TMI Convention 29 - 30 October 2025
Full 2 Day Event Programme
STUDY TOURS AND EVENING EVENT (inc AGM)
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 - Please note that this tour is now full
Wednesday 29th October 2025, 12.00pm – 5pm
Meet at 12pm at Preston Martyrs Memorial outside 1842 Restaurant — the minibus can pull up outside or park on nearby Fleet St.
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 the multi award winning Northcote Hotel. (30 mins), and then on to the market town of Clitheroe, in the heart of Ribble Valley. To achieve a true sense of the landscape, delegates will enjoy the views from the iconic Clitheroe Castle, after which delegates will learn about the development of Holmes Mill, a unique tourism attraction, which includes food hall, brewery and one of the longest bars in Britain.
On the return journey to Preston , delegates will visit Mrs Dowsons Farm Park.
TOUR 2
Preston Walking Tour
12.30pm Meet at the Harris Museum.
Harris Museum,
Art Gallery & Library
Market Square
Preston
Lancashire
PR1 2PP
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
Ivory Tower,
The Corn Exchange,
Lune St,
Preston,
PR1 2NL
- 6.30pm: Welcome Drink/networking
- 7.15pm: AGM
- Guest Speak John Gilmore Former BBC Radio Presenter, Presenter of Parched Pea Podcast and True Lancastrian
- Catering buffet
30th OCTOBER 2025 – TMI ANNUAL CONVENTION
Main Convention – University of Lancashire - Greenbank Building
University of Lancashire map.pdf
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 – relaunching TMI future strategy and branding
9.45 –The Blackpool Story - Alan Cavill - Assistant Chief Executive at Blackpool Council
10.05 – Simpleview – headline sponsor & Visit West case study using the CRM
10.25 – Visit Aberdeenshire with Chris Foy - ‘How Visit Aberdeenshire are maximising economic benefits of visitors.’
10.45 – T-Stats Solutions update – Making Affordable Visitor Surveys Work for your Destination
Kevin Millington looks at online visitor surveys showing how they can be highly effective for tracking visitor profile and trip characteristics at an affordable cost.
11.05 Networking and refreshments
11.35 Breakout sessions 1
Main Room AI led workshop session
Break Out Meeting Room – Improving Coach Infrastructure For Destinations – An Industry Perspective.
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 - chaired by TMI director of sustainability, Alison Burgh, with Richard Walker, Marketing Manchester & Richard Hammond, Greentraveller, Media
Break Out Meeting room Improving the Perception of Careers in the Visitor Economy 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
Creative Design in Destination
- Jordan Yates
- Creative Director Anti-Gravity
Main room
14.05 DMO Futures & The Tourism Levy- where are we now?
Panel discussion chaired by TMI president, Kathryn Davis
- Marc Crothall MBE The Scottish Tourism Alliance
- Cumbria Tourism Local Visitor Economy Partnership – Gill Haigh
- Louisa Shaw - Head of Place Marketing Staffordshire County Council
14.50 - Afternoon break/networking
15.15 – Booking .com – update
15.30 – Visit England/DCMS – update
15.50 – Susan Briggs – Working with Yorks businesses - relevance and reality - How can you demonstrate your relevance, create stronger partnerships and work with businesses to reach and delight more visitors? What do businesses really need? How can you engage them in a fast-changing world?
16.05 – Tourism Alliance/UK Inbound (Joss Croft OBE) - National policy update
16.25 President close
Please note that this programme is subject to change and will be continuously updated up the convention