ITB Berlin is celebrating 60 years of making stories, creating connections, and inspiring travel. As one of the most important travel events of the year, this anniversary honors the place where everyone in the tourism industry comes together to shape the future of travel. Working together with ITB Berlin’s marketing team, Rupp created the “60 Years of Stories” Campaign to pay tribute to the event’s impact on the travel world.
Rupp was tasked with creating a campaign that could encapsulate the iconic trade show and its contributions to the world of travel and tourism. “60 Years of Stories” celebrates ITB Berlin’s 60th anniversary by telling a story of continuity, evolution, and long-term global impact. Through timeless visuals, powerful messaging, and real-life stories, the goal is to pay homage to ITB Berlin, reiterating why it is truly the home of travel.
Key Messaging: Discover ITB Berlin’s Stories
At its core, the idea is “60 years of stories” – moments, encounters, innovations, and turning points in travel where ITB Berlin has consistently been present, shaping and reflecting the industry. For 60 years, the travel trade show has been a place where industry leaders meet, ideas are created, insights are shared, and stories are told. Stories are therefore placed at the center of the celebration to truly highlight the impact ITB Berlin has had on the tourism industry. The messaging engages the audience, attracts their attention and piques their curiosity as to what stories make up the 60 years of ITB’s legacy.
The headline “Every moment tells a story” connects directly to this legacy, positioning ITB Berlin not just as a trade show, but as a long-standing storyteller and catalyst within global tourism. It demonstrates how ITB Berlin is the beating heart of the global travel and tourism industry, where every moment at this show has significance, where milestones and memories are made.
This messaging was key to establishing the audience as part of the ITB family, demonstrating how their own attendance at the event has also been key to telling 60 years of stories. This story isn’t only ITB’s, but it also encompasses every industry leader, professional, or employee who has taken part in the trade show over the years.
Visual Storytelling: From Moments to Legacy
The use of the Polaroid photo as a central visual element brings a sense of nostalgia and authenticity. Polaroids capture moments as they are, imperfect, emotional, real – much like travel itself. Each Polaroid represents a fragment of a much larger narrative: individual stories that, together, form 60 years of collective memory, progress, and transformation within the travel industry.
The Evolution of Shapes and Color
The shapes concept plays a key role in visually connecting past, present, and future. Over the last three years, the campaign language has intentionally evolved. In earlier editions, the brand color and gradients were strong and dominant, acting as a bold visual signature. Over time, these elements have been gradually softened and faded, allowing the stories, imagery, and moments themselves to come more to the foreground.
Creative Director, Alex, says, “This visual evolution mirrors ITB Berlin’s role in the industry: not overpowering the stories of travel, but shaping, supporting, and connecting them. The fading of the shapes is deliberate – it signals maturity, confidence, and continuity, while reinforcing that ITB Berlin remains the place where the most important travel stories come together.”
60 Years Logo & Symbolism
Also designed by Rupp, the “60 Years” anniversary logo reinforces this idea of continuity and long-term impact. The number 60 is designed so that the circle of the “6” and the “0” form an infinity loop, symbolizing legacy, ongoing transformation, and ITB Berlin’s enduring influence on the global travel and tourism ecosystem.
The gradient coloring and the globe integrated within the loop further emphasize ITB Berlin’s international reach and role as a global connector – a place where stories from all over the world meet, evolve, and shape the future of travel.
The Bigger Message
Altogether, the campaign shows that ITB Berlin doesn’t just observe the travel industry – it helps shape it. Through 60 years of presence, ITB Berlin has been the key platform where ideas emerge, industries shift, and global travel narratives are formed. This anniversary is not only a celebration of the past, but a statement about why ITB Berlin remains the key place to be when speaking about the future of travel and tourism.
Join us in celebrating 60 years of the world’s leading travel trade show live in Berlin from the 3rd to the 5th of March 2026.
