20 Feb 2024
TravMedia Summit focused on 'Sustainability and the Future of Travel' kicks off IMM 2024 at QEII Centre (19-20 February 2024)
IMM 2024 has launched with the first-ever TravMedia Summit in the UK, the event drawing over 300 industry media, content creators and communications professionals to hear speakers including acclaimed sustainability campaigner Bruce Poon Tip and WTTC President Julia Simpson.
The Summit, focused on 'Sustainability and the Future of Travel', covered the first half-day of IMM's two days (QEII Centre, London, 19-20 February 2024), and was anchored by TravMedia's Global Managing Director Henry Hemming.
Entrepreneur, leader, and philanthropist, Bruce Poon Tip, the Summit's keynote speaker, was interviewed by top Sustainability writer and editor Juliet Kinsman in a powerful and entertaining session.
Julia Simpson, WTTC president opened The Summit with a stirring address on the industry's future roadmap.
Delegates also heard from Tim Riley, Managing Director of True Traveller Insurance, the Summit's sponsor.
The first panel session 'Travel in 10 Years | AI, Behaviours, Trends' saw a line-up of industry analyst David Goodger, Director of Tourism Economics, Oxford Economics; AI specialist, Andy Owen Jones, Co-Founder and Managing Director of SMARTSEER GmbH, and comms supremo Caroline Moultrie, Managing Director of MMGY Worldwide, with TravMedia's Henry Hemming moderating.
Next up was 'The Future of Long Haul' looking at how sustainability, transportation and consumer trends will shape future travel plans. On stage were Dona Regis-Prosper, the new Secretary General and CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation – the first woman in that role – together with Claire Ross, Sustainability Director, DER Touristik UK, and Hazel McGuire, General Manager, UK & Ireland, Intrepid Travel. The session was expertly moderated by Richard Hammond, Editor of Green Traveller magazine and Executive Videographer, Green Traveller Productions.
The panels concluded with 'The Page Turns | The Travel Media's Next 10 Years' which featured top travel editors George Kipouros, Editor in Chief & CEO, Wanderlust; Lisa Minot, Head of Travel, The Sun, and Thomas Midulla, Editor in Chief at NetJets and International Editorial Director at Centurion & Departures Magazines. At the helm was incisive moderator Paul Charles, CEO and Founder, The PC Agency.
The TravMedia Summit, already a fixture of other IMMs around the world, was followed by the first-day IMM Lunch, with new TravMedia UK MD Louise Napier addressing the audience. The afternoon was devoted to exhibitor appointments for attending media and influencers, with stands busy throughout.
IMM's day two will feature a whole day of appointments, the second IMM Lunch – sponsored by Visit Detroit - and a post-event drinks reception sponsored by Tourism Australia to close the show.
Louise Napier, TravMedia UK's Managing Director, said: “IMM got the start it deserved with a truly fascinating debate at The Summit. The quality of the speakers couldn't be higher, and we were thrilled with how the event panned out. The day generated an intense debate on the major issues our industry faces but also looked forward to exceptional opportunities for travel brands and consumers alike in the decade to come.”
Now in its 12th year in the UK, IMM is established as the must-attend annual event for travel and tourism brands to make media connections, nurture established relationships, and catch up with industry friends.
Over 315 journalists registered for this year's IMM, together with 85 influencers. Some 233 PR professionals are in attendance representing 160 brands across 155 stands.
Collectively, delegates booked over 15,000 meetings.
Significant regional delegations are France (30 stands), USA (34), Europe (28), Canada (12), UK (11), Australia (7), and the Caribbean (4). The show is welcoming Tour Operators/Travel Providers (11), Cruise Lines (2), Hotel Groups (9) and others.
IMM's sponsors are Cayman Islands (Reusable Water Bottle Sponsor); VisitEngland (Registration Desk & Lanyards Sponsor); Visit Detroit (Day Two Lunch Sponsor) and Tourism Australia (Day Two Drinks Reception Sponsor).
IMM 2024 will provide exhibitors with an exponential return on investment from two highly productive days of activity. Timed, pre-scheduled 15-minute meetings between exhibitors and journalists remain the cornerstone of the event. Alongside breakfasts and lunches, and socialising at the IMM evening drinks party at the end of day one, the event will introduce further breaks between meetings – providing more focus in the meetings and further informal networking.
