2026 provisional speakers and topics
Conference Programme
Speakers and topics for the 2026 West Country Tourism Conference are as below:
| 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 | |
| 1300-1330 | 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 | ||
