Photos from the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference 2017

MUSCAT, Oman – Condé Nast International retraced the trade routes of the Middle East to better understand the region and the luxury world at large for its third annual Luxury Conference.

This year’s summit took attendees to Muscat, Oman April 4-6 with an agenda lineup that explored topics of new wealth generation and how emerging markets are on pace to be a source of 21st century growth for those in the luxury industry. In partnership with Place Vendôme Qatar and Oman Air, “Mindful Luxury,” sessions invited creative talents and business leaders to speak to a cache of topics pertaining to luxury’s business opportunities and potential consumer relationships.

Supported by the Sultanate of Oman's Ministry of Tourism, the two-day conference brought together nearly 500 attendees from more than 30 countries at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa in Muscat. Primary topics included, among others, new market development, the evolution of global trade routes, luxury for the “post-luxury” consumer and the power of the Middle East, with tracks dedicated to the perfume, jewelry and accessories businesses (see story).

The 2017 conference was hosted and curated by Vogue International editor Suzy Menkes.

Below are photos from the event:

Day 1:
A cocktail reception April 4 welcomed delegates and speakers to the conference. The welcome party was held in The Courtyard of the Al Husn Hotel, a property within Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah’s resort complex.

Attendees mingling at The Courtyard reception

Day 2:

Sessions were held in the ballroom of Shangri-La's Al Bandar Hotel, also part of the resort complex.

Suzy Menkes and Condé Nast chairman and chief executive Jonathan Newhouse sit with HE Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi, Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sultanate of Oman, and others at the start of the conference

Condé Nast titles were on display in the entry hall to the ballroom

Instagram's Head of Luxury Morin Oluwole noted that the Middle East has the highest rate of Instagram use in the world

Cocktail gala:

On the eve of April 5, delegates attended a Muttra souq-themed party at Turtle Beach on the resort complex grounds. The cocktail party was hosted by Condé Nast International and Place Vendôme Qatar.

Food stalls were set up to give the gala a market atmosphere

Delegates browsing a market stall with Omani handcrafts

Delegates enjoying the nice weather and tasting Middle Eastern cuisine

Day 3:

Sessions resumed April 6 at the ballroom of Shangri-La's Al Bandar Hotel.

Suzy Menkes welcoming attendees on the morning of April 6

Delegates and speakers enjoying the day's sessions

Jonathan Newhouse thanking Suzy Menkes for curating the two-day event

Suzy Menkes with a bouquet from Jonathan Newhouse

On Day 3, it was announced that the fourth annual Condé Nast International Luxury Conference will be held in Portugal on April 18-19, 2018. The 2018 edition will revolve around The Language of Luxury with further detail being announced in due course.

"The Language of Luxury is one recognized the world over, and yet is something that can so easily become lost in translation or interpretation," Ms. Menkes said during her announcement in Muscat, Oman. "We will address how today’s luxury industry operates with fewer geographical boundaries, whether real or imagined, with far greater global travel, and with ever-higher expectations from its consumers, unraveling the lexicon of luxury for this new world order."

*All photography of the Mindful Luxury conference was provided, with courtesy, by Condé Nast International.