Carrier pledges to ‘share the love’ with 2026 trade plans

Carrier has unveiled its plans for trade engagement in 2026, with fam trips, events and networking sessions scheduled to “share the love” among agents.

At its second-annual Summit conference, held at Bvlgari Hotel London on December 10, the luxury operator revealed its calendar of events for next year, including details of its annual A-List Awards and Retreat.

Lee Marshall, head of trade partnerships, said there are plans to host fam trips to “inspired” destinations including Asia, Africa, the US and the Caribbean.

The brand will also host ten virtual Carrier Live sessions focusing on key products and destinations and two in-person Carrier Connects events.

He said: “We strongly believe that our people are our greatest asset, so we’ll be opening the doors to our office in Didsbury in June and November for two Carrier Connects days for you to meet our people and personalities behind the brand, along with a selection of our key supplier partners.”

It was also revealed that Carrier’s annual overseas conference-style Retreat will take place between April 25 and 28 at Daios Cove in Crete.

Marshall described the event, which is now in its third year, as “unique in terms of the content we cover and the bonds we forge”.

He also said the operator wants to ensure “as many people as possible benefit” from the Retreat, so there will be “small but important” changes made to the selection criteria attending agents must meet.

To “share the love”, there will be a sales incentive launching in January to attract new attendees and a revenue threshold in place that agents must meet.

Carrier’s annual A-List Awards will be “completely refreshed” for 2026, as it will move from London’s Bafta to Sopwell House in Hertfordshire.   

Marshall said: “To enable our finalists to enjoy the full experience, Carrier will substantially subsidise the cost of accommodation to all attending agents.”

He promised attendees “a magical evening celebrating all this is exceptional in luxury travel, with one or two surprises thrown in for good measure”.

The Summit brought together an “exclusive group” of agent partners, supplier representatives and senior members of the Carrier team for a day of presentations, updates for 2026 and networking.

The brand also unveiled its agent accreditation programme, which Marshall described as a “very important” initiative.