Meet the Organiser: 5 minutes with Black Book

The appointments are the engine that drives Black Book – with 34 pre-scheduled, 15-minute, one-to-one meetings per day in private booths on the show floor.

This is where the commercial relationships are built and the product knowledge is deepened. Excited exhibitors will meet with engaged advisors in a focused, quality way.

Our hosted hotel programme is a value driver too – for an advisor who sleeps at a Maybourne hotel or wakes up at Corinthia London (for example), they arrive at the show with additional first-hand product knowledge. This is a business that thrives on relationships: that person you meet over a drink, or at the lunch table or bump into along the way (as well as the official meetings) could be invaluable down the line – we are here to make all that happen, with the minimum of fuss or effort for our attendees.

Black Book is also run alongside the Top 20 Luxury Travel Agencies programme, an awards initiative which will reach its conclusion during a glittering gala dinner on 21 October, where many guests from the show will be also. 

Ah, hard to pick one… what I can say is that each session is designed to prioritise what agents need, not product pitches, and every session is practical, provocative or both: it’s not necessarily about headline speakers/big names, as such.

But – I will say we are working with PWC to create a session that will give people fuel for strategy based on the buying habits of affluent consumers in the UK. We will also reveal findings of our own research into the travel advisor landscape that should prove useful for all. There will be a conference hour each day, with three stages, and attendees should go to what speaks to their business need the most. 

Well, for travel advisors, Black Book not only delivers up to 34 pre-scheduled one-to-one appointments with luxury brands across two days (an extraordinary depth of relationship-building compressed into an efficient, structured format), we also add in morning conference sessions inspired by what agents need to build their business, as well as networking breakfasts, hosted lunches and a closing drinks reception.

Black Book exhibitors will have access to 150 vetted, serious luxury sellers in a focused environment where every conversation counts – they will leave with new or revived relationships, having freshly engaged agents. Everyone will be part of a genuine community of like-minded luxury travel professionals.

Advisors also benefit from being hosted overnight in carefully selected partner hotels across London which additionally gives them first-hand product experience to directly benefit their clients – and the hotels get to have amazing agents stay with them on-property to showcase what they have to offer. We will also have other exciting activations too – watch this space!

On the advisor side, every attendee has been through a rigorous vetting process including detailed applications, references, and a review of their luxury credentials. These are some of the UK and Ireland’s most serious, most commercially active luxury travel professionals.

On the exhibitor side, these have been sourced to truly represent the full luxury travel ecosystem: leading hotel brands and groups; ultra-luxury ocean, river and expedition cruise lines; premium airlines; top destination tourism offices; DMCs and tour operators; high-end rail and road options; and specialist experience providers. The show is built on a sophisticated mutual-match system too, so each one-to-one meeting is designed to be relevant for both sides – the relationships forged over two days at Black Book have the potential to shape our attendees’ businesses for years to come.