Berlin, 13 June 2018 – Whether their journey is for private or business purposes, by rail or bus, travellers like to be cosseted. At InnoTrans 2018 the part of the Interiors segment that is devoted to Travel Catering and Comfort Services illustrates just how important these two aspects are for ensuring customer satisfaction. This year over half of the specialist exhibitors in Hall 1.1 are from abroad. Five companies are exhibiting for the first time at the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology. From 18 to 21 September 2018 some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Kaelis, LSG, Rex-Royal, MULTI RAIL and Italcarrelli, will be using this exclusive opportunity to present their latest products and services to a professional audience on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
Something that is bound to interest and attract visitors: following on from the excellent response two years ago, a special circuit has again been planned, taking the exhibitors in the Travel Catering and Comfort Services section.
Serving trolley with built-in espresso machine
“As we have already begun to do in previous years at the trade fair, we want to use InnoTrans to present a full range of services to the main caterers in the railway sector”, explains Mario Lopez, general manager of Italcarrelli. This includes an on-board trolley made with some innovative materials and with a built-in, easily removable espresso machine powered by a new kind of lithium battery. For Lopez customer satisfaction is paramount. “We aim to contribute to improving on-board services, because passengers want to be able to feel at home and enjoy their journey.“
Forum for specialists in on-board comfort
For train operators and experts in the provision of passenger comfort one of the highlights of the event will be the new Onboard Hospitality Forum at the CityCube Berlin on 19 September. This is being organised by Onboard Hospitality Magazine and the International Rail Catering Group (IRCG). Attendance at this forum is the ideal way to find out more about relevant market data, new possibilities in on-board catering, some exciting new ideas in this field, and there will be opportunities for discussions too. The speakers will include Simon Pont, CEO of ECR Retail Systems, Claire Ansley, customer experience director for Virgin Trains East Coast, and Manoj Pridhanani, creative manager for Kaelis, as well as representatives of Eurostar, RG and Deutsche Bahn.
“Each year catering and customer services on trains and in lounges are already helping railway operators to attract millions of new passengers who would otherwise be using road or air travel”, according to the chairman of IRCG Roger Williams. For everyone striving to improve the passenger experience the Onboard Hospitality Forum is an ideal opportunity to learn about the latest trends, innovations, designs and ideas from acknowledged industry experts, Williams explains, adding that “this is the way to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, and to encourage them to make repeated rail journeys.”
About InnoTrans
InnoTrans is the world’s leading trade fair for transport technology and takes place every two years in Berlin. At the last event 2,955 exhibitors from 60 countries presented the global rail industry’s innovations to 137,391 trade visitors who came from 119 countries. The five segments at InnoTrans are Railway Technology, Railway Infrastructure, Public Transport, Interiors and Tunnel Construction. InnoTrans is organised by Messe Berlin. The twelfth edition of InnoTrans will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 18 to 21 September 2018. More details are available online at www.innotrans.com.