Luxury Travel Exchange Closes on High Note With Over 5,000 One-to-One Meetings

Luxury Travel Exchange International (LTX), produced by Questex Hospitality + Travel, came to a successful close this week after organizing more than 5,000 one-to-one meetings among over 900 professional travel advisors and 300 luxury travel suppliers.

The industry-leading event, held September 10-12 at The Venetian Las Vegas and Sands Expo Convention Center, brought top-producing advisors of luxury and premium niche travel together with leading suppliers for three full days of interactive networking, accredited educational programming and one-to-one meeting options.

The hybrid event offered a traditional trade show and intimate, one-to-one meetings on its signature LTX Exchange floor. The advisor audience, ranging from owners and managers to front-line affiliated and unaffiliated advisors, took advantage of substantial learning and earning opportunities.

"Luxury Travel Exchange delivered qualified and measurable results for its delegates, attributing its success, in part, to the fact that participants are carefully vetted," said Marilyn McHugh, vice president of global events. "Whether you're seeking a traditional trade-show experience or a more intimate approach through one-to-one meetings, LTX brings suppliers face-to-face with prequalified travel advisors who have a common and vested interest in their business."

Key educational topics for this year's event, guided by the LTX advisory board - composed of experts representing the top-producing North American luxury travel agencies and global supplier partners - included sales and marketing, professional development and overall service experience. Discussions focused on how to gain confidence in upselling, overcoming obstacles to maximize sales opportunities, customer service best practices and brand management.

One of the most popular sessions was the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Specialty and Luxury Showcase, an exclusive educational seminar for advisors looking to build cruise bookings. The seminar highlighted the diverse opportunities within the river cruising and luxury specialty cruising markets, while enabling advisors to receive CLIA credit.

A robust lineup of LTX speakers included Juliet Funt, daughter of Candid Camera's Allen Funt, who provided the event's high-energy motivational keynote focused on becoming more engaged and creative despite over-busy, over-committed, multitasking lives; Anne Morgan Scully, president of McCabe World Travel, who discussed making the transition from a travel agent to a trusted advisor; Scott Koepf, vice president of sales for Avoya Travel, who shared strategies for upselling and maximizing sales opportunities; Jack Mannix, founder and principal of Jack E. Mannix & Associates, who focused on the fundamentals of customer service; and Lane Douglas, principal of social media solutions at MarketBridge, who discussed social media influences on travel and best practices for customer acquisition and revenue generation.

Supplier partners and supporters included AAT Kings Australia and New Zealand, AmaWaterways, American Cruise Lines, Africa Answers, Air New Zealand Vacations, AMResorts, BASE Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Down Under Answers, Ensemble, Hurtigruten, Japan National Tourism Organization, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Bureau, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Results! Travel, Seabourn, Silversea Cruises, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, The Travel Institute, Travel Leaders, Tulalip Resort Casino, Uniworld Boutique Cruise Collection, Vacation.com and Virtuoso.

In addition to dynamic education and networking, the event closed on a high note with Luxury After Dark Party at LAVO Italian Restaurant & Nightclub.

Presented by Luxury Travel Advisor and Travel Agent magazines, LTX offers the most relevant content in the luxury marketplace, developed in concert with these leading industry publications.