In May 2023, Cadence travel advisors, staff, and valued partners gathered from around the country for a few days of education, celebration, and connection during our 8th annual Cadence Connects event. With a theme of “In the Stars”, this year centered around the stars and planets aligning to bring everyone together, and getting inspired for what the universe has in store for the bright futures of our industry, partnerships, and individual trajectories. To add the perfect amount of glitz and glamour to this year’s event, we chose the luxurious Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, set amongst the backdrop of iconic Beverly Hills, as our setting.

The perfect kick-off

Situated in the hotel’s stunning Royal Suite, attendees entered the Cadence Hospitality Suite - where they checked in for the event, received welcome gifts, enjoyed light bites, and the opportunity for some fun activities including tarot card readings and zodiac jewelry making. The evening began with a special reception for our top producing advisors, hosted by Kerzner, followed by partner-hosted dine-arounds. Based on the concept that some of our fondest memories are made when gathered around the dinner table, small groups of advisors and travel partners dined at some of the best restaurants in Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas.

Expert Panels + Incredible Speakers

This year featured two memorable panels, and two inspiring keynote speakers:

**Keynote Speaker: David Kolner, EVP, Virtuoso**

Executive Vice President of Virtuoso, David Kolner, gave an engaging presentation about travel trends, the state of the industry, post-pandemic travel behaviors, the positive impact the travel industry has on the world, artificial intelligence, and so much more. We always appreciate David’s wisdom, humility, and humor, and we are so grateful for our partnership with the Virtuoso network.

**Keynote Speaker: Mike Minchin, CMO, Auberge Resorts Collection**

We were thrilled to feature Mike Minchin, Chief Marketing Officer for Auberge Resorts Collection in an intimate conversation and Q&A. While the bulk of the conversation revolved around Auberge’s vision and commitment to unique and exemplary experiences, we also had a little fun. Mike and John kicked off their shoes (literally!) and got comfortable onstage before digging in to topics like new and emerging properties in the collection, how personalization is the key to creating unique experiences, and what care means to each brand.

**Advisor Panel**

Top achieving advisors (from left to right) Rachel Brown, Alyson Nash, Diane Sherer, Gina DeSantis, Colleen Petre, and Leigh Rowan chatted about everything from their travel origin stories to communication preferences, and answered questions directly from the audience of supplier partners. This organically led to a two-way conversation between advisors and partners, in which each were able to genuinely ask how they could help each other maximize mutual success.

**Women in Leadership Panel**

This year’s panel featured inspiring and impactful women in travel leadership in an interactive conversation about entrepreneurship, successes and failures, life experiences, lessons learned, and so much more. Our incredible group of panelists included Ana Pinto, Executive Director, Micato Safaris | Beverly Magee, RVP and GM, Four Seasons Austin | Erica Richey, VP of Performance Marketing & Growth at Seabourn | and Jane Burnell Fraser, VP Executive Director, Luxury Partnerships with Hilton. As a woman-owned company, this felt extra special to Cadence.

Fireside Chat with Wendy

New to this year’s Cadence Connects, this intimate session with CEO Wendy Burk was moderated by Virtuoso’s David Kolner, and allowed our partners to engage in a meaningful conversation with Cadence’s founder and visionary.

‘Go West’ Culinary Experience with Auberge Resorts Collection

For an evening to remember, Auberge Resorts Collection brought together the chefs from some of their west coast properties, to create a unique tasting menu. Hosted by Mauna Lani, Hotel Jerome, Madeline Hotel & Residences, The Inn at Mattei' s Tavern, Solage, Stanly Ranch, Chileno Bay Resort, Esperanza, Etéreo, & Susurros del Corazón - we are still dreaming of the culinary delights!

Mauna Lani’s Chef Mark Libunao designed a menu of corn ribs, chicken and ora king salmon robatayaki, bone marrow and grilled shokupan. The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern’s Chef Rhoda Magbitang created an impressive feast of both vegetable and seafood paella. We also sampled devilish eggs with caviar & truffle from Madeline Hotel & Residences, JBar sliders from Hotel Jerome, hamachi crudo from The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, and fish taquitos & carne asada tacos from Auberge Resorts Collection Mexico. The evening was topped off with wines from PlumpJack Winery, and two beautifully crafted specialty cocktails. A special thank you to Sergio Caceres, Director of Food And Beverage at Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection!

Breakout Sessions + Professional Development

For all attendees, the choice of two breakout sessions were offered: ‘Travel & Your Birth Chart’, with Kira Tabourn, Astrologist, and contributing author at Condé Nast Traveler; and ‘Social Media for Your Business’, with Sarah Bassett, Vice President, Social Media, at JPR. For our travel advisors, professional development sessions were offered on a number of topics, and Hyatt presented an interactive brand experience workshop.

Meetings with Valued Partners

With supplier partners in attendance who represent the world’s finest luxury hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, travel insurance providers and more, Cadence Connects looks to strengthen industry relationships so our advisors can provide their clients with exceptional experiences and VIP service. One-on-one appointments allow attendees to share business updates, meet new faces, and greet longtime friends.

‘Love Celebrates the Stars’ Four Seasons Party

Overlooking the iconic Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd, Four Seasons hosted a sophisticated evening at THEBLVD restaurant and lounge. Complete with a photo booth, custom champagne glass etching station, chef-curated delights, drinks, and dancing, it was the perfect way to celebrate all of our Cadence stars, amidst the stars of Beverly Hills - on our final night of Cadence Connects.

Making a difference with Big Five Tours & Expeditions:

A major highlight of every Cadence Connects is working with Big Five Tours & Expeditions and The Spirit of Big Five Foundation to give back to this world we all love so much. This year, during our finale brunch, we received a moving update from Ashish Sanghrajka, President of Big Five, on the Kipi Robotic Education Program, and the ripple effect that giving and caring can have. Our previous initiatives with Big Five have included:

2023 - Awamaki - at this year’s Cadence Connects, we gifted all attendees with items from Awamaki, a nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to connecting Andean artisan weavers with global markets, by collaborating with indigenous women artisans to support their efforts towards educational and financial independence.
2022 - Kipi Robotic Education Program - the world’s first Quechua-speaking robot that brings education to children in some of the poorest regions of Peru.
2021 - EcoFiltro - sixty EcoFiltro clay pots were donated to rural schools in Guatemala, providing potable water for 1200 children for 2 years.
2018 + 2019 - Ereto Primary School, Arusha, Tanzania - We were able to make contributions that allowed for roofing and windows to be added to the school.

A huge thank you to our event sponsors!

Premier Sponsors: Auberge Resorts Collection, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Kerzner, Seabourn
Presenting Sponsors: Big Five Tours & Expeditions, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, TCS World Travel
Dine-Around Sponsors: Explora Journeys, Hilton, Hyatt, Jumeirah, Kimpton Seafire, Lindblad Expeditions, Maybourne Hotel Group, Royal Caribbean International, Silversea, The Set Collection, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Supporting Sponsors: Park Hyatt Aviara, Sensei, The Ranch

Thank you to the entire Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel staff, with a special shoutout to Reed Kandalaft, GM, Mary Spellerberg, Sales Manager, and Sara Kubitza, Associate Director of Conference Services. Thank you also to every Cadence staff member who played a role in making the event happen, with a huge shout out to our rockstar Meetings & Incentives division (with special recognition to Krystal Adams). Thank you also to Gary Musick Productions, Greg Woodruff, Paul Barnett Photography, Rich Soublet, Taylor Films, Access DMC, Spring Place, and Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel.

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