19 Feb 2025
Over 300 industry delegates present for The Summit, sponsored by True Traveller, which launched IMM 2025 (QEII Centre, 17-18 February 2025)
The media's response to AI and big tech came under the spotlight as IMM 2025 commenced today with a pulsating TravMedia Summit.
The Summit, sponsored by True Traveller, and themed as 'The Great Media Reset: Navigating the New Communications Age', covered the first half-day of IMM (QEII Centre, London, 17-18 February 2025).
Over 300 industry media, content creators and communications professionals were present, listening to media and industry executives tackling a raft of related topics.
Keynote speaker Graham Lovelace of Charting Gen AI enthralled with his presentation 'AI and Media: A Golden Opportunity or Existential Threat?', questioning the impact of generative and agentic AI on human-made media, content creation and communications, and outlining how the media should fight to protect copyrights and maintain profitability.
Lovelace said generative tools were also complementing the work of journalists and PRs, saving time and money, improving accessibility, and increasing reach.
“But humans need to remain in the driving seat, checking everything,” he cautioned. “And we need to point out generative AI's inherent weaknesses to all those who think AI could replace journalists and PRs. It won't. It will never substitute for critical thinking, ethical decision-making, nuanced understandings. It will never be able to connect with audiences in a way that resonates at a deep level.”
Lovelace poured scorn on those calling for copyright laws to be diluted in favour of AI companies. “These copyright deniers – the hi-techs that have taken content without asking – are rejecting a centuries-old legal convention, twisting language and logic as they seek to defend the indefensible.”
He urged delegates to “shout from the rooftops about the theft of copyrighted works to train generative models, and join the battle to defeat the copyright deniers”.
Up next were four of the top travel editors for a riveting panel on 'Securing Travel Publishing's Future: The Travel Editors' Opinion'. In the hot seats were Claire Irvin, Head of Travel, The Times and The Sunday Times; Eliot Stein, Deputy Editor, BBC Travel;
Mark Palmer, Travel Editor, Daily Mail, and Sophie Griffiths, Editor, TTG. The panel was quizzed by Press Gazette's Editor in Chief Dominic Ponsford (moderator).
'Freelance Travel Writing – Where are we Headed?' saw four of the nation's foremost most talented freelancers take to the stage, to discuss everything from new opportunities to revenue threats. Offering their views were Ed Grenby, Phoebe Smith, James Stewart, and Jessica Vincent, with Adrian Phillips, Managing Director of Bradt Guides, posing the questions.
'On Trend? The Statistics Shaping the Media's Travel Agenda' focused on the impact of travel trends on the media, with Charlie Gordon, Insight Director, Kantar Media;
Tim Riley, Managing Director, True Traveller, and Tolene Van der Merwe, Director UK & Ireland, Malta Tourism Authority, providing the answers.
As moderator Eulanda Shead Osagiede, TV Presenter and Content Creator, put it: “We're exploring which travel trends are truly shaping the industry versus those which are just short-lived buzzwords, and examining how much people still trust traditional media versus the growing influence of social media.”
The final session brought together four of the top communicators in travel; Laura Brander, Vice President – Communications, Virgin Atlantic; Graeme Buck, Director of Communications, ABTA; Amy Dowling, Head of Markets Communications UK&I, TUI, and Amy Skelding, Managing Partner, FINN Partners Travel UK, with TravMedia's Global Adviser Henry Hemming overseeing proceedings.
The TravMedia Summit, already a fixture of other IMMs around the world, was followed by the first-day IMM Lunch, with Nick Wayland, TravMedia's CEO and Founder, addressing the audience. The afternoon was devoted to the first half-day of appointments between IMM exhibitor brands and registered media and influencers.
IMM's second day will feature a whole day of appointments, the second IMM Lunch – sponsored by Destination British Columbia - and a post-event drinks reception.
Louise Napier, TravMedia UK's Managing Director, said: “The Summit analysed all sides of the AI debate, with some compelling speaker visions and great audience questions. The event also demonstrated how TravMedia brings together our community, standing up for people in the media and PR professionals, and defending the values they cherish.”
Now in its 13th 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.
IMM and the Summit also create an unrivalled space for PR professionals, travel brands, destinations and leading media to network.
Over 350 journalists and 75 content creators had registrations approved for this year's IMM. Some 200 PR professionals attended, representing 143 brands, accounting for 139 stands. Collectively delegates booked over 15,000 meetings for the show, TravMedia's thirteenth IMM and its ninth at the QEII.
The show saw significant delegations from France; USA; Canada; Europe, and other regions of the world, together with a sizeable area for Tour Operators/Travel Providers, alongside travel suppliers and attractions.
IMM's sponsors are True Traveller (The TravMedia Summit Sponsor); VisitEngland (Registration Desk & Lanyards Sponsor) and Destination British Columbia (Day Two Lunch Sponsor and Bag Sponsor).
