Recognising the value of partnerships, Virtuoso Australia/New Zealand hosted CT Partners’ CEO, Matt Masson at last week’s Virtuoso Travel Week (VTW) in Las Vegas. For Masson, it wasn’t his first taste of the ‘Fashion Week of luxury travel’ but it was his first from an agency perspective.
Fiona Dalton, Virtuoso’s General Manager AU/NZ referred to Mason as a ‘friend of our business’ with many CT Partner members already aligned as members of Virtuoso.
“They value their CT membership significantly, and they also receive support from Virtuoso in the areas of events and marketing, They have various supplier contracts in place centered around cruise, touring, hotels and Virtuoso’s hotel amenities program,” she said from the sidelines of the multi-day event.
Subscribe to LATTE’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury travel industry.
“It really made sense for Matt to have an opportunity to see what we do and that allows him to align CT’s objectives to avoid duplication and replication,” Dalton explained.
“Matt’s been able to get some insights and have a closer look at how Virtuoso Travel Week works, which will assist CT Partners in their thinking. I think it’s a hallmark of the Virtuoso organisation to be able to extend those friendships,” she added.
Masson told LATTE Virtuoso Travel Week 2023 was an “exceptional luxury travel event”.
“It was my second time at VTW, having attended as a supplier partner for the 25th anniversary in 2013. The network has expanded greatly with 5,000+ attendees from 105 countries, and noticeable growth from both advisors and partners outside of North America,” he said.
“I was impressed at how VTW has expanded its offering to include forums such as the Travel Tech Summit and the Globetrotting Community, both of which were insightful and provided useful content and networking opportunities.”
“The level of personalisation for the ANZ delegation – which included 18 member delegates from CT Partners – was impressive with a number of bespoke events and meetings organised to ensure we felt the love of the Virtuoso ANZ team, and were introduced to the right people,” he enthused.
Questioned by LATTE if that friendship could expand to a broader overarching arrangement between Virtuoso and CT Partners, Dalton said membership to
the network is by invitation, based on the capability of the member to deliver against Virtuoso standards.
“It’s a gesture on our behalf to enable Matt and CT Partners to see what Virtuoso does on a global scale, and how that supports their members,” Dalton said.
LATTE was a guest of Virtuoso at Virtuoso Travel Week 2023.