Virtuoso Travel Week returns to Las Vegas with expanded schedule and a record number of meetings

Virtuoso Travel Week is back in Las Vegas for its 37th edition, bringing together more than 4,800 travel professionals from 107 countries. 

Taking place August 9–15 across multiple venues including the Bellagio, ARIA, The Cosmopolitan and Vdara, the event serves as a major touchpoint in the luxury travel sales cycle.

This year’s program includes over 100,000 matched appointments—up more than 40% from 2024—as well as additional assigned and self-selected meetings. 

The increased focus on networking is part of Virtuoso’s ongoing strategy to strengthen connections between travel advisors and preferred partners.

Programming highlights and networking trends

The week opened with Virtuoso’s Community Globetrotting sessions, which explore specialized areas of travel such as cruise, adventure, culinary, family, wellness, ultraluxe and sustainability. 

More than 600 advisors and 120 partners took part this year.

Also returning was the fourth annual Travel Tech Summit, led by Virtuoso board member and tech entrepreneur Gilad Berenstein. 

Attendance nearly doubled from last year, with more than 500 participants gathering to discuss the latest developments in travel tech.

Sunday’s Opening Session featured remarks from Virtuoso executives and guest speaker Will Guidara, who spoke about the role of hospitality in creating emotional connections with travellers. 

Senior Vice President of Global Events Jennifer Campbell noted that the event now offers more flexibility and choice, allowing attendees to customize their week. 

She also confirmed Virtuoso will increase its global event count by 30% next year, for a total of 90.

Human connection at the core

CEO Matthew Upchurch emphasized the importance of combining technology with human connection.

 “Virtuoso has been on a journey to dive deeper into what it means to humanize the exceptional,” he said. 

“Our futures depend on how we live in two rapidly changing ecosystems – technological and human – not just coexisting but actively blending and enhancing the two.”

Additional sessions covered sales trends and consumer insights. 

Luxury travel demand remains strong

Executive VP David Kolner reported that luxury travel remains strong, with network sales up 12% in the first half of 2025. 

Fall and holiday bookings are also tracking ahead, with year-over-year increases of 30% and 35%, respectively. 

Sales for 2026 and 2027 are currently 24% higher than they were at this time last year.

Kolner also shared findings from Virtuoso’s proprietary research, which shows a rising interest among high-net-worth travellers in working with travel advisors—though generational preferences vary. 

Gen Z and Millennials look for advisors who are culturally aware and ambitious, while Gen X and Boomers prioritize expertise and attention to detail.

Evolving operations to support global growth

Sessions on global strategy and network operations also featured updates from senior Virtuoso leadership. 

Senior leaders also shared updates on Virtuoso’s global operations. 

Senior Vice President of Global Operations Michael Londregan spoke to the network’s aim of balancing global consistency with regional relevance, supported by teams in nine international markets. 

Beth Butzlaff, Virtuoso’s general manager for the U.S., explained how her new role focuses on aligning domestic strategy with global initiatives.

Senior VP of Global Partnerships Cory Hagopian said the partnerships team has been restructured to increase global presence and foster stronger local engagement. 

Cheryl Bunker, SVP of Global Memberships, noted ongoing efforts to modernize membership standards to better support advisor success.

Newly appointed SVP of Global Products Helen McCabe-Young announced increased investment in PR, content and advisor tools. 

She highlighted the success of the new Social Media Content Center, which has become Virtuoso’s fastest-adopted platform, with over 2,800 advisors using it to reach nearly three million travellers.

Virtuoso Travel Week continues through August 15, with more announcements, trend reporting and a gala scheduled for later this week.

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