Do you know how most Swiss luxury watches work? There is usually no central battery. Each carefully crafted mechanism turns, powering the next piece to move. The excellence lies in the perfect harmony of each piece working together.

This is how I will remember Connections Switzerland. And this is why  Connections Bespoke events are so powerful.

It’s about each party bringing its unique expertise and magic to the table – and delivering something exceptional.

Switzerland Tourism brought Connections on board to create a Bespoke event in Gstaad that would showcase their incredible country in the best possible way. And from the moment  I met Urs Eberhardt, Vice President of Switzerland Tourism, I knew he would embrace the Connections Way of doing business – unconventional, personal and above all, memorable!

The Swiss suppliers at the event represented the pinnacle of the global luxury travel industry. The luxury buyers in attendance were blown away by the calibre of the Swiss experiences to add to their portfolio, and I have received so many kind words from them about their time in Gstaad, here are just a few:

“A total departure from the luxury travel shows you are used to. Connections allowed me to totally immerse myself in Switzerland as a destination, both in product knowledge of accommodation, gastronomy and local activities. Every travel curator, designer and consultant should experience it.”

Jack Bloch, JB’s World Travel Consultants

“Connections is something truly unique and wonderful. This is my third Connections, and the reason I’ve come back is that I always find something extremely interesting among the experiences that we have during the meetings, as well as meeting new suppliers.”

Sandy Cutrone, Vista Travel Consultants Inc/ European Connection

“After 12 years in the business and numerous events globally, I have to say, it was one of the most productive and best events we have attended. You have managed to capture the right mix of the right type of business, good fun and activities to create a knowledgeable and informative event allowing us to build long-term relationships with potential partners.”

 Kimberley Watt, The Fixer Lifestyle Group

We had the perfect destination – the luxurious chalet town of Gstaad, nestled between green mountains, overflowing with not only high-end experiences, but also Switzerland’s undeniable authenticity.

We had Michelin-star dinners, meetings on suspension bridges at an altitude of almost 3,000 metres, a fascinating discovery session about Swiss luxury watches with Joachim from Les Ambassadeurs and Steven from Greubel Forsey – their passion and niche knowledge completely lit up the room.

All of these fine details come together in Bespoke events, where everything is tailored to opening buyers’ eyes to exactly what a destination can offer – and the buyers were selected based on their hunger for bringing more business to that destination.

Curious to see what happened in Gstaad? Take a look at the fantastic event video created by ActionVideo – Giovanni and Luca, thank you for doing creating such a wonderful memento for us all!

Connections Switzerland was truly a collaboration between an esteemed group of sponsors and partners – a heartfelt thank you to each and everyone of them for bringing a touch of their own magic: Switzerland Tourism, Destination Gstaad, our host hotels: Ermitage Wellness and Spa Hotel, Gstaad Palace, Le Grand Bellevue, The Alpina Gstaad and Ultima Gstaad, Les Ambassadeurs, Swiss Travel System, Glacier 3000 and Euromonitor International.

I also want to thank the Connections team for working tirelessly to make sure that we played our part in making Connections Switzerland run like clockwork.

The next Connections Bespoke event will be Connections California, taking place in California from March 1-4 next year. We will bring the best international luxury buyers to the Sunshine State to meet with exemplary Californian suppliers – and I cannot wait to see the magic happen again!

Ciao!

Micaela