Celebrating independent hospitality across Scotland and the UK. The Place Hotel, Edinburgh, Tuesday 15th September 2026. Free to attend.
XP Hospitality Edinburgh takes place at The Place Hotel on Tuesday 15th September 2026 – a day built around the people shaping independent hospitality across Scotland and the UK.
The programme brings together operators, technology leaders, and sector thinkers for honest, peer-led conversation about where Scottish hospitality is heading and what that means in practice. Sessions cover agentic AI and independent distribution, the economics of owning your direct guest relationships, and what it takes to build businesses that last through a period of real change in the sector.
The format is peer-led throughout, built around questions operators are genuinely sitting with rather than presentations designed to impress. There are no sales pitches and no obligations, just a room full of people who care about independent hospitality, talking honestly about it.
A collection for Shelter Scotland takes place on the day.
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Marc is Chief Executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance and Co-Chair of Scotland’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Leadership Group. He received an MBE for services to the Scottish tourism industry and was awarded the Institute of Directors Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
Few people have a clearer view of where Scottish tourism is heading, what the sector needs from its operators and leaders, and how the national strategy translates into practical decisions on the ground.
Sarah is Director for Scotland and Northern Ireland at HARPA, working directly with parks and outdoor hospitality operators across Scotland on the issues that matter most to them day to day. She brings a grounded, practical perspective on what the sector is dealing with right now, from innovation and investment to the policy and industry pressures shaping decisions on the ground.
We are so delighted to have her returning to XP once again to share her wealth of knowledge and passion for the parks sector.
Ian co-founded The Union, one of Scotland’s most respected marketing and advertising agencies, and led it for nearly three decades before transitioning the business to employee ownership in 2025. He has advised on two Scottish elections, worked across 120+ brands, and was named Scotland’s Agency Leader of the Year in 2011.
He brings a long-view perspective on what it takes to build a brand that lasts — and why that matters more than ever for independent hospitality operators in a short-term world.
Matt leads product at Zonal, the UK’s largest EPOS and SaaS provider for the hospitality industry, where he has spent over a decade shaping how technology serves operators at scale.
His session looks at where AI is making a practical difference in hospitality operations today, what operators should genuinely pay attention to, and how to think clearly about technology choices when the market is moving fast.
Sam leads AI strategy and marketing at 80 Days, a creative and digital marketing agency working with over 450 independent hotel and travel brands. He also founded Hotel Speak, a respected news resource for hotel marketing and revenue management.
He is one of the most informed voices in the UK on how independent hotels can use AI practically — in their marketing, their operations, and their direct guest relationships — and is a frequent speaker at hospitality industry events across the UK and internationally.
Josh is Director of Traveltech for Scotland at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, where he has facilitated over £20m of investment in Scottish travel technology and built a 200-company strong community of innovators and operators.
He is an experienced speaker on AI in tourism and travel futures, with past engagements including ITB Berlin, Phocuswright, and World Travel Market. His session looks at where agentic AI is taking travel distribution, and what independent operators need to do now to stay on the right side of that shift.
Dave McRobbie on the behavioural triggers that digital and AI use to shape our decisions, and what it means for the businesses and guests on the receiving end.
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Ian McAteer explains why emotion, distinctiveness and long-term thinking still outperform everything else in hospitality.
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Claire Flower, Director at Beverley Holidays and HARPA Chair, on why relationships sit at the heart of every successful park business, and what operators should know about the sector right now.
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