AI and emotional intelligence take centre stage at Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit
The 2025 Travel Marketing Summit is diving headfirst into the new forces shaping the future of the industry: emotional context and intelligent automation. Two newly announced sessions will challenge conventional thinking, and provide marketers with a roadmap for growth in uncertain times.
In ‘Marketing for Growth in a ‘Polycrisis’’, Dan Krigstein, director at the Growth Intelligence Centre and The Growth Distillery, will examine how multi-layered global crises, from economic instability to genocide and environmental threats, are reshaping consumer sentiment and decision-making.
Dan Krigstein
With audiences more distracted and emotionally heightened than ever, Krigstein will explore how brands can recalibrate tone, messaging and media strategy to meet consumers where they are, and why the travel industry, in particular, holds the key to driving human connection and economic movement.
Meanwhile, a session entitled ‘No tourists were harmed: how AI is rewiring the travel sector’ will showcase a world-first suite of AI-powered tools that are already transforming the way travel is marketed, discovered and booked.
Bosco Anthony, chief brand officer at Global Rev Gen, will offer a high-velocity walkthrough of the technologies his team is using today, from predictive chatbots and robotic booking agents to creative intelligence engines that optimise campaigns before they even launch.
The session will spotlight real-world campaigns where intelligent automation has lifted conversions and redefined traveller engagement across dark social, mobile, and programmatic environments.
Bosco Anthony
Whether you’re marketing a destination, airline, hotel, or tour experience, this keynote will deliver a clear-eyed view of what’s possible — and what’s already in play.
The TravelSummit will also will feature a session exploring how True North Adventure Cruises and Today the Brave redefined their approach to marketing in the luxury travel category. In Uncharted territory: throwing out the luxury rulebook, the team will share how they moved away from traditional tourism tropes to develop a campaign focused on emotional connection and audience relevance.
The session will cover how the agency and client worked closely across strategy, storytelling and production, and how the campaign reached new customers while maintaining brand loyalty. It offers practical insights for marketers looking to take a different approach to category conventions. The session will be presented by Today the Brave’s creative partner Vince Osmond, head of media Jacqui Capel alongside True North Adventure Cruises’ marketing manager Oli Oldroyd.
Other travel industry leaders confirmed on the bill include Tourism Tasmania’s chief marketing officer, Lindene Cleary; South Australian Tourism Commission’s executive director marketing, Erik de Roos; and the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi’s sector marketing director, Emma Campbell.
Tourism Australia’s chief marketing officer Susan Coghill will also take to the stage on the eve of the organisation’s new iteration of ‘Come and Say G’Day’. Other brands due to speak include Mudgee Region Tourism, Journey Beyond, and Intrepid Travel.
The 2025 Travel Marketing Summit returns to Sydney on August 28 2025. Early bird tickets are on sale for one more week, closing on 18 July.
For any enquiries relating to the summit, please email events@mumbrella.com.au.
The shortlist for the Travel Marketing Awards has also been revealed this week.
Related Content
SUBSCRIBE
Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.
