2026 provisional speakers and topics
Conference Programme
Provisional speakers and topics for the 2026 West Country Tourism Conference are as below, subject to confirmation. The final programme and timings will follow:
| PROGRAMME SUBJECT TO CHANGE) | |||
| Tues 3 Feb | ‘Running a successful and sustainable tourism business’ | ||
| 0930-1000 | Tea & Coffee on arrival | ||
| 1000-1004 | Welcome & Intro – Robin Barker, Services for Tourism and TMI | ||
| 1005-1012 | Jennifer Young, Calvert Trust Devon | Thoughts from Recent Award Winner | |
| 1013-1024 | Neil Warren, Disability Together | 5* Access | |
| 1025-1032 | Phil Trevett, Somerset Larder | Buying Local and Apprentices | |
| 1033-1040 | Paul Turner, Cosmic | Small Teams, Big Impact: Tech That Lightens the Load | |
| 1041-1052 | Pete Woodward, Securious | One Hack, One Holiday Park, One Reputation Gone | |
| 1053- 1100 | Kevin Millington, T Stats Solutions | Tourism in the South West – Performance in Numbers | |
| 1101-1108 | Fraser Browning, Kurb Carbon | Empowering Your Business for a Low Carbon Future | |
| 1109-1116 | Robin Tjolle, VisitEngland | Update from VisitEngland / VisitBritain | |
| 1117-1124 | Vince Flower, Devon and Partners LVEP | The Devon and Partners LVEP | |
| 1125-1154 | Tea & Coffee | ||
| 1155-1206 | Mark Durber, Clockwork Marketing | How Authentic Brands Win in the Age of AI Generated Content | |
| 1207-1214 | Amanda Winwood, Made for Life Organics | Wellbeing for Growth: The Transformative Power of Wellness Tourism | |
| 1215-1226 | Thomas Chartres-Moore, Stephens Scown | Legal Landscape 2025: Key Updates | |
| 1227-1237 | Kate Nicholls OBE, UK Hospitality | Tourism and Growth | |
| 1238-1248 | Eddy Leviten, The Tourism Alliance | Making Our Voice Heard | |
| 1249-1259 | Alistair Handyside MBE, PASC UK | Self Catering Priorities | |
| 1310-1330 | Q&A with Kate, Eddy and Alistair | ||
| 1330-1600 | Pasty Lunch (included) and opportunity to visit Source Trade show | ||
| Weds 4 Feb | ‘AI, Marketing, PR and Content’ | ||
| 0930-1000 | Tea & Coffee on arrival | ||
| 1000-1004 | Welcome & Intro – Robin Barker, Services for Tourism and TMI | ||
| 1005-1013 | John Doyle and Dan Frost, Raceworld and Prodigy Escapes | Story from Recent Award Winners | |
| 1014-1027 | Dom Hine & Mark Durber, Clockwork Marketing | Smoke, mirrors & search: What really matters for AI visibility | |
| 1028-1041 | Tony Wilson & Vanessa Glossop, Anytime Booking | 7 myths still costing you bookings in 2026 (and what to do Instead) | |
| 1042-1055 | Joe Caley, Optix | From Keywords to Conversations: Marketing Strategies for AI Search | |
| 1056-1109 | Emily Smith, Stephens Scown | Websites, advertising and reviews – legal changes you need to know | |
| 1110-1119 | Lesley Anderson, Hedgerow Marketing | Five Hidden Marketing Wins You Already Have but Aren’t Using | |
| 1120-1129 | Q&A | ||
| 1130-1159 | Tea & Coffee | ||
| 1200-1209 | Professor Peter Jones, The CRUMBS Project | The CRUMBS Project – and Finding a Valuable Workforce | |
| 1210-1219 | Mark Worden, MiHi Digital | What You Still Need to be Doing When You’re Not Thinking or Talking About AI | |
| 1220-1229 | Jamie Carroll, Outdooractive | Making our outdoors more inclusive | |
| 1230-1239 | Sam Groom, Perfect Events Group | The Positive Impact of Organising Major Events | |
| 1240-1249 | Aisling Magill, Aisling Magill Photography | Capturing Excellence: The Visual Standard of Award-Winning Hospitality | |
| 1250-1259 | Florence Bate, Florence and Fable | How to smash a media visit itinerary | |
| 1300-1309 | Andy Lennox, The Fired Up Collective | The challenges of running a successful pub in the current economic climate | |
| 1310-1330 | Q & A | ||
| 1330-1600 | Pasty Lunch (included) and opportunity to visit Source Trade show | ||
