Designer Travel says it is already planning its next Designer Fest following the overwhelmingly positive response to the inaugural event last month. 

The luxury travel agency welcomed more than 150 guests for the full-day festival on September 25, which comes just a few months after it hosted its annual overseas conference in Abu Dhabi.

Held at Nailcote Hall in Coventry, the gathering gave 110 advisors and 40 suppliers an opportunity to network in a relaxed environment and catch up with their industry peers. 

Attendees travelled from all over the UK for the lavish event, which also covered overnight accommodation and all meals. 

Speaking to TTG Luxury, managing director Amanda Matthews hailed the day as “magical.” 

“I can’t think of anything I would change about it,” she said. “I believe it’s the most successful event we’ve ever done.” 

The event kicked off with a series of meetings between the agents and suppliers, “a large percentage of whom” had never partnered with Designer Travel advisors before.

“Preference was also given to suppliers who hadn’t been able to come to the [overseas] conference but still wanted to get in front of our agents,” Matthews explained. For optimal networking, operators were allocated separate spaces based on their category: “We had our own cruise room and our own AITO room.” 

Matthews added that the suppliers were delighted to have access to such “professional, experienced agents” in one place, before adding that many are already requesting details on next year’s event. 

Designer Fest was also a direct response to demand from the advisors, who have been eager to reconnect with one another after their four-day trip to Abu Dhabi in June. They’ve also been keen to expand their contact book of suppliers, especially ones they’d never met before. 

Following an afternoon of building their supplier knowledge, the agents winded down for an evening of nostalgic games and upbeat entertainment. 

Attractions included a fairground carousel ride, a bucking bronco and a bungee run, as well as face painting and glitter tattooing. There were also performances by Truly Medley Deeply, a DJ and jukebox act, and soul singer Jo Farrow. 

Food trucks served everything from dirty fries and waffles to BBQ chicken, and agents were able to claim free drinks with vouchers. There was also a tombola and a ‘Loved Again Boutique’ stall, where guests could buy and sell second-hand clothes to raise funds for charity. 

Matthews went on to credit her “go-getting” team at Designer Travel for pulling off such a large-scale operation without a hitch: “Everyone was hands on deck – we were decorating the room ourselves the day before.”

Even a couple of weeks on, she admitted she hasn’t fully processed the success of the event: “I’m still on a high from it. Everything went to plan – it was incredible.”