NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

NASHVILLE ROCKS IBTM AMERICA 2016

ibtm america held last week at Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort Nashville, exclusively connected the US and international meetings industry through a mix of business, education and networking. Kicking off with Discovery Day, where over 500 attendees experienced downtown Music City and the legendary Honky Tonks, the private event continued at the Gaylord Convention Center with some 5000 one-to-one mutually matched business appointments and 18.5 hours of networking opportunities over 2.5 days.

Tailored to the US market, the event was dominated by North America, Mexico, Canada and Caribbean suppliers that included hotel brands, convention centers, incentive destinations, CVB’s, NTO’s, Cruise Lines and tech suppliers. Each exhibitor has an all inclusive, uniformed Meeting Pod, which just requires their own branding so that clients just show up, sit down and start their business meetings.

First tier cities this year included NYC & Company, Greater Miami CVB, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and Detroit Metro CVB as well as Great Fort Lauderdale the destination for ibtm america in 2017. Some 2/3rd of exhibitors returned from their success at last year’s event.

Alex Michaels, Director of Sales for Virginia’s Blue Ridge “loved the privacy of the meeting pods” adding “We have been non-stop since Wednesday. I have really had a chance to have enough time with each buyer to explain about us and who we are and all in private. The mutual match has given me real appointments and planners who are already interested in us. I really believe I have met some great contacts for my business”.

This year’s international exhibitors included Costa Del Sol Convention Bureau, Valencia Region Tourist Board, Busan, Visit Flanders (Belgium), India Tourist Office, Turespana and Dubai Business Events.

Ishrat Alam – Tourist Information Officer, India Tourism confirmed the success of the event: “We have attended every year since the beginning of this event. Last year we picked up many leads but 2 of them will definitely turn into business in 2017. We know that any MICE business leads can take up to 2-3 years to make happen, but this has always proved to be a great ROI and it has given us the opportunity to really explain our experiential high end incentive and meetings products face to face. The mutual match appointment system is very good indeed.”

The Hosted Buyer program included 86% domestic USA and 14% international, (based on the research among exhibitors) including Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Russia, Spain, Sweden, UAE and UK.
Exhibitor’s had requested planners from the corporate sector, as well as incentive planners as their priority – the first time this sector was at the event – associations and agency made up the rest.

Thomas L Fagan, Jr, PE, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) said of his attendance: “We are the world’s largest not for profit association. In 2015 we had 1300 meetings worldwide. I am here looking at various hotels, venues and CVB’s and have found a number of opportunities. I had 18 serious appointments of which some will wind up getting business placed. We are looking at events up to 5 years ahead – it used to be 10 years but the lead time has now shortened. I have been to ibtm america for the past 3 years – it works for me”.

The top 5 products of interest identified by Hosted Buyers for their appointments this year were Conference and meeting venues, resorts and spas, destinations and non-hotel special event venues. Planners represented blue chip companies such as American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, National Association of African American Studies, Global Cynergies, Wells Fargo, The International Ecotourism Society, Herballife International, Maritz and many others.

The show floor had new features this year with a focus on Technology, displayed around a central hub that also enabled more connections to be made over breaks in the appointments schedule, the TechCollective showcased latest and emerging technologies, from start-ups and entrepreneurs highlighting new ideas for the industry through live demonstrations.

“Building a community for this industry is a key ingredient to the success of ibtm america and this year Nashville bought everyone together for a southern style US meetings experience. The mutual match system of appointments was refined still further to produce the highest quality of real business prospects, resulting in some great praise from our exhibitors and buyers. Designing a system that allows both buyers and suppliers to choose who they want to meet with from the outset of their journey with us, and then making this happen has produced some remarkable results and 100% of appointments that each party wanted to have for their diary – nearly 30 over the 1.5 business days”.

