OPEN HOUSE >SPEAKERS

Leaders to
learn from

With the very best entrepreneurs, conservationists, wellness gurus, tech mavericks and philanthropists sharing their knowledge and insights, at Open House there's countless opportunities to find the inspiration you’ve been looking for.

Check out our exciting list of speakers joining us at Open House 2025, with many more names yet to be announced...

2025 Speakers

Some of the finest mavericks in the industry taking the stage at Open House this year, with plenty more to come...

Richard Walton

Service NOT Sales – How Travel & Hospitality Companies Can Turn Customer Service into Revenue

Many travel and hospitality staff hesitate to “sell,” but the best sales happen through great service. This talk shows how any customer-facing employee can naturally generate revenue by enhancing guest experiences.

More about Richard…

For more than 25 years, Richard has been building, scaling and managing high-performance teams throughout South Africa, the UK and the US. His tenacious entrepreneurship has spearheaded several $10 million-plus travel brands, and earned him a 10/10 rating as an EO international speaker. Further keynote credentials include talks for the EOA, ATTA and multiple global trade agencies.

Sophie Morgan

Beyond Access: Reimagining Inclusion In Travel

The travel industry thrives on innovation. You make the impossible happen while unlocking remote corners of the world. So how can you be equally as ingenious with a more inclusive workforce? In this powerful talk, broadcaster, adventurer and disability activist Sophie Morgan wants all of us to rethink inclusion — not as a checkbox, but an untapped business opportunity. She’ll head a panel of members from The Conscious Travel Foundation to dissect why this isn’t just the right thing to do, but the smart thing, unleashing creativity and resourcefulness for transformative guest experiences.

More about Sophie…

Sophie is an award-winning travel writer, broadcaster, and leading disability activist and consultant. Her career in journalism has led her to a column at Condé Nast Traveller, on top of acting as a contributing editor to Wanderlust and writing features for publications such as The Telegraph and Nat Geo. She’s perhaps best known for fronting TV coverage of the Paralympics as one of the first visibly disabled broadcasters in the world. Over the years, she has influenced airline policy, consulted global brands and given talks at the UN to ensure more disabled people are seen and heard.

Edmund Morris

Travel in 2030, Unpacked

At the dawn of the next decade, what will our industry look like? If you were stepping out of a time machine, what are the first things you’d notice? Equator’s Edmund Morris is your guide to the near future. Using real-world trends and data, he’s predicted how experiential travel will change in five years. It’s already happening; Edmond’s just found the scale-up potential. In three parts — for AI, overtourism and sustainability — he’ll break through charts and graphs into what’s emerging or being applied today for a 2030 scenario you might recognise.

More about Edmund…

Edmund is a critical futurist who uses quantitative modelling to analyse trends on the future of travel. As the founder of Equator, an AI startup, he’s built visitor impact calculators, found out how overtourism is changing traveller sentiments, and modelled investment for adventures in Panama. Before launching Equator, he spent almost a decade building impact models for aid and refugee programmes. Edmund has kept challenging himself in the public arena, too. He’s a Substacker and Youtuber, has spoken at events around the world, and been featured in Travel Weekly and Forbes.

Juliet Kinsman

The Art of Sell, Don’t Tell

Everyone talks about the importance of storytelling. Can you really do it, though — or is it just a sales pitch? Context, detail and emotional stakes are paramount for delivering a message people actually want to hear. Veteran PUREist Juliet Kinsman will help you sound more you amidst bland blasts of ChatGPT and copycat noise in the industry. In her first Workshop, she’ll tailor storytelling advice for agents, media and marketing. In the second, she’ll consider techniques for hotel and resort owners and operators, so you can measure influence beyond metrics.

More about Juliet…

Funny Old World was created by Juliet Kinsman, a London-based journalist and sustainability expert who’s also Condé Nast Traveller’s first Sustainability Editor. Author of The Green Edit: Travel — Easy Tips for the Eco-Friendly Traveller (2020; Ebury) and The Bucket List Eco Experiences: Travelling the World (2022; Rizzoli), she’s spent more than 25 years in the media. After making a name for herself as the founding editor of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Juliet created purpose-led, non-profit consultancy Bouteco in 2016 to help brands become better storytellers free of greenwashing.

Mirjam Peternak-McCartney

Top 10 Tips to Future-Proof Your Travel Brand’s Communications for 2026

In a fast-evolving landscape where purpose is as powerful as profit, how we tell our stories matters more than ever. As we approach 2026, this PR masterclass will unveil the top ten tips to future-proof your travel brand’s visibility and values. From navigating the next wave of EU sustainability legislation to decoding the role of data in modern storytelling, we’ll explore why traditional KPIs no longer suffice, how affiliate marketing is reshaping reach, and what it takes to build genuine, long-term relevance. Whether you’re a boutique brand or a global player, consider this your blueprint for bolder, better PR.

More about Mirjam…

Trusted by the most respected names within travel, Mirjam has over 20 years’ experience in travel PR. Mirjam founded Lemongrass 20 years ago, prompted by a desire to create meaningful change in travel communications. Her innovative leadership has driven Lemongrass to win multiple awards for the agency’s new approach to travel communications, blending the creativity and storytelling of PR with the strategic strength of data insights. In 2023 Lemongrass became an accredited B Corp and won the prestigious Sunday Times Best Places to Work Award. The agency undertakes pro bono work for the Conscious Travel Foundation and was one of the earliest adopters of the 4-day working week. As one of the industry’s leading figures, Mirjam is regularly invited to speak at global travel events and is a frequent guest on industry podcasts.

Anant Sharma

More about Anant…

Anant has spent the last 14 years leading Matter Of Form, a brand and experience design consultancy working with timeless luxury brands across many verticals. A futurist, innovation enthusiast and advocate of cultural developments that promote learning and fresh ideas, he also counts himself a student and teacher of behavioural design. Why do we do the things we do? This question is fundamental to Anant’s work, and it’s a fascination he brings to every venture, from design school Experience Haus to Matter Of Form’s own podcast, What The Luxe.

Leaders tolearn from