TMI Annual Convention 2026

15 October 2026

Winter Gardens, Weston Super Mare                                                  

08:45 | Registration & Networking

Registration, refreshments and networking

Welcome & Opening Session

Event Opener: Wellness Tourism
Amanda Winwood, Made for Life Organics

Headline Sponsor Session
Granicus-Firmstep Ltd
From Promotion to Transformation: How Destinations are Leading Change Through Storytelling, AI and Evidence

An International Perspective
Booking.com

Travel & Tourism Trends
Richard Nichols, VisitEngland

The Future of Destination-Making

The State of Destination-Making
Headline findings from TMI's State of Destination-Making Survey.
Natalie Semley (Falmouth University) and Dr Peter Robinson (Leeds Beckett University)

Destination Panel Discussion
What are the implications of devolution and local government reorganisation for destination-makers?

Hosted by Mary Harris, featuring:

• Emma Thornton, Visit Pembrokeshire
• Becky Frall, West Midlands
• Pete Waters, Visit East of England

Breakout Sessions

• Leading Change on the Coast
  What can the wider sector learn from destinations facing some of the greatest environmental, economic and visitor pressures?
  Sam Richardson (NCTA, hosted by Alison Burgh
• FuturETHinking for Destinations (Part 1)
  An interactive workshop exploring the future of destination management, inspired by findings from the TMI State of Destination-Making Survey 2026.
  Led by Leeds Beckett University.
  

 Breakout Sessions 2

• North West Coastal Campaign Data Insights
  Kevin Millington and Jess Watkins, T Stats Solutions
• FuturETHinking for Destinations (Part 2)
  Continuation of the creative workshop exploring future destination-management models.
  

Afternoon Plenary Sessions

Public Speaking & Winning Over Destination Stakeholders
Emily McGuirk 

Learning from Overseas: Tourism Development Priorities in Ukraine
Alona Diachenko

Technology Session: AI for Destinations
Shaon Talukder and Mary Harris

Beyond the Headlines: The Policy Battles Shaping Your Destination - Eddy Leviten

A Tourism Alliance national policy update on the issues currently shaping the future of destinations, and what they mean for destination professionals.

The Future of Destination-Making Starts Here

A closing interactive session bringing together the day's key themes and challenges, exploring how we can collectively shape the future of destination-making.

• Is there a need for stronger pan-regional working?
• Should UK destination coordination be top-down, bottom-up, peer-to-peer, or all three?

16:30  Convention Close

Closing remarks from the TMI President.

Please note: this programme is subject to change and will be updated as speakers and sessions are confirmed.