Continuing to rotate ibtm america to the country’s top meetings cities, The Hilton Diplomat Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale will be the home of the event next year. Having received top honors from TripAdvisor and Orbitz, the property was also named a top 100 Meeting Hotel by Cvent.

ibtm america will take place from June 14 – 16 2017
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#ibtm #ibtmameric #MICE #MICEnews #IEEE #CVB #NTO

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS 2015

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARDS 2015
DO YOU WANT TO WIN AN INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD? COME ON, YOU STILL HAVE A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO ENTER.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to promote your company, make your sustainable practices known throughout the world and above all win the Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award, sponsored by Sealed Air/Diversey Care.

The awards are open to all those who wish to enter, not just Skål members. Companies from the private sector, government body or NGO’s are more than welcome to enter this competition in one of the eight different categories.

We have had some absolutely amazing contributions so far during 14 consecutive editions. All you have to do is to fill in our application form here, and then emailing a presentation and support letter if applicable, or any photo or other material illustrating your project to sandra.vera@skal.org.

Winners will have the opportunity to personally collect their award during the 76th Skål World Congress to be held in October in Torremolinos, Malaga, Spain.

Visitors to Frankfurt encouraged to ‘Be Well at IMEX’

Visitors to Frankfurt encouraged to ‘Be Well at IMEX’

A new wellbeing focus introduced at this year’s IMEX in Frankfurt is set to help buyers to stay healthy and rejuvenated during their busy days at the show. The ‘Be Well at IMEX’ initiative taking place throughout the show, 19 – 21 May, will help everyone attending the show feel refreshed and revived, giving them the chance to try out some of the latest wellbeing activities being adopted in the workplace today.

The Inspiration Hub, the centre of the extensive education programme at IMEX, has a dedicated health and wellbeing track offering a packed programme of eight sessions each day. These sessions cover mindfulness in events, work life balance, the importance of good posture and staying healthy while travelling. Buyers will also pick up tips on how to adopt ‘slow meetings’, a growing trend that will be explored in bite-size discussions with perspectives from neuroscience, power of silence, and mindfulness. As well as refreshing the mind, the body is also catered for with many exhibitors offering healthy snacks and smoothies.

In addition a new Meditation Room offers daily classes run by InnerSense, covering yoga, relaxation and guided meditation to help attendees re-energise between appointments. The room is open to all and will be the perfect space for time out during a busy day at the show.

Visitors looking for an energetic start to their day can join other IMEX participants on a 5km street circuit run on the Wednesday morning (20 May). Sponsored by the Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro, the scenic IMEXrun takes participants along the River Main offering a beautiful view of Frankfurt. Beginning at 7am, the run will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes and participants can then enjoy a healthy Brazilian breakfast in the finishing area – all before the show opens at 10am. The IMEXrun concept was developed by sports by tlc, an event specialist that is active in Brazil, Portugal and Spain and who are inspired by healthy lifestyle trends and the unifying power of sports. For more info and to register visit www.imex-frankfurt.com/events/wellbeing/imexrun/

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains:
“Wellbeing was one of the four key trends that we identified at the start of the year and it’s clearly a topic that’s making waves in the industry, particularly with the level of travel and long hours that meeting professionals experience as a part of their day-to-day work. Our initiative, ‘Be Well at IMEX’, offers both buyers and exhibitors numerous ways in which they can embrace the wellbeing theme and incorporate it into both their professional and personal life.”

For more details visit www.imex-frankfurt.com/events/wellbeing and join in the conversation on social media via #IMEXwellbeing.

Pacific World enrolls 24 more staff members to participate in an in-house MPI CMP Boot Camp

Pacific World enrolls 24 more staff members to participate in an in-house MPI CMP Boot Camp

Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com), the integrated global DMC and Event Management organisation, has signed up 24 staff members, who represent four of its European destinations (namely Spain, France, Monaco and UK), to undertake the MPI CMP Boot Camp and help prepare their employees for the Convention Industry Council´s Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification. The Boot Camp will be held in Barcelona, Spain on February 23rd and 24th.

The event planning and management company is one of the first to sign up for the in-house boot camps that have been developed by the UK Centre for Events Management at Leeds Beckett University on behalf of MPI UK and Ireland.

