Prevue September-October 2013 - (Page 76)

Torchbearers The mood was upbeat at the Torchbearers 2013 marketplace, bringing together North American buyers with suppliers from Monaco, Switzerland, England, Scotland and Ireland. [ON LOCATION] GREG OATES This summer, Prevue joined 130 buyers and suppliers in the Riviera Maya for Torchbearers 2013. Next year’s event will be in Bermuda, and then everyone heads back to one of the European destinations in 2015, expected to be confirmed this fall. In one form or another, the event has taken place for 20 years in either North America or Europe. “This is an important and somewhat unique event within the high-level meetings and incentive industry,” says Charles Massey, CMP, organizer of Torchbearers. “It’s a business-tobusiness marketplace where actual business is written.” The event is unique because buyers have so much time to build relationships with the DMOs, DMCs and hotels. Equally instrumental in Torchbearer’s success, Michael Zaretsky is program manager. He says, “I’ve been involved in this business for going on 30 years, and the core of the highend meeting and incentive business is always, and has always, been based on relationships.” Speaking with many suppliers, I was overwhelmed by how effusive everyone was in their assessment of group bookings heading into 2014/15. Last year I noticed a definite upswing, but this year seemed like the cap on the comeback. “There is definitely a return to Europe as consumer confidence and budgets increase,” says Massey. LONDON & PARTNERS “It’s even more optimistic than that, it’s almost like America is running back to Europe,” says Chris Lynn, vp sales/marketing, North America at London & Partners. “And it’s not a case of cabin fever, it’s about getting back to business.” Lynn cites the London Olympics as a major catalyst, complemented with a stellar array of new hotels and facilities built for the Games. The Shard is Europe’s newest iconic building, housing the Shangri-La Hotel at The Shard on its upper floors. The new ME London is the city’s hippest hotel, conceived by Foster + Partners, who were also commissioned to design the interior space. According to Lynn, the Shangri-La is the final piece of the puzzle for the 20,000 rooms planned previous to the Games. “And we’ve just announced another 20,000 rooms,” he says. “What’s different is that ‘affordable luxury,’ if you will, is no longer the stalwart term for three- and four-star hotels. Now you can actually talk about the value proposition in the luxury sector because companies are demanding it.” Next up, Nobu and Armani hotels are presently under development. Starwood Hotels is building a 500-room collection of hotels at Olympic Park. And, Lynn says, “Our hotel restaurants have almost as many Michelin stars as Paris.” 70 | prevue magazine 70-73_Torchbearers.indd 70 9/4/13 1:46 PM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue September-October 2013

Planner's Pick: Orlando
Fresh Meets: Omni Nashville
Bureau Buzz: Puerto Rico
Good Business: Prevue Visionary Awards
Sea Shores: Crystal Cruises
Innovation & Inspiration
On Location: GMIC 2013, Chicago
Special Section: The West USA
Green Luxury
On Location: Club Med Rio Das Pedras
On Location: La Playa, Naples, FL
Stockholm
Korea
On Location: US Virgin Islands
On Location: Starwood New Orleans
Torchbearers 2013
On Location: Westin Snowmass/Aspen
On Location: Paradisus, Dominican Republic
Check Out: Christchurch, New Zealand

Prevue September-October 2013