1. Welcome!
To kick things off, Gabriela Marková, Managing Director of the agency GM Selection and founder of Luxury Bloc, welcomes her guests in the Grand Ball Room of the Mandarin Oriental Prague. A total of 134 buyers and suppliers have come to the former monastery in the Czech capital to exchange ideas about the best industry in the world. At the start of the trade fair, trend expert Daniel Levine from the Avant-Guide Institute in New York offered an outlook on the future of travel.
2. Cheers!
Prague surprises its guests with the finest late summer weather. It's no wonder that the cocktail reception takes place in the beautiful courtyard of the Mandarin Oriental Prague. In small, circulating groups, the joyous reunion is celebrated with champagne.
3. Appointments, Appointments...
...appointments! There's plenty to talk about since more than 50 exhibitors are telling travel advisors their news in one-to-one meetings. So much to say in such little time! The volume is high and the conversations lively. While the pre-determined 20 minutes of discussion time per appointment are generously measured, some defy the buzzer and remain engaged, excited to learn more about the exhibitors' high-class products.
4. Supplier: Atlantis, The Royal
Sascha Vaupel of Atlantis, The Palm is well-known among German travel professionals, but he should now be the talk of the CEE region with his latest project, the soon-to-open Atlantis, The Royal, which promises to be spectacular. "There is a lot of interest among the buyers at our new ultra-luxury hotel," he says. "I've met a lot of new agents who say they have the right clients for Atlantis, The Royal. We're getting a lot of attention here, and I've been able to make some new contacts. And there is also a lot of interest about news from Atlantis, The Palm."
5. Luxury Power from Germany
Susanne Küst (City Reisen) traveled to Prague this year as the only German travel professional on the buyer side. Her conclusion is consistently positive: "As always, the Luxury Bloc feels like a mini-ILTM to me, because both buyers and suppliers are of very high quality. Of the products, Miavana and the two Como resorts in the Maldives were the best for me. Apart from that, I'm always happy about the great contacts I can make here. This gives me VIP status, and that makes it much easier for me to book for my clients. Especially this summer I felt it again: it's all about having the right network!"
6. Supplier: Luxe Voyages
First-class service is promised by Elena Kovalchuck from DMC Luxe Voyage in Mauritius – and it comes with plenty of expertise to boot. Even off the cuff, she effortlessly answers questions about specific hotels, and her explanations of why a house might not suit a customer are sound. So great that travel advisors can find helpful partners here!