This European initiative builds on a similar initiative announced recently in Singapore for a further 22 of Pacific World´s employees, (based across the company´s Asia locations), to train for the CMP examination.

MPI UK and Ireland President, Miguel Neves, who recently gained his CMP certification has welcomed the move.

“It is great to see buy-in by the industry and in particular to see an agency committed to getting high level education to prepare their staff for the CMP examination. We are delighted with the content of the boot camp which covers not only the ten knowledge domains in two days, but also uses best practices, group activities and real-time scenarios, to provide an effective all-round learning experiences for planners.

Mark Barber, Regional Director for Pacific World Europe, explains: “Pacific World has acknowledged that the events industry is at a turning point and that today´s clients are looking for a reliable events partner, who recognises among other things, the importance of continued staff development, to deliver a world-class event experience. The CMP training and certification will provide our staff with important skills and know-how to deliver the needs of our clients and at the same time, we believe existing and new clients will recognise the value of working with a partner whose staff understand and all speak the same language.

The successful completion of the CMP training and certification in our European and Asian locations, will complement existing CMP professionals, within the team of our alliance partner, ACCESS Destination Services.

Together, the Pacific World / ACCESS global team of CMP qualified professionals will aim to ensure a consistent and compliant way of working, along with exemplary operational standards, regardless of the destination our clients choose from our extensive portfolio of possible event locations.”

VP for Education on MPW UKI Board of Directors, Jane Baker of Freeman XP comments: “The CMP has been a core part of our vision to support the professional development of our industry. There has been significant interest on the certification and boot camp from agencies, so this in-house solution adds to what we can offer in the UK and beyond, alongside the scheduled boot camps that will run twice a year.”

MPI will be running the next CMP Boot camp in London on 6th and 7th July 2015. More details on this and future boot camps can be found on the website www.mpiuk.org

For more information on Pacific World please visit: www.pacificworld.com

IAPCO MINI CONFERENCE AT ICCA

IAPCO MINI CONFERENCE AT ICCA
Monday 3 November 14.00-17.30, Antalya, Turkey

PCO Focus: Association Meetings = Risky Business for PCO’s?

Session leaders:
Roslyn McLeod, arinex, Australia
Michel Neijmann, K2 Conference & Event Management Co., Turkey [IAPCO President]
André Vietor, Barceló Congresos, Spain [Chair IAPCO Training Academy]

Audience:
Specifically designed for meetings management sector delegates; also of interest to other delegates wishing to gain deep understanding of PCO issues.
ICCA and IAPCO have collaborated to organise this extended, in-depth session on some of the most critical issues facing the meetings management professional today, especially in relation to the international association market. Using IAPCO’s extensive educational and research resources, you will learn new ways to structure your business, to negotiate with clients, to draw up effective strategies, and to reduce risk.

Key topics:
Topic 1:
“Have associations become too vulnerable or risky for PCOs to handle?”
Session leader: André Vietor
Are associations too reliant on single events and push their partners, in particular PCO’s, to carry more and more risk on their shoulders? Is it the responsibility of the PCO to take on risk for association meetings? Will it be profitable in future to provide certain services to associations? Is the full service PCO model dead in the association sector? And, most importantly, how are we able to increase our profit margin by providing added value services to our clients? These are only a few of the critical questions PCO’s will have to ask themselves in order to adapt to a business model that works for each individual company. The objective of this session is to debate and to identify how we as a professional community (not individual corporations) effectively communicate our value to clients and to analyse to what extent taking on risks by PCO’s really pays back.

Topic 2:
“How do you report your performance to your clients?”
Session leader: Roslyn McLeod
How does a client distinguish between tenders to decide the best value PCO appointment for their needs? What are the deciding factors and how does the PCO guide this process to win the business? Does transparency correlate with quality – how is this detected at selection stage? Does the client need a bad experience to recognise a good opportunity or is the ‘good opportunity’ a bad experience? How does a PCO report performance to their clients when tendering and when the job is complete?