TravMedia UK launched IMM in 2013. The event has evolved globally to become the world's leading show connecting the travel industry with the media. IMM is operated by TravMedia, the global network connecting the travel industry with the media and content creators.
Ends
IMM Media Contact:
Mark Tilley
Content Manager, TravMedia UK
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8916
IMM Event and Sponsorship Enquiries:
Louise Napier
Managing Director, TravMedia UK
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8915
E: louise.napier@travmedia.com
IMM 2024 EXHIBITORS - FINAL: AE Expeditions, Aix-en-Provence, Algarve Tourism, Amelia Island Florida, Annecy Mountains, Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Aosta Valley Tourism Bureau, Ardennes Tourism, Arizona Office of Tourism, Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Loire Valley, Austrian National Tourist Office, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme, Avignon Tourisme, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Bonjour Québec, Brittany Tourism, Canada's Secrets, Catalonia - Catalan Tourist Board, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Cité du Vin, Crans-Montana Tourism, Cretan Dream Resort, Croatian National Tourist Board, Curaçao Tourist Board, Deep South USA, Destination Beaujolais, Destination British Columbia, Destination Canada, Destination Luberon, Destination Ontario, Destination Orléans Loire Valley, Destination Saint-Malo, Destin-Fort, Walton Beach, Discover Saskatoon, Drifters Boating Holidays, Expedia Group, Experience Scottsdale, Explore France, Explore Worldwide, Fort Myers - Islands, Beaches and Neighborhoods, Futuroscope, G Adventures, German National Tourist Office, Gran Canaria Tourism, Grapevine & Lubbock, Texas, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Haute-Garonne, Hello Lille, In Vendée, Inntravel, Intrepid Travel, Italian National Tourist Board, Kentucky Tourism, Keukenhof, Kuoni, Lascaux, Latvia Travel, loveholidays, Maple Leaf Adventures, Marketing Manchester, Marseille Tourist Office, Mayenne – Sarthe, Meet Boston, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, Muir Hotel, Nantipa and Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa, New Scientist Discovery Tours, New York State, NewcastleGateshead, Nice Côte d'Azur, Nîmes Tourisme, Normandy Tourism, Occitanie Tourist Board, OnlyLyon, Orascom Hotels Management, OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels Parc Astérix, Pas-de-Calais, Pegasus Airlines, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Pierre & Vacances, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Punta Gorda Englewood Beach, Pure Michigan, Pursuit, Puy du Fou, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Rhaetian Railway, Rocky Mountaineer, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, San Diego Tourism Authority, San Francisco Travel Association, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, Skyscanner, South Australian Tourism Commission, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Stay22, Sun Siyam Resorts, Swan Hellenic, Swiss Travel System, Switzerland Tourism, Tarn & Garonne Tourism, Tarn Tourism, Tenerife Tourism Corporation, The Inn Collection Group, This is Durham, Ticino Tourism, Toulouse, Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Tourism Fiji, Tourism New Zealand, Tourism Northern Territory, Tourism Nova Scotia, Tourism Tasmania, Tourism Western Australia, Travel Alberta, Travel Nevada, Travel Texas, Trentino – Italy, True Traveller, U.S. Travel Association / IPW, Universal Destinations And Experiences, Vallée de la Gastronomie, VIA Rail Canada, Vienna Tourist Board, Virgin Limited Edition, Visit Austin, VISIT DENVER, Visit Detroit, Visit Düsseldorf, VISIT FLORIDA, Visit Gibraltar, Visit Isle of Wight, Visit Las Vegas, Visit Lauderdale, Visit Orlando, Visit Pensacola, Visit Portugal, Visit Saimaa - Lakeland Finland, Visit San Antonio, Visit Saxony, Visit SLO CAL, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Visit Temecula Valley, Visit Tucson, Visit Victoria, Visit Wales, visitBerlin, VisitDenmark, VisitEngland, VISITFLANDERS, VisitLiverpool, VisitScotland, VISITWallonia, Wightlink - Isle of Wight Ferries, Zürich Tourism
EDITORS NOTES
The first-ever IMM was held in London in March 2013 and has since expanded to all corners of the earth, with annual events now taking place in countries including the USA, Australia, Singapore, Germany, France and the UK.
The technology used by TravMedia has become an essential tool for journalists and PR professionals in their day-to-day activities, as they connect and share information in their working lives.
TravMedia was originally created by a travel journalist seeking a better way to research and report travel news, and is dedicated to creating thriving online communities of travel journalists and travel PR professionals.
