Phuket is being targeted as their next great lifestyle destination in the region with Southeast Asia’s first APCWL Luxury Lifestyle Expo to be held at Royal Phuket Marina from October 23-25.
The inaugural event received a high-level push today (August 10) with a media conference at Royal Phuket Marina (RPM) attended by Zoran Lalvani, scion to RPM chairman and founder Gulu Lalvani.
Mr Gulu Lalvani earlier this year announced a five-year plan to inject B5 billion in investment to transform the marina into a premier lifestyle destination. (See story here.)
Also present at the media launch today was Hillman Lentz, President & CEO of Hathor Investment Group Ltd, the organiser of the event, which aims to bring together together the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of cigars, whisky and other luxury lifestyle consumables.
The APCWL Lifestyle Expo will also feature a programme of special seiminars, including workshops covering: The Luxury Lifestyle Market in Asia-Pacific; Advantages of Hospitality Venues stocking Cigars; Growth of Whisky in Asia-Pacific; Growth of Cigars in Asia-Pacific; Laws and Legislation for Cigars and Whisky in Asia-Pacific; and the Value of Single-Cask Whisky.
“We want people to be aware of all the good lifestyle products available in Southeast Asia,” explained Mr Lentz.
“Luxury goods are growing rapidly and many people don’t know it, and here’s an opportunity for people to get involved in the business, either buying, selling, representing…
“This is a meeting point where all the people in the industry can get together and make relationships that help further their business, and to also educate consumers,” he told The Phuket News.
Asked why stage the expo in Phuket, Mr Lentz simply replied: “Phuket’s wonderful. This is a fantastic venue.”
Mr Lentz noted that the event was originally slated to be held in Bangkok last October, but recent military and political events remained a deterrent from interested parties from visiting the capital.
Looking to the future, Mr Lentz noted, “We expect this event to grow, and as the industry gets busier and busier, so will the expo.”
Ghislaine Bovy, Online Marketing Content Creation & Social Media specialist, agreed.
“Phuket really needs a show like this,” she said. “We seen a growth in the number of people with very high standards of living coming here in the last few years. People with a lot of money, Thai people interested in whiskies and cigars.
“I was very stunned when I visited Bangkok recently and met a lot of people there enjoying Western-style luxury products… including whiskies, cigars and so on…
“I think Phuket is a good location, because it is an island that is becoming synonymous with luxury and high standards, and I think a lot of people will be interested in coming to this event here.”
Absolute Thai 
Posted on August 12, 2015
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