What has over 5000 participants from 98 countries, 300,000 individual appointments, in over 250,000 square feet of meeting space in three Las Vegas hotels?  Virtuoso Travel Week, of course!!! As long as we are talking numbers, I will here are a few of my own numbers for the week  – I had over 300 appointments, walked an average of 4 miles a day, attended two gala dinners and countless cocktail parties, consumed more coffee and champagne than I could ever have imagined AND I had a fabulous time!!!

The theme of this year’s event was “Personal” – that true luxury is defined by the personal relationships and customized travel planning that Virtuoso Travel Advisors provide their clients.

My personal goal in attending Travel Week was to “shop” for my clients and get lots of new and interesting ideas to share here on the blog – mission accomplished on both counts. Get ready to hear about lots of exciting destinations and hotels that may be new to you!

A few highlights for me…

The long days of appointments “traveling” the world, were fascinating – One minute I was “in” Africa and the next minute I was “in” Spain – never a dull moment! We also managed to squeeze in some fun – that’s me on the left with two of my colleagues!

The Destination Showcase Dinner on Monday night where each table had a different theme as presented by the table’s sponsor. I was invited by one of my favorite tour providers in Italy – European Connection – it was a pleasure to join their group for the evening!

The “Best of the Best” Dinner is like Oscar Night in the travel biz – I can’t wait to share the winners with you in my next post. I was invited to join the table of the fabulous JK Place Florence who was nominated for Best Bar!  Needless to say it was a fun crowd!

The staff at The Bellagio did a remarkable job serving three meals a day to over 5000 participants – the opening ceremony when they lined the hall and waved flags from the 98 countries represented and cheered all of us was touching. I was incredibly impressed with the level of service throughout the entire week, other than than the fact that despite 100+ temps in Vegas, the average temperature in the meeting rooms was probably in the 50’s (note to self: pack a winter coat for Vegas in August!).

So, there you have it…another Virtuoso Travel Week in the record books – I am already counting the days until next year! I will post later in the week sharing the winners of all the “Best of the Best” awards.  Now I am off to soak my poor aching feet!

xoxo