Connections gears up for fifth edition of California Luxury Forum
Event will be hosted at the five-star Fairmont San Francisco, northern California
Press release: March 2022
Connections, the international private community for trusted decision-makers in luxury travel, will host its fifth bespoke event on behalf of Visit California from 7-9 March 2022.
The California Luxury Forum, Powered by Connections will be held for the first time in northern California and will showcase the Golden State’s finest travel product to a hand-picked selection of international and domestic luxury buyers.
The three-day event will take place in San Francisco, with an interactive agenda designed to connect high-end buyers with exceptional hotels, boutique properties, experience providers and destination management companies from across California. The final day will offer an opportunity for the attending luxury buyers to explore Napa Valley during a dedicated programme.
Leading sponsors supporting the forum include San Francisco Travel Association, Visit Napa Valley, Fairmont San Francisco, Pure Luxury Transportation, Presidio Trust, Giants Enterprises and Mintel.
Buyers and suppliers will meet during personalised one-to-one business appointments held in the pioneering Connections Way format – the company’s approach to facilitating long-lasting business relationships through memorable, shared experiences. Delegates will visit one of America’s most popular national park sites and enjoy bike rides, yoga, golf and coffee tasting whilst overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
“There’s nowhere better to celebrate the reopening of travel than in San Francisco, a city known for its intangible spirit of optimism and expression,” Visit California President & CEO Caroline Beteta said. “We’re thrilled to partner with Connections once again. This meaningful trade program engages leaders in luxury travel, an approach needed now more than ever as we restore travel spending in the Golden State.”
Hubertus Funke, vice-president of San Francisco Travel Association, added: “We are thrilled to be hosting the 2022 edition of the California Luxury Forum in San Francisco. We consider this another important milestone on our path to recovery, and a great opportunity to show the international buyers the iconic sights, urban vibrancy and the incredibly diverse facets that make San Francisco such a unique part of the California experience.”
In addition to shared experiences, delegates will also participate in a leadership “ConnecTALKS” session created to support the recovery and resurgence of luxury travel in California. The interactive session will invite attendees to discuss opportunities to engage the new luxury traveller and discuss the consumer demands and trends that are shaping the future landscape.
Greg Reeves, managing director of Connections, said: “We’ve seen over the past two years that nothing compares to the power of human-to-human connections, and for Connections Luxury, California has been among the most requested destinations to travel to post-pandemic. Hosting our fifth edition in iconic San Francisco will continue to engage, inspire and facilitate business relationships between our top-tier luxury buyers and this pioneering destination. The California Luxury Forum was the final event we delivered in-person in 2020. It seems fitting we kick off an exciting 2022 with California leading the way.”
The California Luxury Forum’s next edition will be hosted in October 2022, and will take place in California’s lesser known San Luis Obispo County.
For more information about Connections, visit weareconnections.com or email enquiries@weareconnections.com
-Ends-
Issued by:
Gemma Fitchett
Connections
E: gemma@weareconnections.com
About Connections:
Connections is the international private community for senior executives in high-end travel with a focus on luxury, meetings & incentives, wellbeing, adventure and weddings. The brand brings together the industry’s most respected travel agents and suppliers throughout the year, in destinations across the world. Connections is the next generation of doing business.
Connections has pioneered the Connections Way - a proven series of proprietary methodologies and approaches designed to create long-lasting business relationships between its members. Since its inception in 2014, Connections has hosted 50 global events, giving decision makers the opportunity to meet through memorable experiences and educational debates.
Connections is based in London and forms part of Jacobs Media Group, the global voice for the travel and hospitality industries. In 2020, Jacobs Media Group won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise International trade. Jacobs Media Group was recognised in the 2020 awards for outstanding short-term growth in overseas sales, having expanded its global business in the previous three years by over 50%.