Topic 3:
“The times are changing – and so must we. Changes in the meetings industry and their impact on conferences, planners and suppliers”
Session leader: Michel Neijmann
This is a follow up to the debate and outcomes from an IAPCO session run during IMEX America. The original debate was focusing on the changing needs and demands of conference delegates as well as those of sponsors and speakers. Today they all have different and most probably higher expectations than just a few years ago whilst industry regulations are shaping a new conference management environment. These changes will have a major impact on the business model not only of PCO’s and planners but other partners within the meetings supply chain. We will share with you the results and focus on some of the findings in more depth, whilst providing an opportunity for delegates to raise other critical issues that were left out in the previous discussion.

For further information, please contact
rebecca@icca.nl

GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SUCCESS WITH HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER MEETINGS INDUSTRY BUYERS CONFIRMED TO ATTEND

GIBTM GEARS UP FOR SUCCESS WITH HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER MEETINGS INDUSTRY BUYERS CONFIRMED TO ATTEND
www.gibtm.com

GIBTM, the leading Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition in the Middle East, is gearing up for major business with meetings industry buyers from leading global financial, technology, agency, corporate and association companies signed up to attend the event which takes place annually at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 24-26 March, 2014.

Major names including Kuoni Events, TE Connectivity, UHY International, Medicongress, Mary Kay, HelmsBriscoe, FEI Company, China International Medicine Exchange Association International Service Center, Contendam and Portigon Financial Services have been accepted onto the highly sought after Hosted Buyer programme.

Last year, GIBTM saw 251 Hosted Buyers attend with 67% placing orders in excess of US$650,000 each. As a direct result of the growing demand witnessed from both exhibitors and buyers, the show has extended the Hosted Buyer Programme offering this year to accommodate over 300 buyers who are expected to participate in over 8,500 pre-scheduled appointments.

Exhibiting at GIBTM will provide regional and international suppliers with the opportunity to meet this highly targeted audience of buyers and achieve fast market penetration, which will be facilitated through the power of face-to-face meetings. Exhibitors will also be able to obtain competitive intelligence whilst establishing their company as a key player in the meetings and events industry.

The IBTM Meetings Industry Research for the Middle East, which was presented at last years show, identified the top ten countries for outbound business from the Middle East to be Turkey, Spain, France, Malaysia, India, UK, Indonesia, Philippines, USA and South Africa.

To find out more about GIBTM please visit http://www.gibtm.com
Join GIBTM on Linked in, Twitter and Facebook.

Notes to Editors
For media enquiries, please contact:
Pamela Wils
Tel: +44 (0) 208 334 4005
Mob: +44 (0) 07900494467
Email: pamela.wils@cut-coms.co.uk

Sophie Ahad
Tel: +44 (0) 208 334 4009
Mob: +44 (0) 776 8211629
Email: sophie.ahad@cut-coms.co.uk

MARK SEARLE TO EXTEND FOCUS TO ALL PACIFIC WORLD DESTINATIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE

MARK SEARLE TO EXTEND FOCUS TO ALL PACIFIC WORLD DESTINATIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE

January 2014 – Following the announcement made early last year, that Mark Searle was appointed as UK based sales manager (developing business in Europe, Middle East and Southern Africa), it has since been confirmed that Searle’s role will now extend to all destinations where Pacific World (www.pacificworld.com), the global DMC, Event Management and PCO organization, operates.

Hervé Joseph-Antoine, Global Managing Director, Pacific World comments, “Mark’s combination of MICE agency background and the knowledge he has gained around the DMC offering has strengthened our presence in the UK market, and we look forward to supporting him in driving representation forward into 2014 across the whole Pacific World portfolio.”

Searle’s new appointment was effective from January 2014. As part of the new role he will be responsible for representing destinations including China, India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Greece, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Southern Africa, France, Monaco and England.

Joseph-Antoine continues “Unfortunately this does mean that we will be ending our partnership with MM & Co (www.mm-and-company.co.uk) at the end of December. David Marks and his team have been a great partner and an important representative for Pacific World”.

