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The TravMedia Summit
Learn.
Collaborate.
Network.
Prepare for a morning of valuable insights and lively debate at The TravMedia Summit, as we welcome more than 15 speakers from across broadcast, digital and print media, content creation and PR. Expect fresh perspectives, expert discussion and practical insight into the trends, challenges and opportunities shaping travel media and communications today.
Between sessions, delegates can enjoy time to network with fellow IMM attendees. From forging new partnerships to strengthening existing relationships, the Summit offers a dynamic space where meaningful connections can take place.
For more information on The Summit, please contact us.
Previous Sessions
KEYNOTE | Travel’s Media Quest
The future role of the travel media
One of the world’s best-known broadcasters opened the 2026 Summit with a wide-ranging look at how the travel media have adapted to everything from geopolitics and climate change to social media and AI. Drawing on decades of reporting from around the world, Richard Quest shared his own experiences and set out where he believes the future role of the travel media now lies.
Richard Quest
News Anchor
CNN International
The Ever-Changing Role of a Travel Editor: The Travel Editors’ Debate
The publishing decisions shaping travel journalism today
From maintaining authenticity in an age of media disinformation through to dealing with AI, this session explored the factors driving the publishing decisions of travel’s editorial supremos. Four of the UK’s leading travel editors discussed what now earns a place in their pages and on their platforms, and how those judgements are changing.
Barry Neild
Global Editor
CNN Travel
Ben Ross
Head of Travel
The Telegraph
Lisa Minot
Head of Travel
The Sun
Sarah Allard
Digital Director
Condé Nast Traveller UK
Henry Hemming
Global Adviser (Moderator)
TravMedia
What I Look for in a Travel Story? Hear it from the Travel Writers of the Year
Insights from the TravMedia Awards’ Travel Writer of the Year winners
What piques the interest of the nation’s top travel writers enough to make them embark on a new story? Who better to ask than the first four winners of ‘Travel Writer of the Year’ in the TravMedia Awards, who shared what makes them say yes to an idea – and what makes them pass.
Ed Grenby
Freelance Travel Writer
Greg Dickinson
Senior Travel Writer
The Telegraph
Madeleine Barber
Head of Partner Content
TTG Media
Tom Robbins
Travel Editor
FT
Henry Hemming
Global Adviser (Moderator)
TravMedia
How to Wu the Travel Media: A Founder’s Story of PR, Power & Resilience
A candid fireside chat with Wendy Wu
The Summit welcomed special guest Wendy Wu for a brief, candid and entertaining fireside chat exploring the power of media, PR and storytelling. From building a world-leading global travel brand through to navigating the biggest crisis the industry has ever faced, Wendy described how earned media, trusted relationships and bold communication have been central to her company’s success.
Wendy Wu
Founder and CEO
Wendy Wu Tours
Henry Hemming
Global Adviser (In conversation)
TravMedia
Highly Influential… Meet the Stars of Travel Content
How creators are reshaping travel marketing and storytelling
With the impact of creators rocketing and travel brands spending millions to secure their content, this session asked how the industry should be onboarding this new talent. Three of the names delivering stand-out campaigns for leading travel brands explained how they work, what they look for in a partnership, and where creator-led storytelling is heading next.
Bonnie Rakhit
Content Creator
@bonnierakhit
Dominique Mills
Content Creator
@DominiquesTravelsss
Nicky Kelvin
Senior Director of Content
The Points Guy | @nickykelvin
Carmen Roberts
(Moderator)
TV Presenter, Travel Journalist, Content Creator and Speaker
Travel PR in the Age of the AI Reputation Economy
How AI is reshaping brand visibility and trust
With 89% of B2B buyers and 77% of B2C buyers now turning to GenAI rather than traditional search to support purchasing decisions, AI is reshaping how stakeholders perceive organisations and transforming brand visibility in the process. Jonny Bentwood showed how companies are thriving in a landscape where earned media drives over 90% of AI’s answers.
Jonny Bentwood
Global President of Data & Analytics
Golin
Henry Hemming
Global Adviser (Moderator)
TravMedia
KEYNOTE | AI and Media: A Golden Opportunity or Existential Threat?
How publishers and brands can win in the generative AI era
Generative AI has been hailed as the ‘most productive yet most disruptive’ innovation of this millennium. Keynote speaker Graham Lovelace demonstrated how AI’s opportunities will be balanced by threats, but will show we can maintain brand integrity, be commercially safe, protect copyright, and work with generative AI – rather than be replaced by it.
GRAHAM LOVELACE
Strategist & Writer
Charting Gen AI
Securing Travel Publishing’s Future: The Travel Editors’ Opinion
Four top travel editors debate the future
Media are gripped by their quest to respond to the threat of tech giants, AI and global digital dysfunctionality. How do travel publishers evolve? Will the views of travel writers remain the greatest travel endorsement? Where is digital heading? And print?
Sophie Griffiths
Editor and Chief Purpose Officer
TTG Media
Claire Irvin
Head of Travel
The Times and The Sunday Times
Mark Palmer
Travel Editor
Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday
Dominic Ponsford
Editor in Chief
Press Gazette
Eliot Stein
Senior Journalist and Editor
BBC Travel
Freelance Travel Writing – Where are we Headed?
What’s the future for travel freelancers?
Challenges faced by the media – from declining social media ad revenue to AI attacks on copyright – are putting untold pressure on freelancer budgets. How can top travel writers prosper? Will specialists win out? Do skills such as social and video count? Tackling these pressing questions were our panel of top freelance travel writers.
Ed Grenby
Freelance Travel Journalist
Adrian Phillips (Moderator)
Managing Director
Bradt Guides
Phoebe Smith
Freelance Travel Journalist
James Stewart
Freelance Travel Journalist
Jessica Vincent
Freelance Travel Journalist
On Trend? The Statistics Shaping the Media’s Travel Agenda
Stats enough! How trends create travel stories
The panel explored how travel trends such as coolcationing, setjetting, silent travel and the rise of AI have been shaping media coverage. They discussed what might be next, how predicted trends could influence the media’s output, and whether the media itself plays a bigger role in setting these trends in the first place. Four sector experts shared their insights, experiences, and industry data to help paint a picture of where travel storytelling may be headed.
Charlie Gordon
Insight Director
Kantar Media
Tim Riley
Managing Director
True Traveller
Eulanda Shead Osagiede (Moderator)
Food Culture/Travel TV Presenter, Thought Leader and Content Creator
Tolene Van der Merwe
Director UK & Ireland
Malta Tourism Authority
What’s The Message? Travel PR in an Era of Media Transformation
Communicating the changes in Travel PR
The panel examined how pressure on the media from big tech is changing how travel content is created and consumed. They discussed how travel brands are rethinking PR strategies, targeting new opportunities with innovative content approaches, and finding ways to future-proof their communications. The session offered practical insights from four leading voices in travel PR, representing both in-house teams and agencies.
Laura Brander
Vice President – Communications
Virgin Atlantic
Graeme Buck
Director of Communications
ABTA
Amy Dowling
Head of Markets Communications UK&I
TUI
Henry Hemming (Moderator)
Global Advisor
TravMedia
Amy Skelding
Managing Partner
FINN Partners Travel UK