TravMedia launched IMM in 2013. The event has evolved globally to become the world's leading show connecting the travel industry with the media, operating in seven cities worldwide in 2025. 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 2025 EXHIBITORS - FINAL
AE Expeditions; Aix-en-Provence; Algarve Tourism Bureau; Amelia Island, Florida; Annecy Mountains; Atlantic Loire Valley; Austria Tourism; Auvergne Rhône Alpes Tourisme; Avignon; Bonjour Québec; Canada's Secrets; Cannes; Catalonia - Catalan Tourist Board; Centre des Monuments Nationaux; CityPASS; Columbus, Ohio; Cook Islands Tourism Corporation; Côte d'Azur France; Deep South USA; Destination British Columbia; Destination Canada; Destination Limoges; Destination Luberon; Destination NSW; Destination Ontario; Destination Orléans Loire Valley; Destin-Fort Walton Beach; Detroit; Dijon Bourgogne Tourisme & Congrès; Dordogne Valley; Drifters Boating Holidays; Drôme Provençale; Eurocamp; Expedia Group; Experience Scottsdale; Experience Turks and Caicos; Explore France; Explore Worldwide; Fort Myers - Islands; Beaches & Neighborhoods; Frankfurt Tourism Board; G Adventures; Georgian National Tourism Administration; German National Tourist Office; Go City; Go Vilnius; Gran Canaria Tourism; Grapevine Lubbock; Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau; Hello Lille; Ile de Ré; Inntravel; Inside Travel Group (InsideJapan & InsideAsia); Intrepid Travel; Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO); Kuoni; Kynren; Lanzarote Tourism; Latvia Travel; Les Sables-d'Olonne; Le Voyage à Nantes; Loire Valley; loveholidays; Marketing Manchester; Marriott International; Marseille Tourist Office; Mayenne – Sarthe; Meet Boston; Memphis Tourism; Michigan; Montpellier Méditerranée; Muir Hotel; NewcastleGateshead; New Scientist Discovery Tours; New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau; New York State; Normandy Tourism; Nouvelle-Aquitaine Tourism Board; Ottawa Tourism; PADI; Pas-de-Calais Tourism; Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau; Pleasure Beach Resort; Preferred Hotels & Resorts; Punta Gorda Englewood Beach; Puy du Fou; Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority; R Collection Hotels; Rhaetian Railway; Riviera Travel; Rocky Mountaineer; San Diego Tourism Authority; Savoy Signature; SK Hospitality Greece; Sonoma County Tourism; State of Washington Tourism; Stay22; Sun Siyam Resorts; Switzerland Tourism; Tahiti Tourisme; Tarn & Garonne Tourism; Tarn Tourism; Tenerife Tourism Corporation; Tourism Australia; Tourism New Zealand; Tourism Nova Scotia; Tourism Shizuoka Japan; Tourism Tasmania; Travel Alberta; Travel Texas; True Traveller; Universal Destinations & Experiences; US Travel Association / IPW; Valais Wallis Promotion; Vallée de la Gastronomie – France; Vaucluse Provence Tourism; Vaud Promotion; Vendée; Vienna Tourist Board; Visit Austin; visitBerlin; Visit County Durham; VisitDenmark; VISIT DENVER; Visit Düsseldorf; VisitEngland; Visit Gibraltar; Visit Greater Palm Springs; Visit Las Vegas; Visit Lauderdale; Visit North Yorkshire; Visit Orlando; VisitPITTSBURGH; Visit Portugal; Visit Raleigh; Visit San Antonio; VisitScotland; Visit St. Pete-Clearwater; Visit Temecula Valley; Visit Victoria; Visit Wales; Walk Japan; Wightlink, and Zürich Tourism.
About TravMedia
TravMedia is the travel industry's only global media network. Founded in 1999 by Nick Wayland, a former travel editor seeking an easier way to research and report travel news, TravMedia is the one-stop solution trusted by travel PR Professionals and media to network and share press releases, stories, and ideas. The platform hosts thriving online communities and is an essential daily tool for collaborating and developing long-lasting relationships.
TravMedia provides global travel newsfeeds and connects more than 25,000 travel media and more than 20,000 travel brand PRs worldwide via an online newsroom, press release distribution, events, Journalist Alerts, and daily industry updates. To learn more and register for TravMedia, visit www.travmedia.com.
About IMM
TravMedia's IMM is the leading travel industry event for travel brands and destinations to connect with the media. In its 13th year in 2025, IMM hosts more than 2,500 media and international travel brands annually in six countries worldwide. International Media Marketplace events in 2025 include IMM North America in New York City on January 22-23; IMM Australia in Sydney on February 13-14; IMM U.K. in London on February 17-18; IMM Germany in Berlin on March 3; IMM France in Paris on March 12; IMM Brazil in Sao Paulo on April 11; and IMM Asia in Singapore October 13-14.
For more information and registration for IMM 2025 events, visit www.travmedia.com/imm or email imm@travmedia.com.
