The leading global event connecting the travel industry and the media celebrated its 11th Year with a packed two-day event at London's QEII Centre.

Post-event figures for IMM 2023 reveal that well over 500 media, influencers and PR professionals attended the show at the QEII Centre in London.

IMM (www.travmedia.com/immuk/), whose headline sponsor this year was Tourism Australia, is the UK's leading event for the media and took place from 13-14 March.

Over 300 media and influencers attended the event, visiting almost 150 exhibitor stands, represented by over 200 PR professionals. Some 15,000 meetings were pre-booked for the show, TravMedia's eleventh IMM overall and the eighth at the QEII. IMM was created in the UK and now operates across multiple regions internationally.

IMM 2023's other sponsors were Israel Tourist Office (IMM Breakfast Sponsor day one); FlightCentre (IMM Evening Drinks Party Sponsor day one); Azerbaijan Tourism Board (IMM Breakfast Sponsor day two); Pure Michigan & Visit Detroit (IMM Lunch Sponsor day two); Princess Cruises (Water Bottle Sponsor) and VisitEngland (Registration Desk & Lanyards Sponsor).

Explore France wowed journalists with their biggest delegation to date, with some 39 brands and 52 delegates. Other highlights included significant delegations from USA, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and headline sponsor Australia.

IMM featured two days of pre-booked meetings with journalists at exhibitor stands, with influencer meetings and professional development sessions added to the mix on day two.

Top speakers included Claire Irvin, new Head of Travel at The Times and The Sunday Times, who spoke to a room full to bursting with PR delegates. 

Also popular was 'Tackling Tiktok: Travel PR's New Frontier' with Tiktokers Will Anthony (@UnseenWonders) and Emma Cooke (@petite.blondine) wowing an audience which packed out the room.

The day started with Debbie Flynn, Managing Partner and Global Travel Practice Leader at FINN Partners, speaking on Tourism PR and how the international media landscape has evolved since the pandemic.

A busy panel session entitled 'Equity And Inclusion: How PRs Can Champion Diversity In Journalism' was moderated by Sophie Griffiths, Editor & Chief Purpose Officer of TTG Media. She was joined by special guests Meera Dattani, Freelance Travel Journalist and Adventure.com Travel Editor and Sion Walton-Guest, LGBTQ travel blogger, The Globetrotter Guys. The trio looked at how today's communications professionals could deliver diversity and inclusivity ideas, angles and opportunities to journalists.

Sally Cope, Regional General Manager UK/Northern Europe at Tourism Australia said: "Since Australia's borders reopened just over a year ago, the media and content creators have been an invaluable part of helping us to rebuild our tourism industry by telling our stories for us. As we now look ahead to the future, our support of IMM in London is a reflection of the value we see in supporting writers and content creators ongoing. IMM is a fantastic event for establishing and maintaining those relationships and we were thrilled to be a part of it this year.”

Said Henry Hemming, TravMedia UK's Managing Director: “IMM 2023 was back to full strength. We're so grateful to everyone for the hard hours they put into meetings, and for joining us at our annual dedicated show for the media, influencers and PRs. My team did extraordinarily well to bring everything together so smoothly – my heatfelt thanks to them.”

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Media Contacts:

For TravMedia:

Louise Napier

Deputy Managing Director, TravMedia

T: +44 (0)20 3440 8915

E: louise.napier@travmedia.com

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IMM 2023 EXHIBITORS:

IMM 2023 exhibitors include: AE Expeditions, Aisne, Aix-En-Provence, Amelia Island, Florida, Ardennes Tourism, Arras Pays d'Artois Tourist Office, Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Loire Valley, Austin Hill Country, Austrian National Tourist Office, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme, Avignon Tourisme, Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Banff Sunshine Village, BCP Tourism (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), Blenheim Palace, Bonjour Quebec, Brittany Tourism, Canada's Secrets, Carcassonne World Heritage Site, Catalonia - Catalan Tourist Board, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Deep South USA, Destination Beaujolais, Destination Canada, Destination Ile de Ré, Destination Luberon, Destination NSW, Destination Ontario, Destination Orléans Loire Valley, Discover Saskatoon, Düsseldorf Tourist Board, Expedia Group, Explore Cognac, Explore France, Florida's Paradise Coast, Food Drink Devon, G Adventures, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation, German National Tourist Office, Gran Canaria Tourism, Greater Miami Conventions & Visitors Bureau, Gulf of Morbihan Vannes… out of this world, Hauts-de-France Tourisme, Hello Lille, Highgate – Boston Region, Highgate – New York & Florida, Hong Kong Tourism Board, In Annecy Mountains, Intrepid Travel, Isère Attractivité, Israel Tourist Office, Italian National Tourist Board for UK and EIRE, Jamaica Tourist Board, Journey Beyond, Karpaz Gate Marina, Kynren, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Let's GoDo, Loire Valley, Los Angeles Tourism, Lyon Tourism & Congress, Marketing Manchester, Marseille Tourist Office, Mayenne – Sarthe, Médoc Atlantique Tourisme, Meet Boston, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, National Trust, Nausicaá, Nevis Tourism Authority, New Smyrna Beach, NewcastleGateshead, Nice Côte d'Azur, Noku Hotels, Normandy Tourism, Nouvelle-Aquitaine Tourism Board, Occitanie Tourist Board, Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Outrigger Resorts & Hotels, Pas-de-Calais, People Make Glasgow, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, Preferred Travel Group, Princess Cruises, Pure Michigan, Pursuit, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, Rocky Mountaineer, Royal Commission for AlUla, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, SalzburgerLand Tourism, San Francisco Travel, Skyscanner, South Australian Tourism Commission, Swan Hellenic, Swiss Travel System AG, Switzerland Tourism, Tarn & Garonne Tourism, Tarn Tourism, Tenerife Tourism Corporation, Texas Wine and Music Trail, The Brooklyn Travel Group, The Cotswolds, The Florida Keys & Key West, The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, This Is Durham, Ticino Tourism, Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Tourism New Zealand, Tourism Northern Territory, Tourism Nova Scotia, Tourism Western Australia, Travel Nevada, Travel Texas, U.S. Travel Association / IPW, UnCruise Adventures, Universal Parks and Resorts, Var Tourisme, Vendée - Les Sables-d'Olonne, Virgin Limited Edition, VISIT DENVER, Visit Detroit, VISIT FLORIDA, Visit Isle of Wight, Visit Mesa, Visit North Carolina, Visit Orlando, Visit Pensacola, Visit Portugal, Visit San Antonio, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Visit Tampa Bay, Visit Temecula Valley, Visit Valencia, Visit Victoria, Visit Wales, visitBerlin, VisitDenmark, VisitEngland, VisitPITTSBURGH, VisitScotland, 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, Germany and France.

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.