IMM North America 2024 Sets New Records in Travel Media Connectivity and Engagement

IMM North America 2024

TravMedia's eighth annual IMM (International Media Marketplace) North America connected more than 525 North American media with 500 Public Relations professionals representing more than 390 international travel brands in New York City.

It was a record number of exhibitors for the global event series which is held annually in six countries worldwide.

Participants held over 9,360 pre-scheduled, one-on-one appointments and attended 4.5 hours of open networking across multiple catered events.

Premier Partner Visit California gave IMM attendees a sneak peek at the organization's brand evolution rolling out in 2024, inviting media to visit The Ultimate Playground. The state's new brand platform — and ad campaign launching in the spring — is grounded in decades of research on the importance of play for the human condition and societal wellness. Humans need play in their lives more than ever. California is leaning into the imperative with a partnership with the National Institute for Play and an integrated marketing campaign that will elevate the global conversation around the benefits of pursuing play through experiences in the nation's No. 1 travel destination.

“Year after year, the bar is continually raised by the diversity, quantity, and quality of destinations and media in attendance. The energy in the room was more amazing than ever,” observed Nick Wayland, TravMedia's CEO and Founder.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) returned as the presenting partner of the IMM North America luncheon. Anne Madison, SVP of Global Strategic Communications and Marketing for CLIA, addressed how the cruise sector's investments in environmental technologies and practices are advancing the industry's progress in pursuing net zero emissions by 2050. She also highlighted several trends, including how younger generations are the future of cruise, with the intent to cruise the highest of all generations among Millennials and Gen-X travelers.

Premier Partner Visit California was joined by 28 destinations, products, hotels, and experiences in the Visit California Pavilion.

Pavilion Partner Destination Canada brought 50 provinces and territories (PTMOs), city partners (DMOs), attractions, and associations. Canadian Tour Operators and Hotels were represented under their respective categories.

The Tourism Australia Pavilion showcased 12 state and territory tourism organizations (STOs), associations, and luxury lodge partners who were further amplified during the Morning Networking Reception with photo-worthy backdrops, signature mini bacon and egg rolls, fruit, and healthy treats to fuel the delegation for a busy day of one-on-one meetings and networking.

The Costa Rica Pavilion had five regional experts that highlighted each part of the country.

Nebraska Tourism Commission hosted the media lounge; Visit Costa Rica provided a coffee cart activation; Tourism Australia sponsored the morning networking break; Windstar Cruises supplied the official media bags; Riverside Luxury Cruises provided branded lanyards for the media and exhibitor delegation; St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau supplied reusable water bottles; Bonjour Quebèc provided branded notepads and pens; and Visit California included their destination inspiration guide.

The fifth annual TravMedia Summit North America, sponsored by Visit Detroit the day prior, was also an outstanding success. It featured Keynote Speaker Michael Brown, who gave a heartfelt talk about the art of storytelling. Seven moderators and panelists led vigorous discussions about A.I. Best Practices, To Podcast or Not to Podcast, Travel Content for Streaming Platforms, The Changing Media Landscape, Destination Marketing that Works, Sustainability, and the always popular Slam with Travel Editors.

The TravMedia Summit convened 525 media and industry thought leaders to discuss the latest industry trends. TravMedia's partnership with the Society of American Travel Writers and its Editors Council continues to be a source of strength and value. The day concluded with a cocktail function hosted by Visit the Santa Ynez Valley.

IMM North America 2024

The 525 media in attendance included top national, in-house travel editors, journalists, broadcasters, podcasters, and editorially-minded influencers from the following outlets (A-Z): A Dangerous Business Travel Blog, AAA magazines, AARP, Adventure, AdventurPro, AFAR, Airbnb Magazine, Air Canada, Al Jazeera, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Alex on the Map, Álula magazine, Angels Travel Lounge, Angie Away, Architectural Digest, Associated Press Wire, Atlas Obscura, Backpacker, BBC Travel, BBC World News, Best Places To Go, Black Card Mag, BLOX Digital, Book Cottages, Boston Globe, Breakfast Television, Business Insider, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Camels & Chocolate, Canadian Geographic, CBS News, Chatelaine, Chicago Tribune, CNN, CNN Travel, CNN.com, Condé Nast Traveler, Cool Hunting, Cosmopolitan, CTV, Dallas Morning News, Danusia Trevino Media & Oration, DINE and Destinations Magazine, Disney, Drift Travel, DuJour, Elite Traveler, Elle Decor, Emirates Open Skies Magazine, enRoute, Escape, Expedia, Falcon Guides, Family Travel Forum, Family Vacationist, Fifty Grande, Fodors, Food & Wine, Food Network, Food Wine Travel magazine, Forbes, FOX, Frommer's, Garden & Gun, Garden Destinations, Geographic Traveller, Girl Gone, GoNomad, Hemispheres, Hertz, HGTV, Hike the World, Hilton Club Traveler Magazine, Hilton Mom Voyage, Honey Trek, Houston Chronicle, Huffington Post, Ink Global, InsideHook, Insider, Interior Design, Jetsetter, Live in Italy magazine, Lonely Planet, Los Angeles Times, Luxe Beat, Luxe Getaways magazine, Luxury Magazine, Matador Network, Men's Journal, Money.ca, Money We Have, MSN, Multiple Cruise Critic, My Travelanthropy, Nat Geo Travel, National Geographic Books, Nerd Wallet, New York Post, New York Times, NY Family, Oprah Magazine, Oregonian, Orbitz, Orlando magazine, Outdoors, Outside, Paste magazine, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Playboy, POPSUGAR, Popular Science, Private Clubs, Quarter Miles Travel, Refinery29, Robb Report, Rovology, San Francisco Chronicle, Saveur, Scary Mommy, Scuba Diving Magazine, Self, She Buys Travel, Shermans Travel, Sierra magazine, Smarter Travel, Smithsonian, Speck on the Globe, Sunset, T+L Southeast Asia, Talk Travel Asia, Teen Vogue, Terradrift, The Ellen Show, The Points Guy, The Sun, TIME, Time Out, Town & Country, Travel + Leisure, Travel Age West, Travel by Vacation Rental, Travel Channel, Travel Market Report, Travel Noire, Travel Outside, Travel Weekly, Travel With Annita, Travel Zoo, Travel Age West, Travel Awaits, Travel Channel, Travelocity Magazine, Travel Pulse, Travels With the Crew, Travel Zoo, Triangle Gardener magazine, TripAdvisor, Uproxx, Upscale Magazine, US News & World Report, USA Today, USA TODAY 10 Best, USA Today Go Escape, Vacations & Travel, Via (AAA) magazine, Virtuoso, Voices of Inspiration Podcast, Wandering Carol, Wanderlust, Washington Post, Watchonista, WestJet Magazine, Words in TIME Magazine, Work Our Way Productions, World Report Eater, WV Living Magazine, Yahoo, Zagat, Zoomer magazine.

Registration for IMM North America 2025 will open on August 1, 2024.
* TravMedia https://www.travmedia.com/
* Kim Grant at kim.grant@travmedia.com