Travel Marketers Lunch & Learn

Travel publishers sit at a unique vantage point since they see where curiosity starts, what inspires action, and which audiences are actively in market. Madeline Burgess, Travel Brand Partnerships Manager at The Independent, will share what that picture looks like right now: how traveller behaviour is shifting, where audience opportunity is emerging, and what brands working with The Independent are seeing in terms of results and reach.

The session will also cover how Travel Smart and Independent TV are creating new ways in for travel brands, unlocking audience segments and media placements that have opened up significantly in the last two years, with real implications for how travel marketing budgets should be thinking about publisher partnerships in 2026.

Jim Ralley, our AI Creative Technologist, will be sharing something he’s built specifically for this event which is a podcast-style morning briefing designed for senior travel marketers, focused on how AI agents are reshaping the way travellers discover, consider and book.

The idea grew out of something Jim put together internally – a tool that helps our own team stay across the fast-moving world of AI search and agentic commerce without it eating their morning. Jim has taken that same thinking and built a version tailored specifically for travel marketing leaders, and everyone at the session will be able to start using it straight away.

It’s less a product demo, more a useful thing to take home.

AI agents are already researching holidays, shortlisting operators and recommending brands – before a single human has seen your marketing. Sam Zindel, Propellernet’s CEO, will explore what agentic commerce means for travel, why experiential brands have more to gain than lose, and the three things that will define which brands come out ahead.

Got a question about reaching the right travel audience or making the most of Independent Media opportunities? Book a 15-minute surgery with Lily, The Independent and the Canopy team – a small number of slots are available on the day, with more that can be booked online after the event.