Recapping 2005 and 2006: An Assessment and A Look Ahead
The Luxury Marketing Council
New York Chapter Event
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Panel Discussion at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Generously Hosted by the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund
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Recapping 2005 and 2006: An Assessment and A Look Ahead
A Lively Panel Discussion
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Panelists:
David Gibbons
General Manager
Swissôtel The Drake, New York
Jack Laschever
Vice President, Publisher
ForbesLife
Susan Nicholas
CEO & President
bulthaup corporation
Ramesh Patel
President
LesConcierges
Stuart N. Siegel
President and CEO
Sotheby’s International Realty
Senior Vice President
NRT Incorporated
Olivier Stip
Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communication
Cartier North America
Six CEOs / Heads of Marketing from important sectors – elite travel, luxury publishing, luxury home, exceptional services, luxury real estate, and couture fine jewelry - they will talk about 2005 results, the holiday season, and their vision of the kind of year 2006 promises to be. They'll also talk about specific marketing initiatives that have proven successful for them in the last year. They will also answer questions from those attending on market trends and critical issues they're addressing in this still bullish luxury arena.
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Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Time: 6:00 – 8:30pm (reception continues after panel discussion – should be completed by 7:30ish – for those who’d like to remain)
Location: The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse
10th Floor, Samuel B. & David Rose Building
70 Lincoln Center Plaza, 165 West 65th Street
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The Samuel B. & David Rose Building is located on the north side of West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. Access to the building is via the upper plaza level.
From Broadway & 65th Street: take the escalator adjacent to the Alice Tully Hall entrance. On the upper level, proceed west for the length of the plaza to the main lobby of the Rose Building. Take any elevator to the 10th floor.
From 65th Street and Amsterdam Avenue: take the escalator located approximately 50 feet from the street corner under the Film Society banner. On the upper plaza level, make a sharp left turn to the main lobby of the Rose Building. Take any elevator to the 10th floor.
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About the speakers:
David M. Gibbons
Canadian born Hotelier David M. Gibbons was born in Toronto, Ontario and grew up in Ottawa, Canada and in London, England. David studied Journalism at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and Photography at The Phoenix School of Art and Design in New York.
Before turning to his current career in Hospitality, David worked as a Photographer in London, a fashion model in Paris and a Public Relations Account Executive in New York. David confesses to some bad poetry being written in Tangiers.
David has worked for Swissôtel since 1985 first as Food & Beverage Director of The Drake Swissôtel, New York then as Manager of that famous Park Avenue property. David moved to Boston in 1992 to take over as General Manager of Swissôtel Boston. David served as president of an SAir internal start-up company Hotelgourmet that concentrated on the re-engineering of food logistics in hotels dramatically enhancing hotel F&B profitability. He is also a member of the global steering committee for IT for Swissôtel. David has been a key speaker at Hotel industry events on creating electronic cultures and integrating and enabling change through technology. Since 2003 David has been the General Manager o Swissotel The Drake New York.
David was instrumental in the development of Quality Wins. An employee driven quality assurance program that was homegrown by the staff and exported to sister hotels throughout the world. With efficient staffing levels that are achieved through investment in training, empowered employees and leading edge technology, Swissôtel Boston became a template of how modern re-engineered hotels can run with high quality ratings and high profitability. This culture developed a cadre of young hotel executives who became an integral part of Swissôtel’s asset base. While at Swissotel Boston, David created an environmentally conscious approach to meetings working with national hotel groups seeking to make dollar sense of green sense.
In 2003 David was recognized as General Manger of the Year for Raffles Swissotel worldwide.
Prior to joining Swissôtel, David worked for the Canadian based Elephant and Castle Group of Restaurants as Assistant Director of Corporate Operations and then as Senior Executive U.S. Operations based in Houston. Before working with E&C David ran restaurants and nightclubs in Ottawa, Canada and in New York City.
David is the past President of the Massachusetts Lodging Association, former chair of that organization’s Government Affairs Committee during the Convention Center legislative period. In 2000 he was named Massachusetts Hotelier of the Year. He was on the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Strategic Planning Committee and was a member of The Governor’s transition team on Quality of Life. He was a member of the Board of the Downtown Crossing Association and was a charter member of the Task Force on the Washington Street Business Improvement District (BID), a member of the Chamber of Commerce Development and Transportation Committee.
During his first tenure in New York, David was Vice Chairman N.Y. Chapter American Institute of Wine & Food and a charter member of the Wine Buyer’s Circle.
David his wife Georgia and their two boys Damien and Darin have fallen in love with Boston and the whole New England region and have made their home on The North Shore in a picturesque town.
Favorite family vacation spot is Switzerland and Northern Italy.
Favorite Night School - Italian Cooking Classes.
Favorite Adrenalin - Skiing.
