Virtuoso’s 2024 Chairman’s Event in Slovenia honours top producers

Virtuoso hosted its 2024 Chairman’s Event from November 6-10 in Slovenia, recognizing its highest-performing travel agency members.

The annual gathering, which is held in a different location every year, has shown to accelerate interest and growth in the popularity of its host destination.

This year, the Chairman’s Event was split between two of the most exciting Slovenian cities: Ljubljana, a vibrant green city that blends the allure of a small capital with the buzz of larger European cities, and Portoroz, the hub of social events on the coast and historical Mediterranean town with a riviera vibe.

With the help of local tourism boards and Virtuoso partners, the network honoured its VIPs – 134 agency owners and managers from 14 countries – with four days of relationship-building and destination immersion. 

According to a press release, VIP attendees were “feeling the love for Slovenia” right from the start, as things kicked off at Ljubljana Castle with a lively private welcome reception introducing attendees to a range of local cuisine, cocktails and wines from the region.

Throughout the week, the group was received by prominent figures in luxury travel, including Zoran Janković, mayor of Ljubljana; renowned Slovenian chef Ana Roš; Jane Mackie, senior vice president of Lifestyle and Premium Brands at International Hotels Group (IHG); Chris Robertson, head of global sales at IHG; Bryan Gabriel, Chief Commercial Officer for Six Senses; newly appointed CEO of Kempinski Barbara Muckermann, and more.  

As the hallmark of Virtuoso events is exploring and sharing best business practices for attracting and engaging today’s luxury travellers, business commenced at the host hotel, InterContinental Ljubljana.

Attendees heard from Maja Pac Olaj of the Slovenian Tourist Board and Matej Knific of Luxury Slovenia, an exclusive Virtuoso preferred partner, regarding the country’s impressive sustainability initiatives in a discussion led by Virtuoso Vice President, Sustainability Javier Arredondo. 

Growth & increased competition

Virtuoso Chairman and CEO Matthew D. Upchurch also took the stage, presenting forecasts from the World Travel & Tourism Council that predict the travel and tourism industry will grow to 11.4 percent of the global economy and make up 12.2 percent of the global workforce in 10 years.

“We work in a great sector; one that is constantly growing and providing opportunities to further strengthen,” he stated. “Of course, this kind of growth also means increased competition from traditional forces like startups and consolidation, but now also from ‘crossovers,’ like luxury goods and financial companies. That accompanied by today’s rapid pace of change, driven by globalization and technological advancements, makes us continuously adapt in order to remain the leaders in luxury travel. For years, I’ve said that Virtuoso’s key competitive advantage is that the diversity of our advisors matches the growing diversity of luxury clients, whether it be differences in generations, nationalities, passions, styles and more. That’s never been more true than it is today.”

Upchurch continued: “Our network was created to compete with those who could use scale against us. This is why, from the start, we have grown larger yet smaller at the time, with initiatives like Communities to segment advisors into niches of business based on their passion points, and by ensuring our global expansion with the appointment of regional teams to cater to the differing needs of our members around the world, therefore enhancing our ability to deliver value to luxury travelers everywhere.”

Trends & insights

Executive Vice President David Kolner then presented trends and insights tracked from the network’s sales data.

He revealed that global network year-to-date sales soared to a record high, tracking a 14 per cent increase compared to the same time period last year.

Future travel booked for 2025 and 2026 is also up by 30 per cent, compared to future bookings made in 2023 for one to two years out.

Specifically, future sales over $50,000 for 2025 and 2026 have increased by 42 per cent, with cruise-specific sales in the same price range up by 47 per cent and safari sales up 44 per cent.

Virtuoso’s 2025 Luxe Report

Kolner also discussed highlights of Virtuoso’s 2025 Luxe Report, a survey of over 2,200 advisors from 58 countries, which revealed next year’s top global destinations, travel trends and destinations on the rise.

He said Luxe Report responses showed that 50 per cent of surveyed advisors anticipate that travel demand will slightly increase in 2025, and 54 percent anticipate that client spend will slightly increase. The full 2025 Luxe Report can be found here.  

Network updates

Additionally, Senior Vice President, Global Member & Partner Sales Cory Hagopian presented network updates.

He shared statistics from Virtuoso Communities, which are groups of advisors and preferred partners that specialize in specific travel niches. Hagopian said that based on 2024 year-to-date sales, advisors who participate in communities significantly outpace general advisors in community partner sales.

For example: advisors in the Cruise Community sold an average of 178 percent more with Cruise Community partners compared to advisors who are not in a community. 

Design Your Day

The following morning, destination immersion experiences kicked off, where agency owners and managers in attendance had the opportunity for cultural exploration in the host destination.

They were treated to a variety of “Design Your Day” experiences, all of which were thoughtfully curated and designed by various Virtuoso on-site partners.

Activities in Ljubljana included rowing with Slovenian Olympians on Lake Bled, a private Pletna boat ride, a traditional Slovenian cake-making workshop, a gastronomic tour, a day trip to Maribor during the St. Martin’s Day Feast season, exploring the works of visionary architect Plečnik, exploring the scenic hiking trails of Rožnik and more.  

The group then headed to Portoroz for a stay at the Kempinski Palace Portoroz, where they experienced a lavish party with several musical performances and entertainment throughout the evening.

The following day, guests set out for more Slovenian exploration with “Design Your Day” activities in the area ranging from exploring the Škocjan Caves (a UNESCO Natural Heritage site) to visiting Brda, a wine region dubbed “Slovenia’s Tuscany.” Additional options included olive harvesting, a Mediterranean seafood cooking class, truffle hunting, sailing the Slovenian coast aboard a classic Istrian wooden sailboat, exploring picturesque Piran on foot and more.  

Host properties included InterContinental Ljubljana and Kempinski Palace Portoroz, while tours and experiences were created by Virtuoso partners including the Slovenian Tourist Board, Ljubljana Tourism, Luxury Slovenia, the Portoroz Tourist Board and Grad Otocec.

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