California Luxury Forum: Newport Beach immerses global buyers in luxury

Visit California's 8th California Luxury Forum was held Sept. 15-18 in Newport Beach. The organization partnered with Connections Luxury to curate this event, providing California industry partners the opportunity to meet and network with luxury advisors from around the globe who serve high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. Buyers were hand-selected by Connections and pre-qualified by Visit California’s offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Mexico, the Middle East, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. The Luxury Forum is known for its distinctive “anti-tradeshow” format, which centers on shared California experiences that highlight the state’s lifestyle.

The event was hosted at the Resort at Pelican Hill, where both the opening session and a full day of appointments took place. Attendees also participated in a full day of meetings at Lido House and attended evening events at the Pendry Newport Beach and VEA Newport Beach. Experiences during the appointments included cottage tours, caviar tastings, beach walks, spa treatments, olive oil tasting, spice blending, Italian car viewings, pasta making, and Limoncello making. Two group experiences were also offered: Duffy boat rides to Balboa Bay Resort and a trip to Crystal Cove for a beach toast.

After the official programming concluded, buyers visited Disneyland Resort on Sept. 19 for a full day exploring Disney’s Crown Collection. This curated collection of VIP experiences aims to enhance guests' visits to the Disneyland Resort. Highlights include 21 Royal, the "Land of Dreams" VIP Tour with personal guides, and accommodations in Disneyland Resort Hotel’s Signature or Club level suites. The day concluded with a special dinner at the Animation Academy in Disney’s California Adventure.

• 8th California Luxury Forum
• 39 suppliers: 16 DMOs, 20 accommodations, 1 attraction, 1 shopping center, 1 transportation company
• 40 luxury buyers
• 17 unique experiences at 4 hotels over 2.5 days
• 628 one-on-one appointments
• 5 group networking opportunities
• 1 VIP day at Disneyland

• California may not be the first destination luxury buyers consider, but once exposed to the offerings, they are often pleasantly surprised and eager to explore new options for their clients.
• Luxury buyers seek specialized product information to provide tailored experiences for their clients and rely on the industry to facilitate these connections.
• Many buyers with ultra-high-end clients also act as full-service concierges, managing multiple aspects of their clients' lives and often staying in constant communication with them.
• There is ongoing demand for unique, customized experiences in luxury destinations, and buyers are looking to destinations to provide this information and facilitate these bookings.
• Luxury travelers value sustainability and want visible results from efforts in this area.
• Buyers are highly interested in learning more about destinations through both in-person experiences and online training tools.
• FAM tours continue to be critical in selling destinations through direct engagement with buyers.
• The luxury market will remain a key focus in Visit California’s trade strategy, as aspirational travelers are a growing segment and will play an increasingly important role alongside high-net-worth travelers.