Essence of Luxury 2024
Or should we say Essences?! In the fourth and final edition of the annual Serandipians gathering from March 18th to 22nd in Marbella, Spain, the consortium takes a bold and dramatic new direction. LuxuryWise was there to capture all the biggest news from this year's event.
by LuxuryWise Author Jacques Ledbetter
Essence of Luxury 2024
Or should we say Essences?! In the fourth and final edition of the annual Serandipians gathering from March 18th to 22nd in Marbella, Spain, the consortium takes a bold and dramatic new direction. LuxuryWise was there to capture all the biggest news from this year's event.
by LuxuryWise Author Jacques Ledbetter
Essence of Luxury 2024 at a Glance
Total attendees
...made their way to Marbella, Spain to catch up with old friends while also cultivating new business opportunities. Little did they know that this would be the last time Marbella would be the home of the Essence.
Member agencies
...are now part of the Serandipians consortium. Quentin Desurmont, President and Founder of Traveller Made/Serandipians insists that the consortium will cap membership at 600 agencies.
Percent
...of meeting requests were matched by a special algorithm used by the organizers. According to Serandipians CFO Vincent Jacob, it's also used to optimize participants' walking paths on the trade show floor.
Memorable Moments
Big Announcement
The anticipation was palpable at the show's opening event, and Quentin Desurmont did not disappoint. Serandipians will be breaking the annual gathering into three different smaller shows that will take place over the course of next year and on three separate continents.
Gala Awards
In a swanky black tie event, select members were celebrated in 19 categories ranging from creativity, knowledge, thoroughness, and crisis management. Special recognition was given to 79 members who have been with the consortium for 10+ years in the Epics 2014.
Fashion Show
Why would an awards show have a runway...? Well, for a surprise fashion show of course! Bold new styles from Spanish designer José Luis Diaz highlighted the show's overarching theme of "Singularity," which means to embrace one's own unique brand identity.
Polar Bear Plunge
While Desurmont invited the whole consortium to join him in the traditional early morning dip, LuxuryWise was among the few and "the brave." Alas, what we wouldn't do to bring you, dear readers, the best news in the industry.
Villa Party
Participants capped off the first long day of meetings at the Marbella Club Villa with everything from a huge spread to an impressive fireworks show. A local live band ignited the crowd as it played and danced along with them.
Andalusian Horse Show
A traditional Spanish flamenco dance with horses that comes from this southern region of Spain delighted the crowd at El Rincón, a massive 20-bedroom villa. The riders performed together on horseback, maneuvering around with fans and fire.
Chatting away with Quentin Desurmont
On Having Three Shows
"We need to be closer to our members – we are an international consortium, and we need to reflect that. Essence has been in Marbella for the last four years, but 35% of our membership is in Asia, and 26% is in the Americas. The three events next year will be smaller shows of 200-500, and we'll stay in these locations for as long as we can. People talk about market forces, but I'm not interested in the competition and I don't care about it. We have a singular position that sticks to our strategy."
On the Singularity Theme
"I have a quest. It all started after I was told that creating a consortium in Europe was impossible because of languages and regulations. I simply did not agree, and I want to elevate the level of luxury in our industry and in the world. Luxury is defined by desirability, fashion, creativity, and reinvention, and these qualities are what make us unique and singular. We will lead the industry by setting new trends. There is no luxury without trendiness, otherwise you become irrelevant."
On Moving Forward
"This year has been fantastic – really our best show ever. The feedback has been very positive and we make solid progress every year. The professionals I work with help me build this vision and to define the values of this brand, so the next several months will be critical as we survey our members about what shows they want to attend. We know everyone cannot attend every show and we don't expect that. We've grown a lot and are responding to member feedback to have smaller, higher-quality shows."
Words of the Winners
They look so happy! LuxuryWise met three of the award winners after the show.
Manuel Chablais, Ailes
Most Creative Travel Designer – DMC Partners
"It's really great and super nice. My wife got her second award as a DMC last year and she was teasing me about it. I'm happy to now be a part of the Two-timers Club."
Roman Melzer, Roman Traveldesign
Most Creative Travel Designer – Hotel Partners
"Being interviewed two days after the gala I'm still actually very, very surprised that I won this award. But I can say now that I am very proud and I feel very honored.
Dana White,
Lead Explorers
Most Thorough Travel Designer – DMC Partners
"I am only as good as my DMCs, it's all about them. They take care of my clients and my clients are happy because I have great partners and experts on the ground."