Six months out from its 2026 Annual Conference, CT Partners has put the Australian travel industry on notice with fresh details of a Shanghai-to-Hong Kong program that will move from W Shanghai The Bund to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s newest superyacht, Luminara.
The independently owned buying network will run the event from 15 to 20 November 2026 under the theme The Art of Travel, with the program built around premium travel, art, service and supplier connection.
The conference will begin in Shanghai, where CT Partners will hold its AGM and start formal conference proceedings at W Shanghai The Bund. Marriott will host the opening night event at the property.
From there, delegates will board Luminara for a three-night voyage concluding in Hong Kong.
Luminara’s 731-piece art collection helped inspire the theme, with CT Partners shaping the conference around service, connection and conversation across member and supplier meetings, business sessions and evening events.
The itinerary includes live jazz at the former Peace Hotel in Shanghai, Chinese cuisine at W Shanghai, and a Met Gala-themed dinner and awards ceremony on 19 November.
A high-end setting for a high-value network
The 2026 conference comes as CT Partners continues to build its position across premium leisure, MICE and corporate travel.
The network reported TTV of $2.5 billion in 2025 and represents 35 independent corporate travel management firms, events companies and premium leisure agencies.
CT Partners says its members collectively look after more than 1.3 million travellers each year.
‘A statement about the calibre of this network’
CT Partners CEO Matt Masson said the conference reflects the group’s position and ambition.
“The Art of Travel is not just a theme; it is who we are. Luminara is the most extraordinary stage we could have chosen. This is more than a conference. It is a statement about the calibre of this network and the partners who believe in what we are building together,” Masson said.
Seb Seward, Vice President Asia Pacific at The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, said Luminara was designed around art, service and the sea.
“Luminara was designed to show the world what is possible when extraordinary art, impeccable service and the open sea come together,” Seward said.
“Welcoming CT Partners on board for The Art of Travel is a perfect expression of everything this superyacht stands for. This is the first time a travel industry conference of this kind has been hosted aboard a luxury superyacht, and we could not be more honoured to be the stage for it.”
Further event details and program updates are expected in the coming months.
