Sofia Almeida has a PhD in Tourism from the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT) of the University of Lisbon, and a degree in Business Communication. Currently she is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology at the European University. She teaches Tourism and Hospitality Marketing; Brand Management, Digital Communication and Social Media; Digital Marketing, Luxury Management and Event Management. Since September 2022, she is also coordinator of the Tourism & Hospitality area at the European University, and coordinator of the Master in Digital Marketing.

Sofia worked for fifteen years as Marketing Director in the hotel marketing consortium ARTEH® Hotels & Resorts, an independent hotel chain with international representation. Her research focuses on hotel management, networks, hotel marketing consortiums, tourism marketing, hotel branding, digital marketing and knowledge sharing. Sofia is the author of several international research articles, book chapters, participation in dictionaries and encyclopedias in the area of tourism and hotel management. Holder of international awards, she is also a lecturer and event organizer in the area of tourism. Her extra-curricular activities are focused on national and international training and also in consulting and participation in several projects in the area of tourism. Sofia is also an integrated researcher in the Center for Geographical Studies at CEG / IGOT, University of Lisbon.

Sofia has twenty years experience as a trainer in several courses related to pedagogical training of trainers, hotel marketing, customer service and etiquette training, luxury and detail in the hotel industry and also digital marketing. Sofia Almeida writes monthly for the TNews newspaper (tnews.pt). She is also founder (2012) of a community of women hoteliers, called Amigas do Trade and more recently she is founder of the network of women in research: Women Research Network.

Maria Alexandra Patrocínio Rodrigues Gonçalves is an Associate Professor at the University of Algarve, School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism, where she has been teaching since 1997.

She is a researcher at CinTurs - Research Centre For Tourism, Sustainability and Wellbeing for the areas of Tourism, Territory, Heritage, Cultural Management and Creative Industries.

She holds a PhD in Tourism from the University of Évora (2013), a Master in Cultural Management from the University of Algarve (cooperation with the University of Paris-8, Sorbonne) (2002), a postgraduate degree in Cultural Heritage Law from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon (2016), and a degree in Marketing (1997). She held the position of Regional Director of Culture of the Algarve from December 16, 2013 to December 15, 2018; she was a councillor of Faro City Council between October 2009 and October 2013, with the departments of culture, tourism, social action, economy and health.

She has published research in the areas of tourist and cultural experience, cultural and creative tourism, management of cultural heritage and museums, and event evaluation, among others. She is coordinator of projects in the area of Tourism, Culture and Sustainability, and other projects in the areas of creative industries and entrepreneurship. Since October 30, 2019 she is the Director of the School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism of the University of Algarve.

José Francisco Silva Borralho (Lisbon, July 14, 1969) Graduated in Marketing Management by IPAM (1995) and Master in Coolhunting by AYR/Science of the Times by Carl Rhode (2010). He began his career at the German multinational Hoechst Portuguesa (1988), as a Controller, from which he moved to Grupo Torralta Turismo SA (1991) to assist the Directorate of Communication and later accumulate with the direction of marketing and real estate promotion of the Group.

In 1993 he co-founds the public relations company Weber Shandwick | D&E (Interpublic Group) where he was director in charge of marketing and client strategy.

In 1994 he became a consultant on political marketing strategy for the First Free Elections in Mozambique, coordinating the transformation process of Renamo (from guerrilla movement to political party).

After 5 years (1999-2004) at the head of Weber Shandwick | D&E, where he coordinated promotion campaigns for major national projects - Associação Empresarial Portuense; Associação Industrial do Minho; Marinha Grande MGlass - and prominent clients (Virgin Megastores; McDonalds; Danone; Instituto Vinho do Porto; Visa; MasterCard; Samsung among others) leaves (2004) to launch the "Product of the Year", a project for recognition of innovation in the large consumption in which he remained until 2007 to then launch Tryp Network, as Administrator, with offices in Lisbon, Madrid, Milan and London and take over the French project "Saveur de l'année", where he would also launch the Restaurant Week project in Portugal and Spain. During this period he was a columnist in some media, always with topics related to marketing.

In 2012 he founded APTECE - Portuguese Association of Culinary Tourism and Economy, assuming its presidency and the mission of recovery and preservation of national culinary traditions.

In February 2013, he creates ONE BCAM FIVE SGPS, which he chairs, acquiring 100% of the share capital of Brandstory Lda (Marketing Consultant) and 90% of ConsumerChoice - Centro de Avaliação da Satisfação do Consumidor Lda, which holds the most successful brand award in Portugal - "Consumer Choice" and is in other international markets (operation in Spain and Poland).

He also owns the companies: Product of the Year Portugal Lda; Happy Bizz Lda and AlwaysJune Investments SA.

In 2015 he founded Street Food Portugal - Street Food Association and is responsible for the major street food events in Portugal, including the Web Summit. In 2016, he wins the Product of the Year representation for Portugal.

He is also a founding partner and President of SKOOL - Association About Kids Guided Open Learning, created in May 2018.

With a degree in Modern Languages and Literature in the Portuguese and German variant, as well as a degree in Media Studies from Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universität in Bonn (Germany), I have been a journalist for over 20 years.

The beginning was in the Automobile area (AUTO HOJE of the MotorPress group), later moving to the wine sector, at Néctar magazine.

In 2005, I joined WORKMEDIA as Editor-in-Chief of HIPERSUPER magazine, becoming editorial director of the publication in 2006.

In 2012, after a brief stint as Media/Communication Director of FÓRUM DO CONSUMO, I head to Angola to launch the 1st Modern Retail and Distribution magazine in the Angolan market. The magazine DISTRIBUIÇÃO em EXPANSÃO is born in the SCORE MEDIA group, owner of the most important and influential economic newspaper in the country: EXPANSÃO.

With the executive and editorial direction of the magazine DISTRIBUIÇÃO EM EXPANSÃO, he collaborates as a journalist in the economic and automobile area in the EXPANSÃO newspaper at the same time he is part of the team that develops the lifestyle magazine LUXOS.

As part of DISTRIBUIÇÃO EM EXPANSÃO, he organized the first DISTRIBUIÇÃO CONFERENCES, which in two editions (2013 and 2014) brought several national and international speakers to Luanda.

Back in Portugal, in 2015, I pass through MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE as Executive Partner, and in 2017 I lead the delegation of the NOVA VAGA Portugal group. At the same time, the Custom Publishing area is developed in Portugal, developing projects for Coca-Cola Angola and SUAVE. At the same time, I collaborate with the EXPANSÃO newspaper and develop the MOTORES rubric in the publication, besides coordinating editorially the LUXOS magazine (lifestyle).

At the end of 2018 I return to the universe of retail and brands, as Editor-in-Chief of DISTRIBUIÇÃO HOJE, from IFE by Abilways, while also assuming the editorial direction of the LOGÍSTICA&TRANSPORTESHOJE magazine, developing, in 2019, a new editorial project in the Sustainability area with the SUSTAINABLE platform.

Since February 2021, I am editorial director of PUBLITURIS newspaper, the oldest publication in B2B tourism in Portugal, founded in 1968, and PUBLITURIS HOTELARIA magazine.

In these two publications, which belong to the WORKMEDIA group - owner of MEIOS&PUBLICIDADE, CONSTUIR and HIPERSUPER newspapers - I organize several events every year: Portugal Travel Awards, Portugal Trade Awards, RoadShow das Viagens, Hotels&Suppliers, Meeting Forums, among others.