Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2008 - (Page 68) LUXURY TRA VEL EXPO SHOWTIME IN LAS VEGAS The ninth annual Luxury Travel Expo, held December 4-6 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, was a tremendous success, with 3,275 travel agents and more than 600 exhibiting companies in attendance. Luxury Travel Expo kicked off its Wednesday activities with an informative breakfast presentation from the Leading Travel Companies: Brendan Worldwide Vacations, Insight Vacations, the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, Trafalgar Tours and Uniworld Grand River Cruises. The general sessions included enlightening presentations by industry experts and leaders. Wednesday’s keynote saw a standing-room-only audience hungry for the expertise of Roger J. Dow, president and chief executive officer, Travel Industry Association (TIA). Travel agents participated in an interactive session answering questions on key travel and tourism facts and were eligible for American Express gift cards. The Thursday general session brought back the popular Dr. Lalia Rach, division dean and HVS Chair at New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Her provocative and powerful presentation received a standing ovation, as it did last year. This year proved once again that Luxury Travel Expo’s confer- 1 1. Anastasia Mann, chairman and CEO, Corniche Travel Group participates in a panel discussion. 2. Panelist Gregg Michel, president and COO, Crystal Cruises. 3. Diane Satriano of Dubai Tourism scans a luxury agent at Emirates’ booth. 4. Diana Alfaro, market specialist, and Diana Guerra, market development manager, PromPerú. 5. Ignacio Maza, executive vice president, Signature Travel Network. 6. Lee Robinson, vice president, field sales, Princess Cruises and Cunard Line (left), and Mark Conroy, president and CEO, Regent Seven Seas Cruises. 2 3 4 5 ALL PHOTOS BY COSTELLO PHOTOGRAPHY 6 68 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | February 2008
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