Since 2020, FORWARD_MAD has brought together C-level leaders from luxury hospitality, gastronomy, culture and travel to define the future of the sector. This is the full archive.
The third edition of FORWARD_MAD took place in Madrid in 2023 at the Condeduque cultural space, with the support of Madrid City Council, Community of Madrid, Turespaña and the UNWTO. It brought together international luxury travel leaders to define the trends and future of the sector.
The second physical edition of Forward_MAD took place in Madrid in October 2022, supported by Madrid City Council Tourism and Community of Madrid Tourism. International speakers and luxury travel pundits gathered again in Spain's capital city to share inspiring content, keynote presentations, debates and innovative formats aimed at promoting networking, collaborative work and consolidating Madrid as a new reference for luxury travelers.
How consumers behaviour have changed and will change, segments hot trends, opportunities and challenges around luxury travel were some of the topics analyzed by world travel leaders from companies such as Marriott, Thompson Hotels, Forbes Travel Guide, Mastercard, Valerie Wilson Travel, Viajes Palacio del Hierro, trip.com, Fliggy, TikTok or Meta among others.
The first physical edition of Forward_MAD took place in Madrid in October 2021, supported by Madrid City Council, Community of Madrid and Turismo de España. International speakers and experts in travel industry, luxury and consumer trends gathered in Spain's capital city not only to share their expertise and vision on how travel will be redefined in the coming years, but also to bear witness of how a travel destination — Madrid — is truly becoming a new reference for luxury travelers.
Building a tight and compelling value chain and proposition for luxury travel and high spenders, becoming an aspirational destination for them, the requirements and implications of such goal, how consumers have changed and will change as a result of the latest developments or opportunities and challenges around luxury travel where some of the topics analysed by world travel leaders from companies such as Amadeus, Uber, Traveller Mode, Phocoswreis, Relais & Châteaux, Global Corporation for Tourism, Barceló Hotels & Resorts, Different Roads, Geolsur, Quintessentially among others.
The first edition took place in the spring of 2020 during the strict confinement imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 and right in the middle of social, economic and cultural changes that were still under construction. This collaborative initiative was promoted by members of the tourism community with the aim of creating a stable platform of knowledge and debate to anticipate new scenarios that may have an impact on travel.
Among others, participants included David Mora, Petro Stiouk, Doug Lansky, Tom Lowry, Robin Alt, Philippe Gombert, Rosario Álvarez, Nick Pilbeam, Gil Laber, Eric Methard, Brandon Meyers, Robert Cole, Mercedes Blanco, Soledad Caridad and other leaders from international hospitality, media, trade shows and luxury travel marketing.