America’s Trendiest City Hosts Travel’s Newest Trendsetters

The first edition of Luxury Travel Advisor’s ULTRA Trendsetters came to a close on Tuesday after a day full of marketing experts imparted valuable ideas on new ways advisors can enhance their brand. The event took place from September 17-19 at The Driskill in Austin, TX and advisors are already voicing their pleasure with the turnout.

“Attending ULTRA Trendsetters has been a game changer for me rebranding myself,” said Jeffery DalPoggetto, travel advisor with Andavo Travel. “I have never been more energized about my future.” 

“Some of the best, most successful agents in the country attended this conference in one of the most dynamic venues in the nation,” said ProTravel International advisor Bonnie Sherman. “If you are interested in sharing, brainstorming and inspiring creativity, then this is the place you need to be.”

The event, organized by Questex Travel Group, publishers of Luxury Travel Advisor, developed the concept based on audience feedback requesting more iterations of the uber-successful  ULTRA Summit, Luxury Travel Advisor’s flagship luxury travel event. In addition, Luxury Travel Advisor’s popular December 2016 issue focused on trendsetting advisors who were leveraging new ways to grow their luxury businesses. With that, ULTRA Trendsetters was born and focused on the forward-thinking advisors and supplier brands that are changing the way we think about modern luxury. 

The event began Sunday night with a charming Texas-themed networking reception hosted by The Driskill and The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, complete with hat makers to custom-fit each attendee with his or her own cowboy hat or stylish lid. They even provided tips on how to pack their hats in attendees’ suitcases to avoid crushing them in transit home. 

Monday was a full day of sharing best practices between some of the most successful advisors and entrepreneurs in the industry, followed by an afternoon of one-to-one appointments between suppliers and advisors. 

Attendees then grooved to the sounds of Austin’s own southern soul and funk band Roxy Roca at the famous Antone’s, home to legends BB King, Ray Charles and James Brown. The reception was sponsored by Visit Austin and included special food truck nibbles like Chinese BBQ chicken and crunchy fish tacos, bacon jam Brussels sprouts, Belgian fries, and Hawaiian pork belly sliders. 

Day Two continued with advisor education featuring a host of marketing gurus including Lara Migliassi, vice president – global brands from The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, and Jann Baskett, chief brand officer from the annual tech, film, and music event, South by Southwest (SXSW).

“I couldn’t be more proud with the execution and results of our first ULTRA Trendsetters event,” said Questex Travel Group’s executive vice president, John McMahon. “The content conveyed during the past few days will help our attendees cut a path towards the future and ahead of their competition, rather than waiting for it to trickle down and possibly pass them by. I am looking forward to sharing more opportunities like this for our audience of suppliers and advisors.”

ULTRA Trendsetters is an intimate luxury travel event that includes one-to-one appointments between advisors and suppliers, engaging presentations and discussions, hip networking functions, and thought-provoking educational content. For more information, visit ultratrendsetters.com.  


Sponsors of the event included host venue The Driskill, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Visit Austin, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority and Crystal.

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