TravMedia delivers over 390 visitors and 220 PR professionals to its first two-day event.

The first-ever two-day IMM UK has finished in London (9-10 March 2020) with the TravMedia-organised event attracting over 390 journalists and influencers and over 220 PR professionals from 166 exhibitor brands.

IMM, the leading global event connecting the travel industry and media (TravMedia.com/IMMUK), was once again a shell-scheme event and additionally featured professional development sessions and influencers invited on day two.

This year's show (http://www.travmedia.com/immuk/) also featured an expanded show footprint and seated lunch on both days, as TravMedia took over further floors of London's prestigious QEII Centre.

Each exhibitor enjoyed up to 56 pre-booked meetings with top travel journalists, editors and broadcasters – many of whom attended both days of the show – together with influencers who attended on day two. Over 12,000 meetings – a show record - were booked in advance through IMM's Meetings Manager platform.

The show at the capital's prestigious QEII Centre was followed by a prestigious new awards ceremony (see separate 'TravMedia Awards' press release), hosted by John Humphrys.

The second day also featured five breakout professional development sessions for exhibitors, delivered by top professionals, on topics ranging from crisis management and PR pitches to influencer campaign management.

Media titles in attendance at IMM UK included The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Independent, CNN Travel, National Geographic Traveller, Cosmopolitan, Wanderlust, TTG and Travel Weekly.

Some 37 of France's regions, cities and visitor attractions created a powerful delegation for the country, with their record-breaking presence orchestrated by national tourist office Atout France. The USA also maintained a powerful presence at IMM UK with over 40 brands.

For the first time ever, IMM UK welcomed all Australian states along with several key partners who joined forces to showcase themselves in their own bespoke pavilion – another IMM UK first.

New brands at IMM UK included destinations such as Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca, Marketing Manchester, New Smyrna Beach, The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Travel Nevada, Verbier, Visit Tucson, Visit Lake Charles, Visit Okinawa with wider industry brands participating including Orascom Hotels Management, Sands Resorts Macao, The Kaleidoscope Collection, VIA Rail Canada and Viking River Cruises.

The year's sponsors were Atout France, CityPASS, Destination New South Wales, Royal Commission for AlUla, Tourism Australia, Tenerife Tourism Corporation, Visit Wales, VisitEngland.

IMM UK's professional development sessions were pre-booked by 135 of the attending PR professionals. The day included dedicated 'under the spotlight' sessions with Claire Irvin, Head of Travel at The Telegraph, and Joe Allam, leading travel influencer and winner of Influencer of the Year in the TravMedia Awards. A session on crisis PR was delivered by experts Paul Charles, CEO and Founder of The PC Agency, and Phil Bloomfield, Corporate and Consumer Communications at dnata Travel Group. Rachel O'Reilly, Head of Communications, Kuoni, delivered an illuminating session on how agencies can make the perfect PR pitch to travel brands, while the current shape of the influencer market was covered off by Macca Sherifi, Influencer from 'An Adventurous World', who was joined by journalist and influencer Alastair McKenzie.

Said Henry Hemming, TravMedia UK's Managing Director: “In the challenging circumstances in which IMM was held, we were proud to deliver over 350 media and influencer visitors to our exhibitors, with many journalists attending both days.

“The solidarity and warmth show by the industry was exceptional, and we're immensely grateful for that. My thanks go to everyone who attended, and of course to our team for their absolute commitment to delivering another successful event.”

