Beyond a worldwide popular culture or sporting event, and even that has limits, the pandemic has been a prolonged, shared experience like no other.
All of humankind going through the same thing at the same time – albeit in different ways – with a shared endeavour to get to the other side of this global ‘pause’.
It was against that background that we held our second Modern Affluence Summit in partnership with Porsche and Deloitte in September to address how affluence is being redefined by a new generation of consumers who are:
Changing the way they spend their disposable income.
Abandoning traditional symbols of ownership.
Focusing on expressing their individuality and their contribution to society.
"We get to start again. We look at the world differently now. We all have a voice now. And that change needs to work its way into our brands." - Christopher Kenna, FOUNDER & CEO,BRAND ADVANCE
Over 4 concentrated hours and 6 focused sessions, 200 attendees and 22 speakers turned their minds to the challenges and opportunities we face as individuals, as a society and as brands.
That rich dialogue continued into lunch and the long overdue, for many participants, in-person interaction with all of the serendipitous sparks that created, fuelling our drive to make the most out of the opportunities ahead.
We applied as much attention to creating an audience as we did the panels. We welcomed c-suite and director level influence from a diverse list of sectors, bringing individuals and industries together around a common consumer. Based on the vibe and energy on the day we think we made the right call – thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to that and to our event partners.
The Summit and this report are not the end of the conversation, quite the opposite but we hope this summary proves a helpful resource in the weeks and months ahead and acts as a catalyst within your own organisations.
Christopher is responsible for delivering the company’s extensive global roster of conferences, media events and LS:N Global Trend Briefings, which he co-presents with the team in London, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, and across the globe. Clients who have booked one of his inspirational keynotes include Kering, the European Travel Commission, Retail Week, Selfridges, QIC, Marks & Spenser, Chanel, Harrods, Also, H&M, General Motors, BBDO, Design Hotels Conde Nast and Omnicom. In 2012, Chris presented Channel 4’s five-part series, Home of the Future, in 2014, he and his team created Fragrance Lab for Selfridges, an exploration into the world of personalised scent which won Retail Week’s Best Pop Up and overall Winner of the 2014 Retail Week awards. Chris is a SuperBoard member of The British Council’s Fashion Trust.
Co-Founder & CEO, RisingGen, Modern Affluence Exchange
Ben has spent his career understanding global consumer change in the context of culture, technology, and capital. Working with some of the world’s biggest brands from across financial services, automotive, and consumer sectors to launch, diversify and grow propositions across Europe, the US, Middle East and Asia. He co-founded the Modern Affluence Summit in 2019. Ben most recently exited a global marketing services business he grew across five territories for brands including Bentley Motors, Porsche, De-Beers and LVMH. He is now a Senior Advisor to Adoreum & Partners, a Global Ambassador for the charity OnePlate and is currently launching a new venture, RisingGen™, to venture build businesses with the rising-generation of HNWI and apply those insights directly to corporate partners. Ben loves meeting new people, so please reach out and say hello.
Barbara Hans is a trilingual global marketing and China expert with 28 years of versatile experience in building and driving iconic luxury brands. Having held leadership positions on both the agency and corporate sides, Barbara has a deep understanding of the global affluent customer, evolution of brands in major markets, communication strategies, and touchpoints. She loves to bring her experience to life through transforming teams, processes, and storytelling by always keeping customer-centricity in mind. Barbara joined A. Lange & Söhne in September 2020 to transform marketing and communication for the new world and modern customer while keeping/focusing on the brand core around German craftsmanship. The global team behind Barbara is building precise touchpoint strategies and content on the need to ‘know each customer by the first name’.
The Adam Handling Restaurant Group operates venues across the country, including Frog by Adam Handling, London; The Loch & The Tyne, Old Windsor; Ugly Butterfly, Cornwall; and Eve Bar, London. Adam’s passion and core ethos of his restaurant group is centred around sustainability and, by ensuring this, remains at the heart of his entire operation, he has become an industry spokesperson on the sustainability movement, zero-waste and the role that hospitality has to play. His methods and initiatives have now become standard practice in the industry, and he remains a leading figure in the field. Adam has a number of impressive awards under his belt and is a familiar face on our TV screens, having been named Champion of Champions on the BBC’s Great British Menu 2023, as well as appearing on BBC The One Show’s Coronation cooking contest.
