Aspire’s Leaders of Luxury returns as in-person conference

Nearly 250 senior figures from the high-end travel industry gathered today for Aspire’s annual Leaders of Luxury conference.

The in-person, full-day event was held at Andaz London Liverpool Street in partnership with headline sponsor Air Charter Service and destination partner Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.

Other sponsors included Atlantis Dubai, Celebrity Cruises, Hearst, Quark Expeditions, Ikos/Sani Group, Silversea, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Spectate and Ultima Collection.

The conference addressed the opportunities and challenges within the sector as the travel industry emerges from the pandemic, with sessions covering market trends, the new definition of luxury, customer service and rebuilding loyalty among high-net-worth individuals, diversity and inclusion in luxury travel, and the latest issues surrounding sustainability.

Speakers included:

Tom Marchant, co-founder, Black Tomato

Timothy Kelly, executive vice president and managing director, Atlantis Dubai

Helen Beck, head of global excellence, Explora Journeys

Jessie Howes, private jets director, Air Charter Service

Jo Rzymowska, vice-president and managing director EMEA, Celebrity Cruises

Filip Boyen, chief executive, Forbes Travel Guide

Piers Schmidt, founder, Luxury Branding

Claire Moore, managing director, Peakes Travel Elite

Lydia Slater, editor-in-chief, Harper's Bazaar

Helen Brocklebank, chief executive, Walpole

Michala Chatel, managing partner, Ultima Collection

Alex Cheatle, founder, Ten Lifestyle Group

Uwern Jong, founder, OutThere magazine

Joss Kent, chief executive, andBeyond

Katie Terrington, owner, Katie Terrington Private Travel and founding member, The Conscious Travel Foundation

Dan Luddington, vice-president of development, Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Byanne Akbor, content manager and CSR committee founding member, Carrier

Mike Gatting, former England cricket captain

Darrin des Vignes, vice-president of representation and marketing at Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, said: “Today has been very insightful, especially in trying to get an understanding of what the road ahead for luxury looks like, understanding the ebbs and flows that tour operators are experiencing, and what various stakeholders in the luxury space are trying to do to safeguard the future of tourism, through sustainability and through exploring resilience as well.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it's an opportunity for us to go back and look at our product development to make sure that we can match the expectations of the UK market.”

Jessie Howes, private jets director at Air Charter Service, added: “It’s lovely to see everyone in real life again and everyone seems very excited about 2022.”

The event marked the return of Aspire editor Hollie-Rae Brader, who has been on maternity leave since April after giving birth to her son Theo.

Full coverage of Leaders of Luxury will be in the December edition of Aspire, published on December 9.