Questex’s ULTRA Summit, the premier, hosted-buyer event in the luxury travel space presented by Luxury Travel Advisor, successfully took place July 24-26 at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa in Manalapan, FL.
The invitation-only event gathered pre-qualified, leading luxury travel agency owners and managers to meet one-on-one with the top luxury travel suppliers. The event brought together 53 luxury travel advisors with 55 luxury suppliers and coordinated 1,300 one-on-one meetings, as well as hosting networking receptions both on site at the Eau Palm Beach and at the PGA National Resort.
ULTRA Summit is known for its exceptional programming curated to arm attendees with the data and information they need to make strategic business decisions that will ultimately impact their bottom line. Ruthanne Terrero, vice president/head of content, Questex Travel and Wellness Group opened the conference presenting the "State of the Industry," an annual report based on a pre-event survey distributed to the attending advisors. The emerging trends show luxury travel has turned inward, towards family-oriented travel and personal health. The main categories that grew fastest include health and wellness, domestic travel and family travel. The post-pandemic inflation and stock market volatility did not show any significant impact on luxury travel spending. And, in general, the survey shows the need for travel advisors.
There was also a "Luxury Market Study" presented by Steve Cohen, managing partner, Stelico Consulting Group, and Jude Olinger, founder and CEO, The Olinger Group.
Terrero said, “Travel is back and there’s no better time to bring back leaders in luxury travel. Last week we learned about the importance of experiences, new opportunities for travelers as well as the industry’s emerging trends. It was wonderful to be back with advisors and suppliers at the magnificent Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa to get business done.”
In addition, the event’s keynote speaker, Chris Ramey, president of Affluent Insights and The Home Trust International, offered attendees innovative insights to take advantage of the exploding luxury category. Panel sessions were also presented where top advisors shared how they exceed expectations by asking clients the right types of questions; followed by an advisor think tank, which looked at new strategies for a new world.
One new component of the ULTRA conference was a pop-up session, in which Terrero challenged the audience with a question to stimulate thought leadership and conversation. This year’s topic asked advisors where they had traveled to most recently; they shared inside secrets unique to various properties and destinations. Luxury Travel Advisor also announced the winners of the prestigious Awards of Excellence, which recognize companies considered to be the elite suppliers in the luxury travel category for the year.
Event sponsors included: Cayman Islands, Eau Palm Beach & the Palm Beaches, Explora Journeys, Ireland Tourism, Silversea Cruises, Viking, and Visit Monaco. For those interested in becoming a supplier at a future ULTRA Summit, please contact our team. For those interested in applying to become a hosted advisor, please reach out to Andrea Hutchinson, Industry Relations Director. The 2023 Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Summit date will be announced in the coming weeks.
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