2027 dates confirmed: 19 - 22 September, London
London edition paired curated one-to-one meetings, shared experiences, live market insight and a powerful UK luxury trade partnership across three days in the capital.
London, UK - Connections Luxury has completed Connections Luxury UK & Ireland 2026, delivered in London from 20 to 23 September in partnership with Aspire.
The event brought together a curated community of UK & Ireland luxury travel advisors, selected international buyers, leading hotels, destinations, DMCs, tourism boards and specialist suppliers for three days of relationship-led meetings, immersive experiences and insight-led networking.
Hosted across some of London’s most distinctive venues, the programme was designed around the Connections Way, pairing carefully matched business meetings with shared experiences that give delegates more time, context and chemistry than a traditional trade-show environment.
The 2026 edition opened with an informal welcome reception at 12th Knot at Sea Containers London, setting the tone for a programme rooted in both commercial relevance and London hospitality. The main meeting days were hosted at 8 Northumberland Avenue, where delegates took part in curated one-to-one appointments, Power Hour introductions, live room-pulse insight moments and a programme of experiences woven through the meeting schedule.
The event’s partnership with Aspire brought a powerful UK luxury trade dimension to the edition. As the UK’s leading luxury travel trade media brand, Aspire contributed editorial authority, market insight and access to one of the country’s most influential communities of luxury travel professionals. The partnership also helped shape the event’s content and audience engagement, including live insight moments designed to capture what UK luxury advisors are seeing in client demand and supplier relationships.
During the opening briefing, Aspire’s editor Hollie-Rae Brader welcomed delegates and highlighted the influence of the UK luxury advisor community, whose client relationships and commercial insight sit at the centre of the high-end travel market.
The live audience pulse reinforced the direction of the market. When asked what is driving the biggest shift in luxury travel demand, delegates pointed first to more personalised travel, followed by private and exclusive access and authentic local connection. A second discussion explored what matters most in a new luxury travel partnership today, including commercial fit, product differentiation, understanding of the end client, ease of working together and trust with long-term relationship potential.
These findings will inform a forthcoming UK & Ireland insight report from Connections Luxury and Aspire, designed to help suppliers and destinations better understand what UK luxury advisors need from partners in the current market.
The supplier community represented a broad cross-section of the global luxury travel sector, including destination partners, hotel groups, independent luxury properties, DMCs, expedition and adventure specialists, wellness destinations, private-island resorts, city hotels and cultural experience providers. Participating brands and destinations included Barcelona Tourism, Catalonia Catalan Tourist Board, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tourism Australia, Visit Portugal, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, PEARL Resorts of Tahiti, Costa Navarino, Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, Velaa Private Island, The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, Terme di Saturnia, The Mandrake, The Reykjavik EDITION, Arctic Adventures, Resort Life Travel and Thames Luxury Charters, among many others.
The buyer audience included a carefully selected group of UK & Ireland luxury travel advisors and selected international travel decision-makers, with representation from independent luxury travel designers, founder-led agencies, concierge businesses, established agency groups and specialist high-end travel companies.
A central feature of the programme was the integration of shared experiences into the meeting format. Delegates were invited to continue business conversations through activities including sensory experiences with Dans Le Noir ? , deception and polygraphy sessions with Blackreel, Scottish heritage and Highland storytelling with Luxury Scotland and Highland Outfitters, Catalan food and wine tasting, Great Scotland Yard Hotel’s tea, wine and detective-led experiences, wellness treatments, creative workshops, West End-inspired movement sessions and London walking tours.
The first full day concluded with an evening reception at The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, one of London’s most historic legal landmarks. Delegates gathered in the Great Hall, a setting that brought together London heritage, architectural storytelling and luxury travel networking. The evening also featured Mateu Hernández, CEO of Barcelona Tourism, reflecting the continued relationship between Connections Luxury and Barcelona, the long-standing home of Connections Luxury Europe.
The final evening took place onboard Thames Luxury Charters’ Dixie Queen, giving delegates a closing experience on the River Thames and a memorable perspective on London as a host destination.
Greg Reeves, Managing Director International at Connections Luxury, said:
“Connections Luxury UK & Ireland was built around the same principle that defines our global community: bringing the right people together, in the right setting and at the right pace so that better conversations happen.
“London gave us an outstanding stage for this edition, but what made it powerful was the quality of the community in the room. Over the course of the programme, delegates were not simply moving through meetings; they were building relationships, sharing insight and discovering where genuine commercial fit exists.
“Our partnership with Aspire added real strength to the event. Their connection to the UK luxury travel trade, editorial authority and understanding of the advisor community helped make this edition more focused, more relevant and more valuable for both buyers and suppliers.”
Hollie-Rae Brader, editor at Aspire, said:
“Aspire was delighted to partner with Connections Luxury for this UK & Ireland edition. The event created a valuable environment for our luxury advisor community to meet relevant suppliers, discover new product and contribute their perspective on where client demand is moving.
“What stood out was the quality of the conversations. Agents are looking for partners who understand their clients, can offer meaningful access and make the process of recommending and booking exceptional travel easier. This event gave both sides the opportunity to explore those relationships in a more personal and considered way.”
The edition also reflected the evolving role of London as a host city for international luxury travel business. Across venues including Sea Containers London, 8 Northumberland Avenue, Lincoln’s Inn and Thames Luxury Charters, delegates experienced a programme that combined commercial meetings with hospitality, heritage, creativity and place-led storytelling.
Connections Luxury extends its thanks to Aspire as event partner; 12th Knot at Sea Containers London; 8 Northumberland Avenue; The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn; Thames Luxury Charters; REAL Chauffeurs; The Londoner; XO Private; Preferred Hotels & Resorts; Small Luxury Hotels; Serefin; Heavens Portfolio; and all experience partners, suppliers, buyers and team members who helped bring the 2026 edition to life.
Connections Luxury UK & Ireland will return to London from 19 to 22 September 2027.
For more information, visit connectionsluxury.com/events or contact enquiries@weareconnections.com
Notes to editors
About Connections Luxury
Connections Luxury is a global community for senior decision-makers in luxury travel and hospitality. Across its events worldwide, Connections Luxury brings together leading buyers, suppliers and destination partners through carefully curated meetings, shared experiences and meaningful conversation.
Its community includes more than 3,000 luxury travel professionals, representing over US$7.8 billion in annual travel spend. Over the past 12 years, Connections has delivered more than 100 events across 41 destinations.
About Aspire
Aspire is the UK’s leading luxury travel trade media brand. Established in 2010, Aspire comprises highly targeted print products, a members-only website, an engaged digital community and an extensive events network.
Its UK-based agent audience is responsible for in excess of £1.8 billion in luxury travel sales. Aspire’s events include Leaders of Luxury, the Aspire Awards, Aspire Retreats and Aspire Escapes.