Programme

Hear from headline sponsor Celebrity Cruises' head of sales Nicola McNeish on how the cruise line is shaping its product and strategy for the future, including insight from recent research with agent partners, and maintaining brand relevance in a changing marketplace.

Nicola McNeish

Head of Sales

Celebrity Cruises

Join Dr Antonia Ward, chief futurist at Stylus, who will share emerging consumer trends – and also challenge you to reconsider how you think about the future. Along with a range of new perspectives and provocative questions, you’ll gain insights into key drivers of changing consumer behaviour and learn how these impact the future of travel, luxury, and hospitality.

Dr Antonia Ward

Chief futurist

Stylus

Some of luxury travel’s leading brands have not only survived the crisis but are now facing a bright future, working smarter and doing things differently as a result of the challenges. A top-level panel will share how and why their businesses are in better shape than ever.

Kerry Golds

Chief tour operating officer

Abercrombie & Kent

Gary Kershaw

Regional manager, UK & Ireland

Qatar Airways

Tom Rowntree

Vice president, global
marketing, luxury brands
IHG Hotels & Resorts

Peter Shanks

Managing director, UK, Ireland, Middle East & Africa
Silversea Cruises

11:05-11:25 Break

Touching upon current hospitality trends, LQA’s Edward Hooper will share the insights from leaders in the industry and the company’s own team of professional guests. Specifically focusing on sustainability, health and wellness and digitisation, Edward will discuss the need to adapt and evolve communication to guests to ensure maximum value from the innovation investment - both financially and, crucially, to drive meaningful change necessary in the sector. 

Edward Hooper

Group chief executive officer
LQA (Leading Quality Assurance)

11:55-12:25 Heartfelt hospitality with a twist

What are some of the emerging, alternative, luxury travel experiences that are challenging the more traditional hotel models, and how can we be braver and more exciting in what we present to an ever-changing guest profile?

Stuart Godwin

Co-founder

Room2 Hometels

Naomi Heaton

Founder

The Other House

Eric Jafari
Chief development officer
Edyn 

12:25-13:00 Making branded gifting better

The pressure to operate sustainably and minimise waste might deter luxury travel brands from investing as much in branded merchandise in future, but LA-based product design firm MaCher - a certified B Corp since 2014 - has conducted research that demonstrates carefully conceived, sustainably manufactured gifts can increase sale and repeat rates, boost customer loyalty and raise brand awareness with impressive results. Founder and sustainable growth champion Derek Hydon shares how to do branded gifting right.

Derek Hydon

Founder & president

MaCher

13:00-14:00 Networking lunch courtesy of Hilton Luxury Brands 

The B Corp movement, through which companies commit to creating value for their employees, the local community and the environment instead of just shareholders, is gathering momentum in the UK travel sector.  In this discussion chaired by TTG’s group editor Pippa Jacks, two travel brands and one supplier to the luxury sector share how and why they chose to get certified, advice on the process, and the impact it’s had on the entire business.

Sam Clark

Founder & managing director

Experience Travel Group

Duncan Grossart

Founder & managing director

Journeys With Purpose

Derek Hydon

Founder & president

MaCher

14:35-15:20 Prioritising diversity in travel: making changes that matter

As global demographics continue to shift at pace, ensuring your travel business appeals to and caters for customers from all backgrounds is not only the right thing to do, but a business imperative. The Queer Nomads - a duo of London-based influencers working to raise the profile of queer women of colour in the travel industry, and also ambassadors for Celebrity Cruises - share their travel experiences, insight into the challenges, but also opportunities for luxury travel providers, while Celebrity Cruises also shares why this matters to the brand so much and how they are implementing business-wide initiatives and changes.

Lexie Lenoir

Co-founder

The Queer Nomads
(and founder, Queer Weddings UK)

Nicola McNeish
Head of sales

Celebrity Cruises

Aisha Shaibu

Co-founder

The Queer Nomads
(and founder, Moonlight Experiences) 

15:20-15:50 Putting sustainability at the heart of a business

All businesses need to embark on a journey of assessing what role they play in the future travel landscape – The Long Run’s members do nothing but this. The members of this conservation tourism coalition represent the largest network of privately-protected areas in the world, bringing together like-minded people who leverage their business to positively impact biodiversity and human well-being. Why is this a model for the future, and what more can luxury travel businesses be doing to get involved? 

Delphine Malleret King

Director

The Long Run

15:50-16:00 Final thoughts and conference conclusion

Some key takeaways from the day, summarised by TTG Luxury’s April Hutchinson.