Business School hosts prestigious national tourism convention

October 2024

By Sean Madden

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Leading figures from across the fields of tourism and destination management came together as University College Birmingham hosted the TMI annual convention.

In a packed event spread across McIntyre House over two days, members of the Tourism Management Institute (TMI), students and delegates from across the country participated in talks, presentations and panel discussions encompassing all facets of the sector.

The TMI is the foremost organisation supporting destination management professionals, with a membership drawn from senior practitioners, local government, national tourism organisations and students. The institute organises annual events for networking and shared learning, and members have the chance to comment on tourism policy, and to participate in consultations from government and organisations such as Visit Britain.

The theme of this year's convention was 'Destination Rejuvenation', and it featured a strong focus on sustainability and regeneration, alongside the role of technology and data-driven tourism.

With outgoing TMI president Tom Pridmore and new president Kathryn Davis, University Vice Chancellor Michael Harkin opened proceedings, and was keen to highlight the TMI's choice of topic as perfectly suited to the host venue: "Destination Rejuvenation is the ideal theme for this year's convention as it's exemplified by the exciting changes taking place across Birmingham and the West Midlands," he told the audience.

"Tourism is a central part of further and higher education curriculum here at University College Birmingham, and we're proud that our courses attract students from the local area, across the country, and around the world."

Alongside presentations from senior figures in the industry, there was the opportunity to hear about work conducted by University College Birmingham students, who had been tasked with building an innovative new sustainable tourism strategy for the Shropshire village of Church Stretton.

Other highlights included Kris Hall, CEO of The Burnt Chef Project, who spoke on the importance of ensuring and supporting good employee mental health in the tourism and hospitality sector, Professor Marcjanna Augustyn and Dr Peter Mason, who discussed the development of sustainable tourism, and Dr Philip Stone, who discussed his research on the growing interest in dark tourism.

Richard Veal of headline sponsor Simpleview provided key insights on the exciting potential of maximising a location's exposure in film and TV production for increasing visitor numbers, while Kevin Millington from Acorn T-stats and Pete Saunders from Zonal High-Level Software, both lead sponsors of the event, discussed the ways in which data and research can be used to improve tourism outcomes.

Additional headline sponsors Booking.com were represented by Anna Hunt and Vicky Liggins, who discussed industry trends and travel predictions, and Laura Wakelin from Bluesail and Duncan Stewart of 56 Degree Insights spoke about consumer trends.

Becky Frall, vice president of the TMI and head of tourism at West Midlands Growth Company, who supported the Convention, linked this to the vital role played by institutions such as University College Birmingham: "We are passionate about progress here at the TMI, and about the graduates can help the industry to evolve through their knowledge and research experience," she said.

"In the West Midlands we're privileged to have a tourism sector that brings over 16 billion pounds to the local economy, and University College Birmingham is well placed to utilise this."

TMI president Kathryn Davis thanked the University for hosting this year's event, and was full of praise for it and its students: "Sitting at the heart of the city, with established and respected courses in tourism, alongside established industry connections, experienced academics and top-class facilities, the University was an ideal choice," she said.

"It was brilliant to see so many passionate and knowledgeable students here, and it's my hope that they'll leave today feeling invigorated, inspired and ready to do great things."

Find out more about courses within the Department of Hospitality and Tourism.