As I was anticipating attending a new travel trade show, I asked a few advisor colleagues and industry friends about what to expect, schedule intensity, best events to attend, outfits for work in the Miami heat, and 1:1 meeting strategy. L.E./Miami, short for Limited Edition Miami, is the chic, cheeky event that brings together the best in the business. The vibes are on point with the on-site DJ, creative activations and scintillating trade show displays.

Being a travel advisor has it’s perks, but it does come with some pretty intense event schedules, which allows us to cover a lot of ground in one place for our clients. This was no different, which is why the under eye mask station was such a hit each day. We’re busy from sun up till late night when our heads hit the pillow.

I decided to get in early to have a little calm before the storm (literally!), so I picked the goodtime hotel, co-founded by Pharrell Williams. It lived up to the name! It makes for a great girls or guys getaway with some splashy pool parties.

Pre Trade Show

Sunday has become the ultimate pre-party marathon for LE/Miami. Our partners travel in from all over to engage with top travel advisors. And, the best relationships are more fruitful over a drink. Each partner selects different luxury hotels to host their receptions, so we get the added benefit of seeing the latest Miami hotel offerings for our clients like Faena - a personal favorite, Greystone, The Setai, Soho Beach House, 1 Hotel South Beach, Edition, Ritz Carlton and more.

Prior to the official kick-off, I moved uptown to Esmé Boutique Hotel to lay my head for the remainder of the days. It’s cute rooftop lounge and pool serves as a great respite from the busy schedule.

L.E./Miami Schedule

The kick-off party is hosted annually at the W South Beach around the outdoor pool with various destination activations, drink and food stations.

The next three days are when it really heated up! We have three days with 45 meetings, 15 per day, 20 minutes each, followed by happy hours that roll into evening events. Our meeting matchmaking process prior makes sure we’re paired up with our existing and future partners from destination experts to design hotels around the world. Many familiar faces, new relationships and old ones are fostered here. It’s the best way to put a face with the name, VIP our clients and get to know the latest-and-greatest on the market around the world! Truly fabulous and exhausting at the same time.

Meeting Highlights:

Surprising! Things that stood out to me were several meetings with luxury hoteliers in Ibiza and villa owners that showed me how much the island has grown up from party capital to pristine haven, catering to all travelers now such as Ibiza Gran Hotel, Mondrian Ibiza and Six Senses.
Catalonia gets an SLS Barcelona. The waterfront property is set to really up the stylish promenade for clientele. Don’t let those water gun stories sway you from going to Barcelona! I had clients there right after the incident and it was the highlight of their trip (commentary in Travel Market Report).
Nordic design gems. Over the last few years, I’ve been pining after a Nordic country trip. After meeting with Nordic Luxury Hotels, and 50 Degrees North (destination experts for advisors), I’m convinced everyone needs a cozy, but cold retreat on their list! Staying at Ett Hem, and Ice Hotel remain on the top of my travel list as well.
London Town! After meeting with The Beaumont, The Mayfair Townhouse and The Scotland Yard, it just seems like any time is a good time to pop over to London.
Design Hotels. The showing for the collection of properties was really fantastic. I met with two standouts in Singapore, which I’ve not been to since 2011 when I was leading the press tour for the Singapore Airlines’ A380 flights from the United States. It’s about time to return!
United States Hotel Collections. There’s a big focus on dreamy domestic trip possibilities with EOS Hospitality and Noble House Hotels & Resorts. As someone who’s visited 46 states, the US has plenty to offer from quintessential New England to flip flop luxury in Florida Keys.

After all the meetings, we were all ready for a cocktail. For the closing party, we were meant to have a beach party at the 1 Hotel South Beach. Mother nature had other plans, so moved inside and danced the night away in AC so actually worked out fine since it was peak humidity.

After the after party, the following morning was spent resting my voice and body at the Esme rooftop pool with a little girl lunch - sparkling rosé, tenders and fries. Not bad. Till next time Miami!

Ask me about my hotel favorites, new trip ideas and ways to make them work for you:

LE/Miami Fabulous Trips