Next year, Virtuoso's annual Symposium will take place March 17-22 in the Netherlands, and for the first time, five cruise lines will come together to host the travel industry's top executives. Each of the cruise lines will dedicate one ship to accommodate Symposium attendees, and all will follow an identical itinerary. The participating cruise lines are: AmaWaterways, Avalon River Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Viking Cruises.
The Symposium cruises will depart from Amsterdam March 18, then sail to Arnhem, Rotterdam and Kinderdijk in the Netherlands before returning to Amsterdam on March 21. All six Virtuoso preferred hotels in Amsterdam will host Symposium attendees: Conservatorium Hotel Amsterdam, Hotel De L’Europe, InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam, Pulitzer Amsterdam, Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam, and Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam.
Virtuoso Symposium is a high-level business meeting that brings together top executives in the travel industry, including key agency members and preferred partners. The event hosts a discussion on travel trends, discussions, challenges, opportunities and the future of the industry.
Previously, Virtuoso has held its annual Symposium in Cairo, Cannes, Singapore, St. Petersburg, Madrid, Mexico City, Beunos Aires and Berlin. The 2017 Virtuoso Symposium recently took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, May 3-7. This years Symposium hosted 530 attendees, representing 41 countries. Virtuoso focused on the opportunity that exists for travel advisors, regarding their ability to cultivate experiences for clientele willing to pay top dollar. The Symposium's keynote speakers included Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., CEO of Age Wave, and Matthew D. Upchurch, Chairman and CEO of Virtuoso.