Petra Top
We had already planned to visit the expo last year, but unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, we could not make it. However, for ITB Berline, 2024, we planned more in advance.
We didn’t know what to expect from ITB in Berlin, particularly as travel journalists attending the world’s largest tourism trade fair, and therefore, we started searching the Internet for more information. We found very limited information and hardly any useful blogs; many articles were also outdated. For this reason, we thought of summarising our experiences of ITB in an article that will be useful to anyone considering to attend next year.
What is the ITB?
The abbreviation ITB stands for International Tourism Exchange, which has been held regularly in Berlin since 1966 and is considered the world’s largest trade fair for tourism. Countries, cities, regions, tour operators, booking portals, hotels and other tourism-related service providers participate in the ITB. This trade fair is aimed at traders and was not open to the public in 2024. In previous years, the public was allowed to attend at the weekend. With a total of 5,639 exhibitors, Oman was the sponsor country this year.
ITB is important not only for exhibitors and travel companies but also for professional travel bloggers and journalists who are becoming key roleplayers in the travel industry. Here, you have the opportunity to find potential collaboration partners or get inspiration for upcoming trips. Representatives from hotels, tourism agencies and other relevant players in the travel industry can be found at the trade fair stands. It is advisable to make appointments in advance to ensure that you can meet with one of the company’s representatives. More on this in a later section.
Where does the ITB take place?
The ITB is held at Messe Berlin in the west of Berlin, more precisely in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Messe Berlin has 26 interconnected halls and offers 190,000 m² of exhibition space.
How do I get to Messe Berlin?
The easiest way to get to Messe Berlin is to use public transport. It is about a 10-minute walk from the Messe Nord S-Bahn stop to the North Entrance, while it is only 5 minutes from the Messe Süd S-Bahn stop to the South Entrance.
For those travelling by car, there are limited parking spaces available at the exhibition grounds. Alternatively, there are numerous paid car parks near the exhibition centre.
Preparing for ITB Berlin
If you want to visit ITB as a blogger, travel journalist or influencer, there are a few things you should do in advance.
Hotel booking
There’s always something going on in Berlin. When there is also a trade fair, hotel prices skyrocket, and affordable rooms become limited. It is therefore advisable to book your accommodation well in advance.
As we also wanted to take the opportunity to explore the city, we opted for a hotel in the centre of Berlin. Thanks to the excellent S-Bahn and U-Bahn network, it was no problem for us to get to the exhibition centre on time in the morning.
Tickets for ITB Berlin
On the ITB Berlin website, you will find an overview of the various admission tickets for ITB. In 2024, a day ticket for trade visitors cost 49 euros, a permanent ticket for trade visitors 75 euros and a ticket for digital participation 35 euros. Ticket sales for ITB 2025 will open in December 2024.
Accreditation for ITB Berlin
You can also apply for accreditation on the ITB website, whereby certain requirements must be met. Your blog must be related to travel, have been active for at least six months, and new articles must be published regularly. When applying, you need to include a link to your travel blog and provide proof of the number of readers on your website, among other things. Bernie and I both received accreditation for the 2024 trade fair and could benefit from the many advantages of accreditation.
The ITB App
The first thing you should do is download the ITB app to your smartphone. From the app, you can find exhibitors that interest you, apply for meetings with them, and reach other users on the app.
We highly recommend that you start making appointments with the exhibitors relevant to you as early as possible, as some of the most popular partners are fully booked in no time. However, don’t be disheartened if not everyone responds to your requests. You may find that not all exhibitors are interested in meeting with bloggers or influencers. Nevertheless, we were very excited to receive many good meetings.
How do the appointments work?
The appointments usually last between 15 and 30 minutes. Due to the size of the exhibition centre, you can only attend one appointment in an hour unless the appointments take place in the same hall or a neighbouring hall. It is advisable to be well prepared for the interview, as time flies by faster than you think. Don’t forget to hand over your business card. It is often possible to meet representatives at their stands without an appointment or even handing over your business card.
What is the quickest way to get to my next appointment?
There is a shuttle service at the exhibition centre with three lines that will take you to the various halls. The shuttle service works extremely well, and we used it many times.
Where can I hang out between appointments?
If you have time between your appointments or are tired from walking around the halls, you can relax in the Blogger Base, where you can meet other bloggers or work on your laptop or mobile phone. As noted previously, in 2024, Oman was the partner country of the exhibition and invited all bloggers to a get-together in the Blogger Base.
If you have press accreditation, you can also access the Media Centre. Workstations are available here, and you have the opportunity to charge your electronic devices. We didn’t manage to visit the media centre as our days were so packed with appointments.
Catering during the ITB
There are a few cafés between the halls that also offer snacks, but the tables there are usually occupied. There are food trucks in Hall 7.2c, and there are seating options. However, it would be best if you allowed plenty of time at lunchtime as there are massive crowds. We had to wait over half an hour before we received our meal. We will definitely stock up on food and drinks for our next visit.
What you should have with you when visiting the ITB
- comfortable shoes, because the grounds are huge
- business cards
- snacks and drinks.
Experience Berlin during the ITB
While in Berlin, you should take the time to visit some of the most important sights. These include the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Museum Island, the Reichstag and Hackesche Höfe.
Berlin also offers plenty of culinary delights. Our absolute favourite during our stay was the restaurant Kink in the Prenzlauer Berg district.
Visit our Instagram page to find out more about the other iconic places we visited in Berlin.
The highlight of our trip was lunch at the Adlon Kempinski, one of the most iconic hotels in the world. The Adlon Hotel is within a few steps from the Brandenberg Gate. It is customary to order a currywurst with gold leaf. For 26 Euros, it was definitely the best currywurst we ever had. And if you’re not keen on savouring sausages, we can highly recommend the hotel’s signature cakes.
Good to know: The staff is very welcoming, which is often not the case in hotels of this calibre.
2 Comments
Ich danke euch für diese wundervollen Eindrücke vom ganzem Herzen ❤️ Ich schätze Eure Mühe und Zeit sehr DANKE
Vielen lieben Dank, Angrid. Es freut uns, dass dir unser Beitrag über deine Heimatstadt gefallen hat.