When I Was Travel-Inspired At The Luxury Festival

I attended the Luxury Festival in Delhi on 3rd April and the credit goes to KLM India for promptly arranging passes for me.

 

 

Does Luxury festival sound unique to you? Well,  it should because it was the first Luxury Festival ever organized in the capital. Jointly hosted by Quintessentially Lifestyle Services India and GroupM (a WPP Company) with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the Trade Partner, the event saw participation from some of the best global luxury brands. The dates of the event were 01 -03 April, 2016. It was only on the third day that I could make it there. I had read about the schedule of events on the website but my main reason of visiting the festival was to explore the KLM VR experience. Only after reaching there, I learnt that some of the most powerful and iconic brands had come together to put up this show. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India is a growing luxury market. It is growing at CAGR of 18% and at the same time Indians have become more aware and conscious of luxury brands.  So this was one place where each one talked luxury and only luxury. The concept was not about stalls and pavilions but also fashion shows, stage performances, car rallies and interactive sessions too. Being a Sunday, I was expecting a big crowd at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium but to my surprise the footfall was just not up to the mark. I am not sure why the turn out was so less. I wondered where had the luxury conscious people of the capital suddenly vanished? In my view, the event was not marketed well. In fact, later when I uploaded pictures and talked about it on my Facebook timeline, my friends curiously asked me about it as if they were totally unaware of the Luxury Festival. 

 

 

Most of the time, luxury is associated with expenses but if you ask me I would say its more about comfort. For anyone who has an eye for elegance and sophistication, luxury is the word. And if you thought you could define it, luxury is definitely one of the things that has no limits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am a traveler and I love to do both luxury and budget trips. There are no comparisons between the two but if you give me a choice, I would love to show my inclination towards luxury. Don’t we all love comforts? Yes, we do. There are times when one doesn’t even know where it ends because luxury has no definite limit. At the same time, you may say that not everyone can afford luxury then why such festival. But, the disparity has always been there and will be there. Yet, we can’t stop people from enjoying their wealth. There is so much to know about the luxury brands and in fact its far more interesting to discover that what makes them different from the rest. In my view, the thought behind the event was great. I am sure it helped to enhance interactions between iconic brands and their target consumers.

 

 

For the traveler in me, this was an interesting event to get more travel-inspired. First of all I met by one of the representatives of KLM India. She handed over the passes to me and let me in. Then I started my stroll inside the pavilion. To begin with, the Bentley cushion (above) caught my eye almost instantly. Next, there were superb paintings and art work on display. There was fashion, interiors, robotics, magazines, hotels and more. I could recognize a lot of brands but I felt there were many which were missing too. However, I was delighted to see some of my travel brands like Switzerland Tourism and Thailand Tourism. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I walked to the Air France pavilion who had come together with France Tourism. Their setup looked very bright and catchy in red, blue and white. I wouldn’t have learnt about their in-flight business experience had I not been curious about them. The interiors inside were replicated to give a virtual feel of traveling in a business class with Air France. I went around and looked into everything keenly and curiously. I also had a chance to make a small conversation with the representatives of both Air France and France Tourism. They gave me goodie bags too and explained me some features in detail. Business class means luxury and France has always been close to the heart of a traveler. How about experiencing it right when you begin your flight? In Air France, the seats reflect their concept of travel – full flat, full access, full privacy, etc. And the whole idea is about enjoying, sleeping and dreaming in the clouds. At the luxury festival, they were absolutely meant to be. If you are using Air France lately, do use the advantage code below. And if you are yet to do Paris, I must tell you that my visit to the top of Eiffel Tower still happens to be my most favorite and romantic evening. It is beautiful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, I had not used Virtual Reality headset before this. The VR Goggle was super cool. Its was not just any goggle but it helped us to sneak in the KLM 787 Dreamliner. The whole thing is an interactive game where you find yourself on board KLM’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and you have to track down the latest innovations on the flight. The clouds, the inside of the plane, everything is very real. Initially, I did not understand the game but as soon as I spotted one feature, I began to enjoy the fun.The trick is to sit on a chair and only move your head. But at one point of time, its tough to just be at one place. There is an urge to get up and move. And while you are finding the fifteen new and luxury features, you are not even bothered as to what is happening around you because you are too lost exploring the plane. The experience was great fun. The 360-degree life-like experience was superb. It was like being transported to a different place for sometime. Hubby and I wore our head gear at the same time. While, he was quick with the spotting and made 15 on 15. I could only find 12. But overall, I must say it was a great way to know the newest aircraft. The pictures below will give you an idea as to how the gadget had to be put on the eyes and what the new aircraft promises.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this virtual trip with KLM, we further explored the neighboring stalls. Thailand is very close to my heart and thus I was super excited to see the umbrellas from Chiang Mai displayed all over their space. I told the lady at the stall that I had been to the factory where these umbrellas were made by hand. I picked up the latest booklets to read more about the places that I am yet to visit. Trust me, Thailand never fails to impress me and I love these colorful umbrellas. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were two halls. In one hall, there were stalls and in another one there was a huge ramp and luxury cars around it. The cras from Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Bentley and more were displayed on the three sides. Luxury was redefined here for the road travelers. When we were done with all the travel and tourism brands, hubby was excited to go around and check out the luxury cars. I love road trips but I am aren’t crazy about cars. I find them more boy thing. I just clicked a few pictures but he went ahead to explore their luxury features. I was more interested in the beauty tips that were being shared from an expert make up artist on the ramp. I settled down on the nearest vacant chair and hubby walked around. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not the least, Hubby learnt balancing and walking on the IOWALK. Initially he was hesitant but later I could see he was enjoying himself. IO WALK is an Intelligent Personal Mobility Device and is used for personal transportation. Overall, it was a nice experience at the luxury festival. Next, year I would really want this festival to reach out to wider audience.

Thank you KLM India!