PhoCusWright at ITB Bloggers Summit

THE PHOCUSWRIGHT BLOGGERS SUMMIT
March 5-6, 2008 • Berlin Exhibition Grounds • Berlin, Germany

PhoCusWright welcomes the blogging community to The PhoCusWright Bloggers Summit@ITB Berlin.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Travel Industry Bloggers Welcome and Idea Sharing
Wednesday March 5, Hall 6.3, Media Center: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
(Session is open to the approved bloggers only. Our roster is full and will add any further inquiries to a wait list.)
Time to meet face-to-face and have an open conversation about blogging in the travel industry. Includes Bloggers Briefing session with travel industry leaders. WiFi access available.

Workshops: Blogging With the Long Tail of Tourism
Presented by Tips From the T-List
Wednesday March 5, Hall 7.1b, Auditorium London 3
(Workshops are open to all ITB Berlin attendees)
Two workshops will show how an active, content-producing network of bloggers can have a growing influence on your customers’ online spending habits. The workshops will give valuable tools to travel suppliers, DMOs, OTAs, and other travel and tourism companies that are looking to engage the blogging community and help focus user-generated content for their benefit. New innovations in blogging will be covered as well as a number of user-generated content trends. There will be an expert panel of travel marketers and technologists from around the world providing two interactive sessions.

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Workshop 1: What is the real opportunity for the travel and tourism industry when it comes to blogging? BLOGGING—What is that? The travel industry, especially small to medium businesses, seem to be waking up to the tremendous amount of content that is being generated by citizen journalists (bloggers). Not all of the content is good, but some of it provides relevant experiences and expertise right from the practitioners. How can bloggers create value to the travel industry and collaborate with each other? Jens Thraenhart, editor-in-chief of the Tips from the T-List book will engage in a lively discussion with some of the most recognized travel bloggers in the world to come up with answers. He will also present the top five marketing tips posted on his Tourism Internet Marketing Blog by fellow bloggers as another Tips from the T-List mass collaboration experiment. View Moderators/Panelists

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Workshop 2: Journalists vs. Bloggers Workshop moderator Yeoh Siew Hoon will challenge the panel to provide answers to the questions that she and many others are asking about this topic. New vs. old? Has-been vs. wanna-be? Are they different animals or are they just the same beasts concealed under different hides? How has the role of journalism changed in the new media environment? Is the traditional journalist facing the same pressures as legacy airlines and travel agents-the very same people they said were endangered; are they facing the same fate? Whose word is trusted more-the travel writer or Ms. Traveller & Blogger at Large? And most importantly, what are suppliers to do-how can they engage with the new media? View Moderators/Panelists

Travel Industry Bloggers Meeting
Wednesday March 5, Hall 6.3, Media Center: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
(Session is open to the approved bloggers only. Our roster is full and will add any further inquiries to a wait list.)
Gather and share techniques, strategies, contacts and more.

PhoCusWright@ITB Conference
Thursday March 6, Hall 7.1b, Auditorium London 3: 10:15 a.m. – 7:15 p.m.
Take advantage of PhoCusWright@ITB, one of the premier events of ITB’s convention. The ongoing potential and impact of technology on global travel distribution is so significant that this year’s PhoCusWright@ITB conference will be dedicated to a confluence of forces: technology and business. A collection of keynote addresses, talkback roundtables, case studies, exclusive interviews, "Five Minutes of Fame" and point/counterpoints will cover the important trends and necessary insights that surround the theme “Success in Travel E-Business.”

Bloggers Summit Final Gathering
Thursday March 6, Anhalter Bar Mövenpick Hotel, Berlin: 8:30 p.m. - ??
Regroup after PhoCusWright@ITB and discuss highlights, lowlights and everything in between. Cocktails and chatter - this event will NOT be hosted, and it will be an informal gathering. A private area of the bar will be reserved, WiFi will be available, and there will be drink specials.

View the list of approved bloggers attending the Summit here.

Don’t miss a revised version of the Tips from the T-List Book which will be updated for ITB and available for download at www.tipsfromthetlist.com.

More information on the March 6, 2008 PhoCusWright@ITB conference is available.

More information about ITB Berlin is available.