ITB Asia is set to expand to two floors at newly-refurbished Suntec Convention Centre in 2013.
The event’s organiser, Messe Berlin (Singapore), is planning to take up two floors of exhibition space next year (levels four and six) when it returns to Suntec Singapore from 23-25 October 2013.
The fifth edition of ITB Asia came to a close on Friday at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, with Messe Berlin confirming that it was the largest event to-date. Over the three days, the show recorded almost 8,500 attendees, a 12% increase from 2011, representing 92 countries. The event also saw a 15% rise in exhibitor numbers, to 865, a 17% expansion of floor space sold, to 17,000m².
“This was a really exciting year for us in many aspects. ITB Asia celebrated its fifth anniversary in Singapore, we were at a new venue which gave the exhibition floor a fresh new look and feel and we also saw double digit growth in all aspects of the show,” said Dr Martin Buck, Vice President of Messe Berlin (Singapore).
“Feedback from the show floor has also been extremely positive, with many exhibitors telling us that they have planned other business meetings and activities to coincide with ITB Asia so as to leverage the efficiencies and valuable synergies surrounding the event. This is another clear indication that ITB Asia is firmly establishing itself as the eminent travel trade show for the region,” he added.
Commenting on the return to Suntec, ITB Asia’s Executive Director Nino Gruettke said the revamp of the conference centre had allowed the event to expand.
“Suntec has given us the flexibility to expand the second trade show floor next year depending on demand for space. Our aim is to grow ITB Asia year-on-year not just in terms of floor space but also in delivering high quality, relevant content that will be beneficial to delegates. We want to build this show as a knowledge platform and will continue to focus on bringing in an even more powerful line-up of speakers for next year’s event,” said Gruettke.
Suntec Singapore hosted the first four installments of ITB Asia from 2008 to 2011, but a major refurbishment forced organisers to move the event to Marina Bay Sands this year.
