If there’s one word the travel trade has leaned on more than most in recent years, it’s connection. TravelManagers isn’t shying away from it; in fact, it’s embracing it head-on.
The company has revealed that Connection will shape its 2026 National Conference, set for Hobart from 18–20 August, and in classic TravelManagers fashion, the theme lands less like a slogan and more like a statement of intent.
Executive General Manager Michael Gazal puts it plainly: “Connection elevates an exchange from a simple transaction into something meaningful.”
It’s a line that neatly captures the DNA of a business built on personal relationships rather than shopfronts. In a sector where platforms are multiplying and automation is accelerating, TravelManagers continues to frame its value around people, specifically its network of personal travel managers (PTMs).
TravelManagers’ Executive General Manager, Michael Gazal, has issued a ‘save the date’ for National Conference 2026.
“Travel is all about connection,” Gazal says. “It is woven into every aspect of what we do and who we are. At an individual level, it means staying true to yourself and your purpose, but it’s also about building and maintaining strong relationships, within our network of personal travel managers, with our partner suppliers, and with our customers and community.”
The choice of Hobart feels deliberate. Smaller, thoughtful, quietly confident, much like the brand itself. Tasmania’s capital has a habit of bringing conversations back to what matters, and for a network business, that’s hardly accidental.
Momentum is already building. While the program details are still under wraps, early registrations are tracking well. Last year’s Bali gathering drew more than 500 delegates from PTMs, suppliers, media, and the head office, and Gazal believes Tasmania may yet top it.
“Based on the enthusiastic response when we announced Tasmania as our 2026 location, I think we can expect to see another year of record-breaking attendance,” he says.
Beyond the event itself, the announcement lands as a subtle reminder of where TravelManagers continues to plant its flag. In a travel economy that is digitising at pace, the company is quietly reinforcing an older truth: relationships still travel further than transactions.
And if the Hobart theme is anything to go by, TravelManagers is betting the industry agrees.
by Susan Ng – (c) 2026.
Read Time: 1 Minute.
About the Writer.
With the polish of an international hotel professional and the instincts of a born storyteller, Susan Ng learned hospitality where it truly lives behind reception desks, in banquet halls, beside linen carts. She understands that excellence isn’t announced; it’s felt, in the small, quiet gestures that linger long after checkout.
Away from the bustle, her curiosity found a new front desk: the blank page. Her blog, candid and gently wry, drew readers who recognised truth when they saw it. She wrote about grace and imperfection with the steady eye of someone who had lived both.
Today, at Global Travel Media, Susan brings that same warmth and insight to her stories. Expect writing that is polished, generous, and reassuring, like the perfect welcome after a long journey.
