For the first time since the
pandemic, the Travel Edge Network (TEN) brought together nearly 200 luxury
travel advisors and supplier partners for its inaugural "Limitless
Live" event at the newly opened Kimpton Santo Hotel in San Antonio. The two-day
gathering, called “Crafting the Extraordinary,” marked a much-anticipated
return to in-person networking and collaboration for the luxury travel network.
Meetings have been managed through virtual events during the past five years of
the COVID-19 crisis.
The Limitless Live event,
designed to foster community and innovation within the luxury travel sector,
featured a mix of one-on-one networking sessions, off-site experiences, curated
dinners, intimate educational gatherings and panel discussions. Topics ranged
from the growing demand for experiential and exotic travel to the importance of
personalization in crafting bespoke client journeys. And, for any advisor who
wanted it, tutorials in the proprietary ADX booking platform were on tap.?
Andrew Pilkington, president of
Travel Edge since December 2023, emphasized the decision to host an in-person conference
was driven by overwhelming demand from the network’s members, who had expressed
a strong desire to reconnect face-to-face after years of virtual interactions.
Those plans were hatched following an in-depth “listening tour” Pilkington accomplished
last year – a road trip across the United States, Canada and Bermuda meeting
TEN’s member advisors in person to better understand their business dynamics.
The goal, he noted, was to create a sense of community and provide a platform
for advisors and suppliers to exchange ideas and strengthen partnerships. This
was his first Limitless Live event.
“One of the things that we have
done recently at Travel Edge is to segment our advisors into various stages to
give them a more personalized experience,” says Pilkington, pointing to TEN’s
Venture program launched in 2023 to adjust programs and services according to
member skill levels. “So we have people who are just coming into the industry
who don't really know what's going on and need a lot of guidance and training
as well as support and mentorship. We have another group that has been around
for a while but is trying to figure out how to make a career out of this
industry. They also need training, mentorship and support, but a different
kind. Then we have people who have made travel their profession, their life
career. They're up and running. This is how they make money. And then we have a
fourth group of really top performers.
“So we're actually in the
process of completely revolutionizing our Venture Program, making it a longer
program. Historically, it’s been about three months. Now it's going to be 12,
and we are making sure that there is customized training throughout this
period. We are making sure people are set up with a relationship manager who,
again, specializes in introducing them to the industry. It's not just about
finding efficiencies and leads. It's really making sure that our advisors set
up for success,” he adds.?
The event’s design and purpose
resonated with advisors from all over North America to network and build their
skills.?
Andrew Pilkington on stage at the Travel Edge Network event. (Photo Credit: Lark Gould)
“I could not wait to come to
this because everything that they provide for us intentionally, whether it's
the breakouts or the one-on-one sessions, is valuable,” says Stormy Barbara, an
independent contractor from New York who became an advisor after leading yoga
and wellness retreats and building a strong following on Instagram. “Right now,
as you can imagine, this industry is boundless, and there's so much information
to take in. I give 110 percent to everything that I do. So right now, I'm
wearing that advisor hat wholeheartedly. Being together like this allows for
those stolen moments, the candid conversations that happen when you're waiting
for the bus, or waiting in a line somewhere. I'm certainly here to stay. The
entire team is just really super nurturing.”
Susan Thomas, a personal travel
designer with Kensington Concierge in Toronto, knows a thing or two about
luxury travel as she has been in the business for more than three decades.?
“I love this – if only for the
connections you make with people. I’ve had some great meetings today. And I
think this conference was a game changer, because they have been online for so
long and now we’re able to meet me in person. It's always really good to meet
in person. No question.”
Pilkington made it clear that
luxury is the key to TEN’s success, all backed up by numbers collected by
McKinsey & Company, among other firms, showing that gross leisure travel
bookings can be expected to grow to $391 billion by 2028. In fact, the demand
for luxury tourism and hospitality is forecasted to grow faster than any other
industry segment, powered in part by a sharp rise in individual net worths
between $1 million and $30 million.?
While baby boomers represent a
significant portion of luxury spending, 80 percent of the luxury leisure market
is made up of people below the age of 60, according to McKinsey- breaking a
myth that luxury travel is for Baby Boomers. Similarly, 35 percent of luxury
travelers have a net worth of under $1 million but are willing to spend “like
millionaires.”
Stage and conference at the Travel Edge Network event. (Photo Credit: Lark Gould)
Pilkington acknowledges the
speedy upward trajectory of luxury travel and how it is changing and pivoting.
These trends make advisors who specialize in luxury travel that much more valuable
to their clients.?
“For one, we are seeing the
need for personalization hitting new levels,” he says. “While it used to be
enough to go to a destination and eat in a Michelin star restaurant, now luxury
travelers are looking for more. Instead of eating in a Michelin star restaurant
in Dubrovnik, they'd rather go and have a meal prepared for them by the
matriarch of a local Croatian family. They want that real, local, unique
experience,” he notes.
A second shift he sees is in
the seasonality of travel. Visiting a destination like Venice in July can be
highly problematic. But luxury clients are now opting for the shoulder months
-- and advisors are finding better ways to recommend these times. Luxury travelers
are starting to eschew hotter places for those with colder climes, such as Scandinavia,
Iceland and Canada, and advisors are answering that call by increasing their
familiarity with these destinations.?
Solo travel (without the solo
supplements), multi-gen travel and bleisure travel are also trending upward
with new programs and possibilities filtering to advisors through training
sessions and supplier highlights.
“I'm seeing real business
happening. I'm seeing real connections,” says Pilkington. “We're highly focused
on people who want to come in and build a luxury profile. Luxury is growing
faster than any other segment in the market, it is all very accessible.”
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