TMI Convention 29 - 30 October 2025

Full 2 Day Event Programme 

STUDY TOURS AND EVENING EVENT (inc AGM) 

12.30 / 13.00 Informal gathering TBC 

Choice of one of two exciting guided tours – hosted by Preston City Council and Ribble Valley Borough Council

TOUR 1  

‘A Taste of Love’   The Ribble Valley Tour

Wednesday 29th October 2025, 12.30pm – 5pm

Delegates will discover why Ribble Valley has gained a reputation as one of the tastiest food destinations in UK and why it is often referred to as the ‘Capital of Love’

The tour will include a selection of taste experiences and visits to businesses.

Delegates will hear about how food tourism continues to evolve in this destination as well as learn about the area’s unique and highly successful approach to developing wedding tourism.

The tour will leave Preston by minibus and travel up the valley to Clitheroe, (30 mins) the heart of Ribble Valley, and home to Holmes Mill. Here delegates will learn about the development of this unique tourism development, which includes food hall, brewery and one of the longest bars in Britain. To achieve a true sense of the Ribble Valley landscape, delegates will also visit the iconic landmark Clitheroe Castle  

On the return journey to Preston , delegates will also visit a number of other food related tourism businesses

TOUR 2 

Preston Walking Tour

Join a fascinating walking tour of Preston to hear about the latest regeneration initiatives, highlighting the key government funded projects, investment opportunities and development projects along the way, the future vision and priorities for Preston, and how it all fits together.

The tour will start from Chew’s Yard and take in the following points:

•  Head to historic Harris Quarter via recently refurb Friargate North, and inc. current works on Frigate South
• Animate - £45+m purpose built, newly opened leisure and entertainment destination
• Preston Markets – celebrating 150 years in 2025
• Amounderness House – old court building being refurbished into flexible working office space  
• Vault – Preston’s new £16m+ youth zone
• Preston Bus Station one of the largest in Europe and an award-winning, grade listed, brutalist structure – love it or hate it!
• Nod to the Guild Lounge events programme and future of Guild Hall
• Flag Market and short history
• The Harris Museum and Art Gallery - £19m reimagining of the building, will have been very recently reopened in October (end Sep opens)
• Winckley Square and coffee and doughnut stop at Holy Grind coffee shop
• Grade listed Avenham & Miller Parks and op in to see exhibition and progress of Tram Bridge
• Return to Chew’s Yard

 

EVENING 6.30pm onwards - Venue TBC:  

• 6.30pm:     Welcome Drink/networking  
  
• 7.15pm:          AGM    
• Catering buffet 

 

30th OCTOBER 2025 – TMI ANNUAL CONVENTION

Main Convention – University of Lancashire

8.45     Registration - networking and refreshments                                                    

9.15   –Welcome , TMI President - Kathryn Davis

9.20 -  Welcome From  Professor Steven Rhoden Dean of Business school University of Lancashire

9.30 – Local Case study –   TBC

9.45  – relaunching TMI future strategy and branding

10.05 – Simpleview – headline sponsor & Visit West case study using the CRM

10.25 – Visit Aberdeenshire with Chris Foy 

10.45 – T-stats update – Sponsor

11.05    Networking and refreshments

11.35   Breakout sessions 1

Main Room AI led workshop session

Break Out Meeting Room – Mike Newman coach infrastructure/ sustainable transport

Break Out Meeting room – Dr David Jarratt 'Tourism as a force for good': The Public Value of Tourism - A North-West England coastal community focus

12.05   5 minute changeover

Breakout sessions 2

12.10           

Main Room  Sustainability in practice workshop - TBC

Break Out Meeting room  Skills & qualifications with Dr Peter Robinson

Break Out Meeting room

Dr Philip R. Stone – 'Macabre Places': Dark Tourism in Lancashire

12.40    Networking lunch

13.40  Welcome Back   

13.45 – Main Room

Tom Chartres- Moore – Stephens Scown – sponsor - GDPR & AI legalities + latest events legal and insurance advice

Break Out Meeting room

TBC

Main room 

14.05 – Booking .com – update

14.20 – Visit England – update

14.35 - Afternoon break/networking

15.05   The Tourism Levy-  where are we now?

Panel discussion chaired by

• Marc Crowthall Scottish TA
• Cumbria – Gill Haigh
• TBC

15.45  – Susan Briggs – Working with Yorks businesses

16.00 – Tourism Alliance/UK Inbound (Joss Croft) - National policy update

16.20    President close

 

Please note that this programme is subject to change and will be continuously updated up the convention