Luxury in focus at the NY Times conference in Brussels

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Nov 13, 2017

The New York Times International Luxury Conference for 2017 is being held on 13th-14th November in the European Union capital, Brussels, at the very heart of Europe. The event will be a prime networking opportunity for the many delegates attending, and will feature twenty or so distinguished speakers from the luxury goods industry - among them the heads of some of the industry's top names, from Versace to Saint Laurent - and from the world of finance.

The conference, entitled 'Luxury in a Turbulent World', will try to shed light in the sector's future within an international geopolitical context which is undergoing profound change. "Through interviews with CEOs, decision makers, entrepreneurs, celebrities and other opinion leaders, the conference will explore how luxury goods corporations can succeed in an environment in which the only constant is change, and the greatest risk is not taking any risks," was how the organisers summed up the conference on its website.

The event's programme is very extensive, analysing the world's current geopolitical situation, with the growing influence of various kinds of nationalism, new trends in consumer behaviour and the main factors influencing innovation in the industry. The luxury sector's leading players will also seek an answer to the question of what the future role of brick-and-mortar stores will be, and what differences are there between the X, Y and Z generations.

Among the personalities expected at the Steigenberger Wiltcher’s hotel, home to the event, are Antoine Arnault (CEO Berluti), Stella McCartney, Steve Shiffman (CEO Calvin Klein), Victor Luis (CEO Tapestry), Jonathan Akeroyd (CEO Gianni Versace), Francesca Bellettini (CEO Saint Laurent), Geoffroy de La Bourdonnaye (CEO Chloé), Jean-Marc Loubier (Executive President of Delvaux and CEO First Heritage Brands), Alex Bolen (CEO Oscar de la Renta), Rodrigo Bazan (CEO Thom Browne) and Reed Krakoff (Creative Director of Tiffany & Co.).