Following their worldwide rebranding in November 2011, Pacific World as a global brand is recognised for delivering operational excellence, creativity and best-in-class customer service across the world. Through working closely with local governments and convention centres, the global MICE company currently delivers event solutions in over 25 countries.

For more information please visit: www.pacificworld.com

Prestigious Award for Barcelona Convention Bureau

Prestigious Award for Barcelona Convention Bureau

In this world where there is a plethora of industry awards, it was good to see a Convention Bureau being presented with the prestigious IAPCO National Supplier Award by Professional Congress Organisers.

Nominated by well-known industry veteran Paloma Bellés of AOPC, Spain, the Barcelona CVB was selected from a list of candidates in recognition of their proven track record of working closely with PCOs and by being internationally recognised as one of the best Convention Bureaux in the world.

“AOPC was proud to nominate the Barcelona Convention Bureau (BCB), to receive the distinction of the IAPCO Supplier Award recognizing the professionalism of the BCB, and the dynamism and dedication of the entire team, that has united various partners, suppliers and hosts to continuously support and bring business to its destination. Since its earlier days, almost 30 years ago, we have all witnessed the growth and development of Barcelona over the years, becoming one of the top leading destinations in our industry, competing fairly with other European and overseas destinations”, said Paloma, at the award presentation during EIBTM. “Whilst without singling out anyone, we would like to recognize the forward-looking strategically-thinking and, most particularly, all the personal investment of Mrs. Airy Garrigosa, its former leader, and ask her together with Christoph Tessmar, as present Director of the Barcelona Convention Bureau, to receive your well-deserved award on behalf of the BCB and its whole professional team and members.”

EIBTM OFFICIAL DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

PACIFIC WORLD CONFIRMED AS EIBTM OFFICIAL DESTINATION MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Pacific World, the global DMC, Event Management and PCO organisation has confirmed that they will once again be partnering with EIBTM, the global event for the meetings and events industry, to deliver operational support for all aspects of the show which will take place in the Fira Gran Via, Barcelona (19-21 November).

Mónica Sala Reyna, Country Manager of Pacific World Spain, commented, “EIBTM moved the show to Barcelona ten years ago and we are delighted to have been working with them to deliver the show since then. Each year, the show attracts over 15,000 meetings industry professionals to the city. As the official DMC, our role is to ensure that each of those attendees receive the best service.”

As the official DMC, Pacific World is responsible for managing over 5,000 hotel room nights, working with a list of official hotels to secure attractive rates for EIBTM delegates.

In addition to this, the global DMC are also responsible for coordinating all official transportation services for Hosted Buyers and visitors attending the show. This involves over 200 daily transfers, which are coordinated by nearly 100 members of staff. They also arrange private transportation services for CEOs and VIP’s, according to the individuals bespoke requirements.

Graeme Barnett, Reed Travel Exhibitions, Senior Exhibition Director commented, “We really value the relationship we have with Pacific World. Implementing EIBTM each year is an enormous task and it is incredibly important to us that we work with suppliers whom we can trust implicitly. Year on year, Pacific World prove themselves beyond expectation and we are looking forward to working with them for years to come.”

Following their worldwide rebranding in November 2011, Pacific World as a global brand is recognised for delivering operational excellence, creativity and best-in-class customer service across the world. Through working closely with local governments and convention centres, the global MICE company currently delivers event solutions in over 25 countries including China, India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Greece, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Southern Africa, France, Monaco and England.

Best of the Best at ITB 2013

Best of the Best at ITB 2013

(Forimmediaterelease.net) 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 world’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 year’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 year’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. (…)”

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. That’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 Germany’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).

MEDIA CONTACTS: Messe Berlin – Michael T. Hofer, Group Press and Public Relations Director; ITB Berlin / ITB Asia – Astrid Zand, Press Officer, Messedamm 22, 14055 Berlin, Tel.:+ 4930 3038-2275, Fax: + 4930 3038-2141, Email: zand@messe-berlin.de , Web: http://www.messe-berlin.com