Movers and shakers of the Asia Pacific travel community gathered in Seminyak this week to attend Further East 2023, the innovative invite-only high-end travel trade show dedicated to connecting APAC-focused brands, buyers and media. Running from Monday 6 November to Thursday 9 November, this year’s theme ‘Right here. Right now.’ features an agenda guided by principles of Inspire, Spark and Progress.
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The event kicked off with Further East’s ‘unconference’ Open House at Potato Head Beach Club where travel pioneers explored how to seize the moment and channel it towards a more vibrant, sustainable future.
The interactive event allowed attendees to share challenges, secrets and successes in order to facilitate positive change and hosted an A-grade lineup of keynote speakers, such as Luxury Escapes CEO, Adam Schwab, W Hotels Worldwide Marriott International Senior Director of Global Brand Marketing, Carly Van Sickle, and Signature Media’s CEO and Group Editor, Cathy Wagstaff, was a member of The Reverse Press Conference panel with Janine Lee St John, Editor in Chief Travel & Leisure, Asia, and Kee Foong, freelance writer.
The opening remarks for the Open House conference were delivered by This Is Beyond Founder and CEO, Serge Dive, and This Is Beyond Event Manager, Sophia Ashgar. The pair spoke of the continued growth within the luxury travel sector, and the benefits of great minds meeting together at Further East.
“This show is all about showcasing the very best of Australasia, with approximately 160 products on display. I hope you will discover many great insights throughout the week. Thank you for being part of Further East, and also for being here at Open House,” said Dive.
“What’s important here is the accidental conversations you will have, as we believe these conversations will fuel the next big idea for your business and your own creativity.”“We will be inspired by innovative changemakers today, and tonight we’ll be dancing the night away,” said Ashgar.
The 2023 agenda features an immersive program of media activities, networking opportunities, cultural enrichment, inspirational talks and educational workshops. A variety of luxury hotels, resorts and DMCs with specialist buyers and influential media from around the globe are showcased during the four-day event, while attendees leave with thought-provoking ideas, new connections and forward-thinking content.
Luxury Escapes attended the event in 2022 and partnered with event organisers to provide coffee in the morning to delegates, followed by Espresso Martinis in the afternoon. Adam Schwab, CEO participated in a panel on decoding the future of travel.
Tom McMenemie, GM of Luxury Escapes, was also a panelist on a discussion around the “Business of Influencing” and reflected on how Luxury Escapes maximises platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to deliver results.
