Last week in Paris, we helped launch a new invite-only event series for the hospitality industry: SOCIETIES. Led by our partners Influence Society, SOCIETIES is an intimate gathering of hoteliers and travel-industry leaders, coming together to discuss trends and hot topics within the world of hospitality today.

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The inaugural SOCIETIES featured an immersive listening session at the legendary Opera Garnier partnered with Devialet, an inspiring breakfast roundtable at Hôtel Madame Rêve, and a closing soirée at Experimental Group's Prescription Cocktail Club.

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SOCIETIES is designed to help hoteliers innovate and reach their full potential. It’s also undoubtedly a new format, removed from the huge, stuffy conference atmosphere. Instead it is a small, private, highly-curated meeting of the brightest minds in hospitality today and we were honored to be a partner throughout the week.

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Act 1: Immersive Listening at the Paris Opera

Our opening event took place at the Opera Garnier, the legendary opera house in the center of Paris. We partnered with French speaker designers Devialet, and invited hoteliers to experience several pieces of music (and one non-music jungle recording!) in high-fidelity surround-sound, powered by 16 Devialet Phantom speakers, all inside the Opera Garnier!

Attendees experienced how a simple change in musical style can transform the feeling of a space in a visceral way– from Bach to Bowie and back again – and reflected upon how they could apply the power of music at their own properties.  To make it a full multi-sensory experience, each track played had its own small-plate food pairing (and of course champagne!).

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Act 2: Breakfast Roundtable at Madame Rêve

The next morning, we gathered an intimate group of Parisian hoteliers at Madame Rêve for a lively, high-level roundtable breakfast. Framed by a spectacular view over the rooftops of Paris and the Cathedral Saint-Eustache, the group discussed issues facing the hospitality industry today and looking ahead to 2023:

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Laurent Taieb, founder of Madame Rêve and of the highly-anticipated TOO Hotel, opened the talks sharing exclusive insights behind the design and development of TOO Hotel, Paris’ first skyscraper tower hotel.

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Next, Marie-Agnés Kerneis from Namastay shared their insights on mobile payment trends, and how hoteliers can get ahead of the curve.

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From there, Experimental Group’s Founder & CEO, Romee de Goriainoff gave a rare and highly interesting talk about the intersection of conversion strategy, user experience, and guest experience.

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Next, Bespoke Sound’s very own Clay Bassford, spoke about the power of music and sound, and how hospitality brands can enhance guest experience using music in new and innovative ways.  

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Finally, Camille Broussin from Influence Society shared a comprehensive outlook on major budget-related trends affecting hoteliers looking into 2023.

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Act 3: Soirée at Prescription Cocktail Club

Our final event in the first edition of SOCIETIES was an exclusive soirée in the Latin Quarter of Paris, at Experimental Group’s Prescription Cocktail Club.  Music was provided by Bespoke Sound’s Paris-based DJ, Benoît de Villeneuve. Guests enjoyed an aperitif of craft cocktails and snacks alongside Paris’s top hoteliers. Good cheer and great conversation was shared by all.

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The Next Chapter of SOCIETIES

We would like to thank all our partners who made the events not only happen but exceed all expectations. There's been great feedback from attendees and those who couldn't make it are requesting we bring the format to other cities around the world, so if you didn't get a chance to attend this one in Paris, stay tuned!

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