Favorite hospitality tip – a big welcome back smile
Jack Laschever
Jack Laschever is Vice President and Publisher of ForbesLife (formerly Forbes FYI), the company's lifestyle publication. He is a 22-year veteran of the magazine publishing industry, and he joined Forbes in August 2004.
Prior to joining Forbes, Mr. Laschever was President of the Miller Sports Group, publishers of Tennis, Cruising World and Sailing World. He began his career in advertising sales with the launch of European Travel and Life, and then joined Esquire magazine. After moving to American Express Publishing, he held several key positions there, including Associate Publisher of Travel & Leisure and Publisher of Departures. He has also been Publisher of GQ.
ForbesLife, an irreverent lifestyle supplement chronicling "The Good Life™," was launched as Forbes FYI in 1990. Currently published bi-monthly, it is mailed with Forbes to subscribers. ForbesLife shows its readers how to get the most pleasure from every season with its Spring Fashion, Spring Travel, Summer Fun, Fall Fashion, Fall Travel and Winter Holiday issues. – Forbes
Susan Nicholas
Susan Nicholas is CEO & President of bulthaup corporation, the US subsidiary of bulthaup GmbH, a 50 year old Bavaria-based, German company developing and producing kitchen architecture. Long recognized in Europe as the benchmark for high-quality, contemporary design, it has been Ms. Nicholas’ mission since joining bulthaup in 2002 to significantly expand the business in the US.
Prior to joining bulthaup, Susan was CEO & President of LVMH Watch & Jewelry USA and Canada, managing a portfolio of brands including TAG Heuer, Chaumet, Omas and Christian Dior watches. She was promoted into this role following LVMH’s acquisition of TAG Heuer, where she had risen to the position of US President, from her initial position as Director of Marketing.
Ms. Nicholas holds an MBA from the Wharton School. She began her career in brand management at Johnson & Johnson and then joined the design consultancy of Desgrippes Gobe as Executive Vice President, serving a wide range of clients including Coca Cola, Coach, Drexel Heritage and Ann Taylor. She is fluent in French.
Ramesh Patel
Leveraging 20 years of experience in the service industry, Ramesh co-founded LesConcierges, the world leader in concierge services, and is currently the company’s President. Ramesh is responsible for managing all operations for the company, with a focus on building strategic partnerships and solidifying LesConcierges position as the market leader in serving the affluent customer. Ramesh is a charter member of the Luxury Marketing Council, and oversees servicing of affluent customer programs in segments such as luxury retail, financial services, Middle Eastern royalty, celebrities and society VIPs, entrepreneurs, dot.com billionaires and other high net worth individuals.
Born in Kenya and educated in the U.K., Ramesh has traveled the entire globe many times over and is a connoisseur of fine products and services from a multitude of countries.
Ramesh brings over 20 years of sales, marketing and management experience to LesConcierges. Prior to joining LesConcierges, Ramesh headed Client Services at dNet.com, an immediate delivery company which enables rapid delivery of e-commerce purchases. At dNet.com, he managed the relationships between the e-commerce vendors, fulfillment centers and delivery firms, in order to provide the “last mile” immediate delivery. Prior to dNet, Ramesh was Director of Sales and Marketing for Dispatch Management Services Corp (DMSC), the world’s largest on-demand courier company, where he was responsible for all U.S. sales efforts. Previously, he served as Managing Director of Addison Lee Ltd, London's largest point-to-point courier and black car operation. In London he also founded TaxiBike, a revolutionary means of transport for the affluent, time-starved customer. TaxiBike is now run by Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airlines. Before Addison Lee, Ramesh held various management positions at Tesco Stores, the largest grocery retailer in the U.K., spearheading projects around the company's Customer Service initiatives and its Loyalty Programme, now a perennial U.K. award-winner that has acquired international recognition among marketing professionals.
Ramesh and his wife Alison reside in Mill Valley, California.
Stuart N. Siegel
Stuart N. Siegel is a senior vice president of NRT Inc. and president of Sotheby’s International Realty Inc., responsible for company-owned brokerage operations. In this capacity, he provides leadership for key strategic initiatives and oversees the growth of these operations.
Siegel has held a number of executive positions at Sotheby's International Realty over the course of his 24 years with the firm. During his 12 years as president and chief executive officer, Siegel significantly expanded the firm's brokerage operations in key U.S. and European markets while building Sotheby's International Realty into one of the world's best-known luxury brands. He served on the international management committee of Sotheby's Holdings, Inc. and on the board of Sotheby’s North America, and played an integral role in the company's restructuring following its acquisition by Cendant Corporation in February 2004.
Siegel is a former chairman of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, one of the largest preservation organizations in America, and currently serves on its finance committee. He is on the board of Bronx Preparatory Academy, a pioneering charter school predicated on its high academic standards for underserved middle and high school students. Siegel also serves on the board of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture.