Editor’s note: Luxury you can feel. Vanessa Gordon, founder of East End Taste and the Hamptons Interactive Brunch, shows how handcrafted details create retreats that feel personal and perform.
When I first founded my summer event series in 2018, the Hamptons Interactive Brunch, I wanted to curate an opportunity for friends, colleagues in my industry, executives, entrepreneurs, and the like to come together and simply enjoy an afternoon of great food and drinks, pampering, unwinding, and gifting while seamlessly, networking and building new friendships and potential work relationships with those within the Hamptons / East End of Long Island community.
The event grew over the years from being an experiential marketing-focused annual gathering that so many look forward to, to integrating a sit-down component as well as separate invite-only gatherings throughout the summer season.
I juggled with the concept of having events that were invite-only and producing events that were ticketed/open to the public. It was interesting how both concepts were perhaps equally successful.
The invite-only events built revenue through sponsorships and brand partnerships, whereas the ticketed events not only generated revenue through sponsorships, but of course also ticket sales.
And since the tickets were at a high price point, that price point ensured that those who were attending the event were of a specific high-net-worth target audience.
After successfully executing this mainstay summer event for over five years, I simultaneously also began to travel more frequently as a journalist who was focused on covering high-end/luxury hotel properties around the world, particularly in regions across Italy, France, Switzerland, Mexico, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, and Portugal, just to name a few.
During this time, I developed several close relationships with high-end hotels across these regions and have stayed in touch with the directors of sales, marketing directors, and general managers.
Regularly, we would be wishing each other congratulatory mentions on life achievements, and personal endeavors, from job promotions to work anniversaries, and even birthdays.
It was in the sentimental notes to one another that we continued to stay in touch and support each other. These hotel executives were always so curious about the events that I produced in the Hamptons, and over time, these individuals would express to me that they would love to work with me on doing an event at their property, and the phrase “luxury corporate retreat” would be mentioned over and over again. I was intrigued.
This revelation inspired a natural next step for my business: creating experiential marketing-focused luxury corporate retreats across Europe and the Caribbean, beginning with the Caribbean islands, Italy, Switzerland, France, and the UK as an example.
It was a very ambitious concept, but I knew I had built those relationships and felt confident in leading this new endeavor.
I am now in the process of curating immersive activities, slow dining experiences, and moments of genuine relaxation as part of unique, transformative retreats that would blend luxury, culture, connection, and purpose. Each retreat will be individually designed with luxury at the forefront.
What does luxury mean to me?
Luxury is often associated with exclusivity and indulgence, but to me, true luxury is something far more intimate and personalized.
It’s a handcrafted experience where every detail is thoughtfully considered to evoke emotion. It is what people feel rather than see that evokes true luxury.
This philosophy is at the heart of these corporate retreats. Rather than generic team-building exercises or redundant keynote sessions, our retreats invite corporate groups to participate in authentic experiences—truffle hunting and pasta making in the Tuscan hills, mindfulness hikes and ski lessons in the Swiss Alps, private vineyard dinners in Bordeaux, yacht-based brainstorming sessions off the coast of Milos, and cheese pairing classes in Saint Martin.
Each retreat is meant to build meaningful relationships and experience moments that create lifelong memories.
The Challenges and Lessons Along the Way
Shifting from producing events in my home region to spearheading retreats in foreign countries requires a new set of skills and partners.
I am learning how to collaborate with local artisans, wellness experts, and cultural guides, ensuring that every moment of the retreat aligns with my and the hotel’s standards of authenticity and excellence.
Perhaps the greatest challenge was internal: resisting the urge to “over-curate” and remembering that real connection often comes from organic moments.
We needed to create enough structure to guide the experience, but enough freedom to reset and relax. I have always tended to overcommit and overplan, and curating these experiences so far has helped me to reset myself.
Another learning curve was understanding the nuanced expectations of corporate clients. They sought luxury, yes, but they also sought measurable outcomes.
These include enhanced leadership skills, deeper team cohesion, and fresh strategic insights. Integrating those outcomes organically into the retreat experience is challenging yet rewarding.
Advice for Those Just Starting Out
For those considering entering this intersection of luxury hospitality and experiential marketing and event production, my advice is simple: start with deep listening.
Listen to your guests, your surroundings, and your own intuition.
Don’t chase trends; create spaces and experiences that you would personally find meaningful. And never underestimate the power of genuine human connection, it truly is the ultimate luxury.
Vanessa Gordon is the Founder of East End Taste and the Hamptons Interactive Brunch event series. With 15+ years in luxury event production, PR, and media, her work spans global brand activations, luxury corporate retreats, and editorial storytelling. Featured in top outlets, she connects brands with discerning, high-profile audiences.
