FCTG buys Luxperience

Flight Centre Travel Group is continuing to expand its reach into the luxury market, with the acquisition of the Luxperience trade show ( TD breaking news).

Luxperience was established by Helen Logas after she sold her TMC Travelcorp into the public listing of Corporate Travel Management ( TD 01 Aug 2011).

FCTG has purchased the business from US company Diversified Communications, which acquired Luxperience six years later ( TD 04 Oct 2017).

Diversified Communications also owns a range of other B2B platforms in Australia, including Mumbrella, the Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo and the Fine Food Australia show.

Traditionally held as an in-person luxury showcase, Luxperience pivoted in recent years due to COVID-19, with the most recent events being virtual gatherings in 2021 and 2022.

FCTG Global Leisure CEO, James Kavanagh, said the company saw the acquisition as an opportunity to strengthen its luxury leisure offerings to suppliers, travel advisors and their clients.

“Luxperience is very well known in Australia and New Zealand, and it has a strong reputation as a great quality annual hosted buyer event connecting high-end experiential travel advisors with elite suppliers.

“It is the only event of its kind in Australia...as we emerged from the pandemic and luxury travel began to rebound, we felt the addition of a bespoke luxury B2B event like this would strengthen our portfolio and provide opportunities for business growth and diversification,” he said.

Diversified Communications Australia MD David Longman said the business was pleased with the outcome, with FCTG’s strong reach making it the “ideal platform to advance the Luxperience brand in the market”.

Enquiries are now open for the first edition of Luxperience under FCTG’s ownership, which is scheduled for 14-16 Nov this year at ICC Sydney - more information on luxperience@flightcentre.com.