The 13th edition of ILTM was hailed by both exhibitors and hosted buyers as “the ultimate global meeting in the annual luxury calendar” when it closed on Thursday 4 December in Cannes, France with the number of one-to-one business appointments between luxury travel suppliers and buyers increasing from just over 56,000 to 58,001 year on year.
Jeff David, Managing Director of the soon to open Knickerbocker Hotel in New York comments “ILTM really is the event that keeps on giving. It’s not just the number of key new contacts we have met in official meetings, it’s the opportunity to begin and develop relationships with a phenomenal list of high profile media throughout the course of the show.”
67 elite luxury travel media from 17 countries across the world were hosted at ILTM 2014, many of whom came to source Hot Lists and trends for 2015 from over 1460 exhibitors from 95 countries at the show. Victoria Mather, Travel Editor of Vanity Fair referred to ILTM as “The World Economic Forum of Luxury Travel.”
Eric Demay of specialist tailor-made tour company, The Real Japan says ILTM 2014 “Surpassed all my expectations – what an invaluable investment”. Riad Kneife of Riad Kneife Design and Vintage Shopping Service, Paris adds “For the 4th consecutive year, ILTM has been an incredible experience: an exclusive opportunity to meet the top of the top of the luxury industry. Most importantly, ILTM is where to anticipate the future of luxury – I could not imagine where I would be without this unique and invaluable event.”
1452 buyers from 75 countries were hosted at this year’s ILTM, 36% of whom are new to ILTM events. Helene Altit of Platinum Travel Corporation, Australia says “This has been my first experience and it has been an amazing learning curve. I would never have had the opportunity to meet so many luxury experiences and hoteliers in one place at one time. ILTM really is the must attend event that everyone told me it would be.”
Catherine Heald of Remote Lands Inc, New York says “This is THE show – everyone who’s anyone is here. The travel industry is all about relationships and at ILTM, you spend quality time with the people that really matter and learn about the experiences that really resonate – it’s the ultimate party and the ultimate learning curve.”
And Kyle Seltzer of SmartFLyer concludes “This is my first time at ILTM and it’s a genuine reminder of how fortunate we are to work in an industry where we can share the personal experiences we have gained from meeting unforgettable exhibitors from around the world and understand how these meetings will transcend into experiences for our clients.”
ILTM returns to Cannes, France from 30 November – 3 December 2015. Further ILTM events in 2015 are:
• ILTM Japan: Kyoto, 16 – 18 March 2015
• ILTM Africa: Cape Town, 13 - 15 April 2015
• Travelweek Sao Paulo: 6 - 9 May 2015
• ILTM Asia: Shanghai, 1 - 4 June 2015
• ILTM Americas: Riviera Maya, 28 September – 1 October 2015
For further information, please see www.iltm.com, follow @ILTM_events and #ILTM
