Bangkok, 15 December, 2016 – Some of the world’s most renowned wedding planners who have managed the nuptials of royal families to movie stars are confirmed to attend the Destination Wedding Planners Congress (DWP Congress 2017) between 2-4 May, 2017, at the Banyan Tree Laguna Phuket.
The only event of its kind in the world, the DWP Congress brings together high-end destination wedding planners to do business with the most unique destinations, extravagant hotels, resorts, and venues along with leading wedding suppliers and creative partners; such as, couture designers, photography partners, furniture rentals, jewellery partners, cake designers and more.
The event includes groundbreaking conference sessions, networking functions, ritzy cocktail receptions, lavish luncheons and themed gala dinners, all designed to help participants capitalise on this multi-billion-dollar industry.
Organised by Dubai-based QNA International, the DWP Congress has been held previously in Greece, Mauritius and Italy. It is a purely invitation-only trade event with pre-scheduled appointments managed via an on-line system.
The last DWP Congress 2016 in Florence, Italy, recorded more than 400 attendees from 60 countries. The evaluation form showed that 98% of the attendees were interested in attending the DWP 2017.
Influential decision-making buyers from the UK, USA, Brazil, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, Russia, Croatia, Lebanon, Africa, Guatemala, UAE, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia etc. are expected to participate in the 2017 Congress. All are carefully selected by the organising committee.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is an official Host Partner along with the other partners and sponsors; such as, Laguna Phuket, Banyan Tree Phuket, Angsana Laguna Phuket, and The Wedding Bliss.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said, “TAT sees the Weddings and Honeymoons market as a part of the overall strategy to boost the flow of high-spending, long-staying visitors. Although Thailand’s prowess for handling weddings and honeymoons is well-known amongst major source markets like India and the Middle East, TAT is keen to source new markets in Europe, America and Latin America.”
He said the event will help TAT better understand the latest trends and technologies in managing such events and also upgrade the knowledge and expertise of local suppliers of products and services; such as, F&B, logistics and audio-visual companies.
The line-up of confirmed speakers for 2017 includes Preston Bailey, Katherine Apostolidis, Koby Bar Yehuda, Marcy Blum, Mohomed Morani, Joe Blackman, Wendy El-Khoury, Bryan Rafanelli, Evelyn Mills, Alison Hotchkiss, Matthew Oliver, Michelle Rago, Innayat Khubchandani, Christina Holt, Bhavnesh Sawhney, Funke Burknor-Obruthe, Joanne Brown, Kevin Lee, Janine Closs, Sumant Jayakrishnan, Joann Gregoli, and Aleit Swanepoel.
Mr. Kevin Lee’s celebrity clients include Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oprah Winfrey. Also, he is said to have been the inspiration behind the character Franck, played by Martin Short in the early 90s movie classic, Father of the Bride.
Mr. Preston Bailey has been designing and planning weddings for celebrities, royal families, CEOs and athletes for more than 33 years. He has worked with renowned names; such as, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Jennifer Hudson and Donna Karan, to name a few.
Mr. Bryan Rafanelli runs Rafanelli Events, one of the biggest event planning and design companies in the United States of America since 1996. He has worked with clients; such as, President Obama, Chelsea Clinton and renowned Hollywood star Matt Damon.
Ms. Evelyn Mills heads Marriage Maestros, which specialises in creating signature weddings in Hong Kong, Bali, China and across Asia.
