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New webinars at the ITB Academy this summer

New webinars at the ITB Academy this summer

A knowledge update can be a breath of fresh air. For those keen to broaden their knowledge the ITB Academy is hosting three new webinars with information on the latest tourism topics and surveys. The topics forming part of the free programme organised by ITB Berlin this summer are LGBT case studies, the importance of customer reviews and luxury hotel trends. After registering in advance and signing in on their own PC participants can take part in webinars delivered by experts, which last one hour and provide an opportunity for quick and easily obtained information on important topics.

On 18 June 2014 at 9.30 a.m. (CEST) the topic will be ’Gay & Lesbian Tourism – the latest in research, best practices and case studies’. At this webinar, held in English, Rika Jean-Francois, CSR appointee at ITB Berlin and board member of IGLTA, Thom Roth, president of Community Marketing Inc., and Thomas Bömkes, managing director of Diversity Tourism UG, will be explaining the meaning of ’gay-friendly’. In order to illustrate the topic they will be presenting case studies which take a look at destinations and tour operators. Participants will also be given a summary of the 18th LGBT tourism survey carried out by Community Marketing.

Online customer reviews are another frequently debated topic. At a webinar on 25 June at 12 noon (CEST) Prof. Dr. Roland Conrady, the science head of the ITB Convention, will be presenting an empirical survey carried out by Universität Worms which was specifically commissioned by ITB Berlin. The topic heading is ’Customer reviews: Reliable for distribution and marketing strategies in the hospitality industry?’. Conrady will be showing how German customers make use of reviews, the response of hotel owners at holiday destinations, and will have information on the market rankings of major portals. The webinar will be held in English.

On 16 July at 11 a.m. (CEST) the topic for discussion will be how customers’ demands are changing with regard to luxury hotels. At this event, held in English, Maria Pütz-Willems, editor-in-chief of hospitalityInside.com, and Claudia Roth, coach and advisor on luxury brands, will be debating ’The luxury customer journey…a revolution or back to hospitality roots?“. Together with the participants they will be discussing the five most important stages of the customer journey made by travellers today.