New York City – A record 600 media and PR industry representatives attended TravMedia's second annual International Media Marketplace (IMM) USA, on Thursday, January 25, 2018, breaking new attendance levels for the global event program, now in its sixth year.

IMM USA connected 300 North American media with 285 PR representatives of 204 international travel brands in the impressive all-glass River Pavilion, a 45,000 square feet space on the top floor of the Jacob K. Javits Center. Collectively they participated in 9,628 pre-scheduled, one-on-one appointments – plus 4.5 hours of open networking which took place across multiple catered events.

Headline Sponsor Tourism Australia showcased ten destinations, products and experiences in the 'Australia Pavilion', with a coffee cart activation in the adjacent Media Lounge by Bluestone Lane, New York, who originally hail from Melbourne. Media enjoyed more than 700 of Australia's signature flat white coffees throughout the daylong program.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) continued their support of the IMM program with 21 CLIA Members joining a dedicated 'Cruise Capsule' within the event. More than 550 guests at the sit-down lunch enjoyed an address by Arnold Donald, CLIA Global Chairman and President and CEO, Carnival Corporation & plc, where topline results were exclusively revealed from the '2018 Cruise Travel Report: Annual Study of Attitudes, Behaviors and Travel Preferences'.

Tourism Australia also hosted the official cocktail reception for media and VIPs, timed to coincide with Australia Day celebrations. Guests were treated to wines by Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia, gourmet pies and sausage rolls, and Australian ice-cream by Oddfellows including 'Tim Tam Slam', 'Lamington' and 'Hokey Pokey'. At the reception, Tourism Australia's managing director John O'Sullivan spoke on 'Discover Aboriginal Experiences' a new collective in their Signature Experiences program. 

Nick Wayland, CEO and Founder of TravMedia said, "The tremendous success of our second annual IMM USA 2018 event would not have been possible without the record media and industry in attendance, and the incredible support of Headline Sponsor, Tourism Australia, as well as major exhibiting partner Cruise Lines International Association, who chose IMM to exclusively release their 2018 Cruise Travel Report with Global Chairman, Arnold Donald.”

Media in attendance included top national travel editors, writers, broadcasters and editorially minded influencers from the following outlets: 

AFAR; AAA publications; Architectural Digest; Associated Press; BBC Travel; BinduTrips.com; Bloomberg; Bon Appetit; CBS National Travel; Conde Nast Traveler; Cruise & Travel Report; Cruise Critic; Delta Sky; Departures; EDGE Media Network; ETN Publishing; Everett Potter's Travel Report; Extremeluxurygetaways.com; Family Traveler; Family Vacation Critic; Fathom; Fodor's Travel; Food & Wine; Forbes; Forbes.com; Huffington Post; Inbound Report; Jax Fax; Just Luxe; Globe and Mail; Globe Guide; Global News; Group Tour Media; LeeAbbamonte.com; LA Times; Luxe Recess; Luxury Magazine; ManAboutWorld Magazine; Marriott Vacation Club; Meetings Today; Metro; Midwest Features Syndicate; Mycompass.ca; National Geographic Travel & Traveler Magazine; National PBS Series; New York Post; New York Lifestyles Magazine; New York Parenting Media; Northeast Meetings + Events magazine; Nylon; OhThePeopleYouMeet; Orbitz; Outside; Paste; Parents Magazine; Porthole Cruise Magazine; Postmedia and Sun Media newspapers; Robb Report; Samantha Brown Media; San Francisco Chronicle; Saveur; Skift; Skift New Luxury; SmarterTravel; Smithsonian.com; TimeOut New York; The World News (WN) Network; Thrillist; Travel + Leisure; Travel Pulse; Travel Weekly; Travel with Val; TravelingMom.com; TravelAge West; TravelChannel.com; TripSavvy; USA Today; Vancouver Sun; Vogue: Wayfarer series; We Blog the World; WestJet Magazine; and Westways Magazine; among others.

Hotel Partner, Four Seasons Hotel New York, hosted a VIP Cocktail reception the evening before IMM, with IMM's Advisory Board members, key sponsors, and hosted media in attendance.

The new MOXY Times Square, conveniently located to the Jacob K. Javits Center, hosted majority of the 50-media flown in from across the U.S. and Canada under the IMM Hosted Media Program (IMMHMP).

Transport partners, Lyft and SuperShuttle New York, supported transfer logistics for IMM Media and Exhibiting delegates.

Participating exhibitors at IMM USA 2018 include:

AccorHotels; Al Bait Sharjah; Alabama Tourism Department; Destination Irvine; Allianz Global Assistance USA; AmaWaterways; American Cruise Lines; American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA); Aspen Chamber Resort Association; Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau; Australian Wildlife Journeys; Barcelo Hotel Group; Bella Guatemala Travel; Biosphere Expeditions; Boston Park Plaza; Brightline; Carnival Cruise Lines; Celestyal Cruises; Chelsea Hotel, Toronto; Choice Hotels International; Illinois Office of Tourism; Cirque du Soleil; CityPASS; Cody/Yellowstone Country; Costa Rica Tourism Board; Croatian National Tourist Board; Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA); Crystal Cruises; Cunard; Curaçao Tourist Board; Destination British Columbia; Destination Canada; Destination Cleveland; Destination Gettysburg; Destination Irvine; Destination NSW/ Sydney; Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau; Discover Crystal River Florida; Discover The Palm Beaches; Durban Tourism; Düsseldorf Tourist Board; Elegant Hotel Group; Emerald Waterways; Evans Hotels; Experience Kissimmee; Experience Scottsdale; Explore Asheville; Fairmont Chateau Laurier + Fairmont Empress; Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Canada's Western Mountain & Fairmont Chateau Whistler; Fairmont Hotels, Pacific NorthWest Fairmont Southampton; Finger Lakes Regional Tourism Council; Florida Keys & Key West; Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau; Four Seasons New York Downtown; G Adventures; Glacier Country Tourism; Glasgow Life!; Grand American Adventures; Greater Metropolis Convention & Visitors Bureau; Greater Palm Springs CVB; Grenada Tourism Authority; Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism; Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau; Haunted History Trail of New York State; Hawks Cay Resort; Hilton Hotels Historic Hotels of America; Holland America Line; Hong Kong Tourism Board; Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo; Illinois Office of Tourism; iNSIDE EUROPE – Travel; Better Together; Intrepid Group; Islas Secas, Panama; Italian National Tourist Board; Japan National Tourism Organization; Jekyll Island Club Resorts; Jewel Resorts and Hilton Rose Hall Resort; Jiangsu, China; Jordan Tourism Board; Kent County Delaware CVB; Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau; Lafayette Cajun Country; Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; Louisiana Office of Tourism; Macao Government Tourism Office; Maine Office of Tourism; Maine Windjammer Association; Marriott International - Caribbean & Latin America; Martinhal Family Hotels and Resorts; Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism; Matachica Resort & Spa; Mississippi Delta Tourism Association/Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau; MSC Cruises; Mundo Cuervo; Myrtle Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau; Naples, Marco Island, Everglades CVB; National Geographic Expeditions; New Mexico Tourism Department; New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau; New Orleans Plantation Country; New York State Tourism; Newport Beach & Company/Visit Newport Beach; Norwegian Cruise Line; NYC & Company; One Ocean Expeditions; Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation+Toronto Tourism; Opus Hotels Group; Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory; Outer Banks Visitors Bureau; Outrigger Hotels and Resorts; Palace Resorts; Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority; Parq Vancouver; Paul Gauguin Cruises; Pennsylvania Tourism Office; Polish National Tourist Office; Ponant; Preferred Hotels and Resorts; Princess Cruises; Qatar Tourism Authority; Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Rocky Mountaineer; Royal Caribbean International; Salamander Hotels & Resorts; San Francisco Travel Association; San Ignacio Resort Hotel; Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours; Seabourn Cruise Line; Silversea Cruises; Small Luxury Hotels of the World; Snowmass Tourism; Society of America Travel Writers (SATW); Sonnenalp Hotel; Sonoma Country Tourism; South African Tourism; South Australia Tourism Commission; South Dakota Department of Tourism; St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches CVB; St. Ermin's Hotel; StayArlington; Switzerland Tourism; Tauck River Cruising; The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel; The Children's Museum of Indianapolis & Riley Children's Health Sports Legends Experience; The Reef 28; The Travel Corporation (TTC); Tourism Australia; Tourism New Zealand; Tourism Northern Territory; Tourism Saskatoon; Tourism Tropical North Queensland; Tourism Vancouver; Tourism Victoria; Tourism Western Australia; Tourism Whistler; Tourme; Travel Alberta; Travel Juneau; Travel Portland; Travelzoo; TravMedia; Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau; U.S. Travel Association | IPW; Urban Adventures; Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau; Visit Austin; Visit Baltimore; Visit Bucks County; Visit Buellton; Visit Buena Park; Visit Buffalo Niagara; Visit California; Visit Clearwater Florida; Visit Dallas; Visit Estes Park; VISIT FLORIDA; Visit Franklin/Williamson County CVB; Visit Hershey & Harrisburg Destination Marketing Organization; Visit Indiana; Visit Indy; Visit Jacksonville; Visit Loudoun; Visit Mesa; Visit Milwaukee; Visit Mobile; Visit Orlando; Visit Phoenix; Visit Raleigh; Visit Rochester; Visit South Walton; Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater; Visit Tampa Bay; Visit Victoria; Visit West Hollywood; VisitBritain; VisitScotland; Washington County Visitors Association (representing Tualatin Valley, Oregon); Windstar Cruises; Yosemite National Park - Tuolumne County; Luxury Lodges of Australia; Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia.

TravMedia's IMM has become the leading travel industry event to meet the media. Upcoming 2018 International Media Marketplace events include: IMM Australia in Sydney on February 23; IMM Germany in Berlin the day before ITB on March 6; IMM UK in London on March 12; the first ever IMM Brazil on April 2; the inaugural IMM Paris on September 25; and the third annual IMM Asia in Singapore just prior to ITB Asia on October 16.

TravMedia provides travel news feeds in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, China, U.K., U.S.A, Canada, Europe (Germany/Switzerland/Austria), Middle East, South Africa and Brazil. TravMedia also provides the online pressroom for the U. S. Travel Association's IPW trade show and the Society of American Travel Writers' annual convention, as well as digital tools for the promotion of Brand USA.

For more information and to register for IMM 2018 events visit www.travmedia.com/imm or email immusa@travmedia.com. To arrange an interview or additional information about IMM USA 2018, please contact Lauren Michôd, at Lauren.Michod@travmedia.com.

Registration for IMM USA 2019 (to be held on January 24, 2019) will open March 1, 2018.

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