Travel Edge Takes ‘Limitless Live’ from Zoom to Room in San Antonio

For the first time since the pandemic, the Travel Edge Network (TEN) brought together nearly 200 luxury travel advisors and supplier partners for its inaugural "Limitless Live" event at the newly opened Kimpton Santo Hotel in San Antonio. The two-day gathering, called “Crafting the Extraordinary,” marked a much-anticipated return to in-person networking and collaboration for the luxury travel network. Meetings have been managed through virtual events during the past five years of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Limitless Live event, designed to foster community and innovation within the luxury travel sector, featured a mix of one-on-one networking sessions, off-site experiences, curated dinners, intimate educational gatherings and panel discussions. Topics ranged from the growing demand for experiential and exotic travel to the importance of personalization in crafting bespoke client journeys. And, for any advisor who wanted it, tutorials in the proprietary ADX booking platform were on tap. 

Andrew Pilkington, president of Travel Edge since December 2023, emphasized the decision to host an in-person conference was driven by overwhelming demand from the network’s members, who had expressed a strong desire to reconnect face-to-face after years of virtual interactions. Those plans were hatched following an in-depth “listening tour” Pilkington accomplished last year – a road trip across the United States, Canada and Bermuda meeting TEN’s member advisors in person to better understand their business dynamics. The goal, he noted, was to create a sense of community and provide a platform for advisors and suppliers to exchange ideas and strengthen partnerships. This was his first Limitless Live event.

“One of the things that we have done recently at Travel Edge is to segment our advisors into various stages to give them a more personalized experience,” says Pilkington, pointing to TEN’s Venture program launched in 2023 to adjust programs and services according to member skill levels. “So we have people who are just coming into the industry who don't really know what's going on and need a lot of guidance and training as well as support and mentorship. We have another group that has been around for a while but is trying to figure out how to make a career out of this industry. They also need training, mentorship and support, but a different kind. Then we have people who have made travel their profession, their life career. They're up and running. This is how they make money. And then we have a fourth group of really top performers.

“So we're actually in the process of completely revolutionizing our Venture Program, making it a longer program. Historically, it’s been about three months. Now it's going to be 12, and we are making sure that there is customized training throughout this period. We are making sure people are set up with a relationship manager who, again, specializes in introducing them to the industry. It's not just about finding efficiencies and leads. It's really making sure that our advisors set up for success,” he adds. 

The event’s design and purpose resonated with advisors from all over North America to network and build their skills. 

“I could not wait to come to this because everything that they provide for us intentionally, whether it's the breakouts or the one-on-one sessions, is valuable,” says Stormy Barbara, an independent contractor from New York who became an advisor after leading yoga and wellness retreats and building a strong following on Instagram. “Right now, as you can imagine, this industry is boundless, and there's so much information to take in. I give 110 percent to everything that I do. So right now, I'm wearing that advisor hat wholeheartedly. Being together like this allows for those stolen moments, the candid conversations that happen when you're waiting for the bus, or waiting in a line somewhere. I'm certainly here to stay. The entire team is just really super nurturing.”

Susan Thomas, a personal travel designer with Kensington Concierge in Toronto, knows a thing or two about luxury travel as she has been in the business for more than three decades. 

“I love this – if only for the connections you make with people. I’ve had some great meetings today. And I think this conference was a game changer, because they have been online for so long and now we’re able to meet me in person. It's always really good to meet in person. No question.”

Pilkington made it clear that luxury is the key to TEN’s success, all backed up by numbers collected by McKinsey & Company, among other firms, showing that gross leisure travel bookings can be expected to grow to $391 billion by 2028. In fact, the demand for luxury tourism and hospitality is forecasted to grow faster than any other industry segment, powered in part by a sharp rise in individual net worths between $1 million and $30 million. 

While baby boomers represent a significant portion of luxury spending, 80 percent of the luxury leisure market is made up of people below the age of 60, according to McKinsey- breaking a myth that luxury travel is for Baby Boomers. Similarly, 35 percent of luxury travelers have a net worth of under $1 million but are willing to spend “like millionaires.”

Pilkington acknowledges the speedy upward trajectory of luxury travel and how it is changing and pivoting. These trends make advisors who specialize in luxury travel that much more valuable to their clients. 

“For one, we are seeing the need for personalization hitting new levels,” he says. “While it used to be enough to go to a destination and eat in a Michelin star restaurant, now luxury travelers are looking for more. Instead of eating in a Michelin star restaurant in Dubrovnik, they'd rather go and have a meal prepared for them by the matriarch of a local Croatian family. They want that real, local, unique experience,” he notes.

A second shift he sees is in the seasonality of travel. Visiting a destination like Venice in July can be highly problematic. But luxury clients are now opting for the shoulder months -- and advisors are finding better ways to recommend these times. Luxury travelers are starting to eschew hotter places for those with colder climes, such as Scandinavia, Iceland and Canada, and advisors are answering that call by increasing their familiarity with these destinations. 

Solo travel (without the solo supplements), multi-gen travel and bleisure travel are also trending upward with new programs and possibilities filtering to advisors through training sessions and supplier highlights.

“I'm seeing real business happening. I'm seeing real connections,” says Pilkington. “We're highly focused on people who want to come in and build a luxury profile. Luxury is growing faster than any other segment in the market, it is all very accessible.”

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