Experience Matters

Camaraderie, Not Claws, at this Year’s Luxury Interactive Conference

As in 2008, this year’s Luxury Interactive Conference was mostly enlightening, often fun, and at times a bit “out-there.” But then, that’s the nature of industry confabs.

Last June I was a speaker here, alongside my then-client in front of a pretty big breakout room filled to capacity with 200+ of the glossily groomed. It was one of two simultaneous presentations, and from all reports the other room was much bigger than ours, but just as full. This time around it was a pretty different story.

We’re all familiar with the economy’s effect on our and every other business on the planet. At the Luxury Interactive Conference, this reality took shape in lower attendance (to be expected), fewer speakers, a smaller venue, and only one main ballroom for all presentations on the docket.

This is not to say, however, that the conference wasn’t a success. How could that be? Well for starters, a completely new ambiance filled the air — everyone, whether on stage or in the audience, genuinely looked to help each other through this trying time. The standard feeling of competition, even among agency personnel looking to fatten up their new-biz pipelines and appointment books, was relatively absent. No thinly veiled corporate espionage could be detected. No goofy adult version of the high school clique; just a bunch of people looking to each other for help on how to get through this.

We were brothers-in-arms, a club, a gathering of like-minded professionals who shared the same goals, fears, and let-downs — down to the two global fashion house execs gladly sharing a lunchtable, or co-sponsor agency competitors discussing experiences and complimenting each other in a manner unprecedented. Don’t get me wrong. This conference is always full of friendly experts who facilitate dialogue and encourage the cross-pollination of ideas. This time though, it was pervasive and palpable, from the opening address to the final presentation.

What a difference a year makes. If you’d have told me the mood and the overall size of Lux Interactive would change so drastically in a year, I wouldn’t have believed you. But since last June, so much we once counted on is gone. Shell-shocked anymore, it’s easy to overlook how much our clients and their customers have endured in 12 short months.

So yes, the conference showcased some interesting perspectives on the lux consumer and how their lifestyles and expectations have changed. We saw some cool creative that’s on its way to PCs and smartphones alike. We heard tales of woe from the front lines of a lux site redesign launch during the holiday season. We saw informative charts with telling trends of prosperity lost and the new opportunities which would result. We were told again and again that, for our audience, time is the only real luxury left.  We even heard how credit cards and cars and cosmetics are in the same boat, and what they have in common in terms getting out of it.

But perhaps the most memorable takeaway was how the luxury interactive space has been bent, sure, but refuses to break. Egos were checked at the door in the hopes that someone nearby might have that kernel of intelligence to make all the difference for their client roster or consumer base. Those in the ballroom listened more intently and took more notes than at any conference I’ve seen in a long time; maybe ever. And everyone agreed that the definition of “luxury” (just like “interactive”) is rapidly changing, so the twin virtues of nimble and open-mindedness were reinforced in new ways — to an industry that’s long prided itself on a reliably premium audience with predictably traditional tastes.

As always, it was really nice to hear from the many talented, experienced presenters. And, it seems, our industry has no shortage of them, which is why so many people circle these dates on their calendar each year.

It’s just that, at the Luxury Interactive Conference this time around, there seemed to be just as many great ideas and helping hands off-stage as there were on it.