The award ceremony of the Best Exhibitor Awards (BEA) which was organized by students of the Cologne Business School (CBS) during ITB in Berlin was once again one of the fair highlights. Four days long, the future Tourism Managers of the CBS evaluated the approximately 10,000 exhibitors at the CBS according to numerous criteria like information content, interactivity, interesting effects, and service quality.

Saturday night, March 9, the award ceremony took place in the Palais at the Funkturm on the Berlin fair trade premises. The CBS students Jessica Wack and Marie-Caroline Utsch hosted this yearโ€™s award ceremony. The 10 best placed exhibitors of each category were awarded in front of over 600 invited guests, and the best 3 of each category on stage. The patron of the project is Klaus Laepple, honorary President of the DRV and former President of the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW). The General Secretary of the BTW, Michael Rabe, held a welcoming address, thanked the students for their outstanding commitment, and recommended them as future tourism managers.

For days on end, the future tourism managers, most of whom opted for the core subject of tourism, have visited some 12,000 booths at the ITB and assessed them according to numerous criteria such as booth construction, information contents, service quality, friendliness, and special effects.

As in every year, extraordinary performances of the prizewinners took place at the award ceremony. Besides many others, the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka danced, and Sharjah and Burundi drummed their way onto the stage with traditional sounds.

This yearโ€™s Best of Best Award was given to Abu Dhabi.

Speaking for Emirates, the prizewinner in the category Carrier, Volker Greiner, Emirates Vice President North & Central Europe, said: “We are proud to receive the prestigious Best Exhibitor Award for our trade fair appearance this year. Over many years, ITB Berlin has become our largest trade fair presence outside our home market in Dubai.(โ€ฆ)โ€

Martina Leicher from the Cologne Consultancy COMPASS GmbH, which has mentored the project since its initiation, drew attention to the ever-increasing popularity of the BEA as well, stating: “Over the years, the BEA became a Benchmark-Tool for the exhibitors at ITB, and for many of them it is very important to score high in the ranking. Thatโ€™s mainly because of the fact that the BEA is the only evaluation of its kind. The criteria catalogue is online available, and many exhibitors are making use out of that in the preparation for the ITB.

Following 4 intense trade fair days, Prof. Dr. Guido Sommer, Dean of the Tourism Department at the CBS, draws a positive conclusion, saying: “This year we have even put a higher focus on the overall concept, authenticity, and B2B-Area. The whole team did a fantastic job, and I am proud of the students for their professional work and their self-initiative. For the Cologne Business School, it is very important to cooperate closely with the tourism industry, not only during the lectures, but also by working together on projects such as the Best Exhibitor Award.

The CBS and COMPASS will also continue the project in 2014 and evaluate the trade fair booths as a partner to Messe Berlin in order to honor the most impressive of them with the Best Exhibitor Award.

The Cologne Business School (CBS) is an internationally-orientated, state-recognized university of applied sciences and counts as one of Germanyโ€™s top business schools. The Cologne Business School also ensures highest quality education – in addition to official state recognition, all study courses are regularly examined by the tri-national accreditation agency FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation).

ETurboNews is a media partner for ITB Berlin.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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