Ends

IMM 2020 EXHIBITORS:  Accor Asia Pacific, Agence de Développement Touristique des Ardennes, Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine Ski, Alterra Mountain Company, Amelia Island, Annecy Mountains, Ardèche Tourisme, Arizona Office of Tourism, Atlantic Coast Cognac Country, Atlantic Loire Valley, Atout France, Aurora Expeditions, Austrian National Tourist Office, Auvergne Rhone-Alpes Tourisme, Avignon Tourisme, Banff Sunshine Village, Bavaria Tourism, Biarritz Pays Basque Tourism, Blenheim Palace, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte Tourisme, Bournemouth Christchurch & Poole, Brand USA, Brittany Ferries, Brittany Tourism, CaminoWays.com, Canal & River Trust, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Château de Chenonceau, Choose Chicago, CityPASS, Cotswolds Tourism, Crans-Montana, Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Deep South, Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Destination Beaujolais, Destination Canada, Destination New South Wales, destination: Tiburon, DFDS, Discover Aboriginal Experiences, Discover The Palm Beaches, Düsseldorf Tourist Board, Efteling, Evaneos, Exodus Travels, Fairmont Hotels Canadian Pacific Northwest Region, Florida's Paradise Coast, Fly Provence, Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca, Food Drink Devon, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Region, G Adventures, German National Tourist Office, Gers Gascony Tourism, Gran Canaria Tourist Board, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, Grenada Tourism Authority, Haute Garonne Tourism, Hello Lille, Heritage Expeditions, HF Holidays, Homewood, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Iberian Escapes, Inghams, Interrail Pass, IPW / U.S. Travel Association, Isère Attractivité, Italian National Tourist Board, KE Adventure Travel, Lake Charles Louisiana, Lake Saimaa - Purest Finland, Lanzarote Tourism Office, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Les Villages Nature® Paris, Loire Valley, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board, Luberon Cœur de Provence Tourisme, Lyon Tourism & Conventions, Macao Government Tourism Office, Marketing Manchester, Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism, Montpellier Méditerranée Tourism & Conventions, NAUSICAA the French National Sea Centre, New Orleans & Company, New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau, Normandy Tourism, Northern Territory, Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau, Orascom Hotels Management, Orléans Val de Loire Tourisme, Ottawa Tourism, Ovolo Hotels, OYO Hotels & Homes, Pas-de-Calais Tourism, Philadelphia CVB, Pierre & Vacances, Planet Travel Holidays, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, Pure Michigan, Puy du Fou, Qantas Airways, Raffles Singapore, Remarkable France, Rocky Mountaineer, Romantic Cities, Royal Commission for AlUla, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Salzburg State Board of Tourism / SalzburgerLand Tourismus, San Francisco Travel Association, Sands Resort Macao, Savoie Mont Blanc Tourisme, Setouchi Tourism Authority, Signature Experiences of Australia, Ski & Summer France, Sonoma County Tourism, South Australia Tourism Commission, SouthWest Germany Tourist Board, Switzerland Tourism, TAP Air Portugal, Tarn & Garonne Tourism, Tarn Tourism, Tenerife Tourism Corporation, The AMResorts Collection, The Tourism Authority of Thailand, Toulouse Tourist Office, Tourism and Events Queensland, Tourism Australia, Tourism Nova Scotia, Tourism Toronto, Tourism Western Australia, Tourist Board of Lake Constance, Travel Manitoba, Travel Nevada, Travel Texas, Universal Parks and Resorts, Valais/Wallis Promotion, Vaucluse Provence, Verbier Promotion, VIA Rail Canada, Vienne Condrieu Tourism, Viking Cruises, Visit Austin, Visit Baltimore, Visit County Durham, VISIT DENVER, VISIT FLORIDA, Visit Huntington Beach – Surf City USA, Visit Isles of Scilly, Visit Mesa, Visit North Carolina, Visit Orlando, Visit Portugal, Visit San Antonio, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, Visit Tampa Bay, Visit Temecula Valley, Visit Tucson, Visit Var, Visit Victoria, Visit Wales, VisitDenmark, VisitEngland and VisitScotland.

Ends

For information on TravMedia Awards and IMM 2020:

Louise Napier

Regional Director, TravMedia

T: +44 (0)20 3440 8915

E: louise.napier@travmedia.com

EDITORS NOTES

IMM was first held in the UK and Australia in 2013 and has since expanded to include annual events in the United States, Germany, France, Macau and São Paulo. In Asia, Australia and the US, IMM is a two-day event led by The TravMedia Summit, first launched in Singapore in 2018. The Summit is a professional development symposium bringing together thought leaders in travel. 

TravMedia was created by Nick Wayland in 1999, a former travel editor seeking a better way to research and report travel news. The platform is dedicated to creating thriving online communities of travel journalists and PR professionals and has become an essential tool in their day-to-day activities as they connect and share information in their working lives.

The company currently operates in 11 countries: United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brazil, and has amassed over 45,000 journalists and PR members.