Leading speakers added to TTG Luxury's conference line-up

Whitney Bromberg Hawkings will talk about launching her high-end flower delivery service Flowerbx at the conference, drawing on her previous experience in luxury working with designer Tom Ford for many years.

Bromberg Hawkings’ goal is to become the first global flower brand and, over the past three years, she has launched Flowerbx across the UK and in France, Germany, Belgium and Ireland and 17 other countries across Europe, as well as launching in New York in May.

The TTG Luxury Travel Summit is a full-day conference, taking place at The Langham, London on 18 October and was a sell-out event last year.

Among the key sessions this year will be a panel discussing evolving methods of designing trips for affluent travellers, with Simon Lynch, sales director of Scott Dunn; Jenny Graham, managing director of Quintessentially Travel; Charlie Starmer-Smith, founder of Tripsmiths; and Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato.

Also now added to the line-up for the event is innovative chef Tristan Welch, whose epic culinary career has included Le Gavroche, Gordon Ramsay’s Petrus at The Berkeley and his own restaurant Launceston Place (all in London); avant-garde triple-Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant L’Arpege in Paris; Glenapp Castle in Scotland; and The Cotton House in Mustique.

Welch has been chef director of Parker’s Tavern at the highly-acclaimed University Arms hotel in Cambridge since its opening in 2018. At the 110-cover destination restaurant, everything served has British origins, while sustainability and waste management have been key for Welch and his team.

They have now launched Rubbish Cooks, a monthly supper club serving a ‘free’ three-course menu using ingredients usually considered waste, such as unwanted and “wonky” vegetables and usually discarded parts of fish and meat.

Joining the Summit’s line-up now are Liisa Renfors, development specialist and Liisa Kokkarinen, regional partnership manager, Lapland, both from Visit Finland/Business Finland, who will be on stage to share their experiences of shifting the entire travel industry’s focus in Finland towards one of sustainability.

Previously announced keynote sessions will be delivered by Mandy Saven, head of food, beverage and hospitality at Stylus; and James Wallman, futurist, advisor to the Department for International Trade on the experience economy and bestselling author of Stuffocation and Time and How To Spend It, published this year.

Russell Sage, creative director and owner of leading interior designer Russell Sage Studio will talk about his work creating some of the most respected and innovative hotel and restaurant projects in the sector, while Frederic Fontaine, senior vice-president of Accor’s Innovation Lab will reveal how the global hotel giant approaches development of future hotel concepts.

In the area of marketing, Jon Bezalel, digital strategist with Accord Marketing, will deliver a session discussing the newest and most powerful current models in marketing.

He will also join a panel with Beth Taubner, founder of MercuryLab and Anthony Rawlins, founding director of Digital Visitor, to discuss how to create effective luxury campaigns in the new media landscape, covering the whole spectrum of channels.

The day is moderated by April Hutchinson, editor of TTG Luxury, who said: “I’m thrilled with the line-up for our annual luxury travel conference, the longest established in our sector here in the UK.

“And not only do our speakers have a wealth of insight, inspiration and information to share, the day also allows a fantastic opportunity to network with peers in the industry and forge vital new connections.”

Also on the day, James Wallman will be signing copies of his new book, Time and How to Spend It.

Meanwhile, all delegates attending will also receive a free copy of Stylus’s Top 10 Gen Z Travel Trends report.

Gen Z (those currently aged between 10 and 24) will be the largest cohort of travel consumers globally by 2020, and the report reveals how this group cares more about personal development, immersive experiences and “planet-positive” journeys.

To book a ticket and to find out more about the speakers, head to the Summit website.