On Sunday 19th July
VEUVE CLIQUOT COWDRAY GOLD CUP POLO FINALS
Enjoyed by a capacity crowd of approx 20,000 last year including royalty and A-list celebs ,The Cowdray Estate Polo club host a Polo event considered by many to be the POLO event of the year .
the only event where its actually about the Polo and even many of the familiar faces prefer the lawns and banks to the VIP marquee.

Gates open at 10 am

DRESS CODE:
Jacket and collared shirt for gents ,jeans are fine with shoes.
Pretty Summer dresses for the ladies .

ADDRESS
Cowdray Park Polo Club Limited,
The Estate Office,
Easebourne,
Midhurst,
West Sussex. GU29 0AQ

This is a Huge event so will be well signposted
The Polo Club has 2 sets of grounds. The Lawns and River grounds are very near to Midhurst and the Ambersham pitches are located halfway between Petworth and Midhurst as shown on the map.The daily schedule will show which grounds are being used – always subject to last minute change

http://www.avapierce.com/

Check out Ava's interview with Lorre White the International Luxury expert.

What better way to become a true jet setter than to learn from the best? Lorre White, the Guru of Luxury and President/CEO of White Light Consulting, was kind enough to take time out of her very busy schedule to answer a few questions.

From yoga to yachts, cars to candles, private jets to perfumes, Lorre White is the guru of all things luxury. Luxury, in her words, "is not just about amassing quantity in life, it is about living life to the fullest. Luxury is anything we do above simple survival; it is what brings comfort, enjoyment and creates life's memories. Luxury is for everyone."

Lorre White is an internationally recognized luxury expert who has been on NBC, ABC, Fox National, CNN Money, Sirius radio and in print media. Lorre is President/CEO of White Light Consulting, LLC, an international luxury marketing consulting company which helps clients to reach and maintain the Ultra High Net Worth demographic. From traveling with celebrities, athletes, business moguls and fashion icons, Lorre has experienced luxury internationally and she shares her insider's knowledge about the best of the best in all price ranges.

To say that you have been and continue to be busy is a huge understatement. You have modeled, taught at an elementary school in Haiti, worked on Wall Street, in high-end event marketing and planning, as well as in luxury corporate travel. What inspired you to start White Light Consulting?

White Light Consulting was started several years back. I had worked in so many aspects of this niche market that I kept getting calls for projects and before you knew it, I was a full-time consultant. Since that time, and really as a result of that work, I started the Luxury Channel on iTunes, which hit featured status in record time.

With so many luxurious events and high-end clients, what is the most enjoyable part of your work?

I enjoy my media work the most. I like sharing and educating people on the art of living. Luxuries are the man-made arts, wine, yacht, jet, fashion, foods...they are the best in their category. I like meeting the people who have made a mark in their industry and sharing it with everyone.

What advice would you give to aspiring jet setters for enjoying luxury on a budget?

There are many affordable luxuries. It is really the yogic philosophy to fully taste, smell, and see the moment in its full splendor. It is about being present. If you live each moment only to get to the next, at the end of your life you will find you have not really lived. When you fully savor each sip of wine and can taste the essence of the lavender and the apple tree that grew next to the vineyard, then you are experiencing the moment fully.

I'll give you a list of 10 of my favorite affordable luxuries: yoga, a good book, sitting in the sun on a warm day, lighting a scented candle, my favorite chocolate, the perfect cup of tea/coffee made just the way I like it; a snuggle with my dog Bella, a perfectly-made, extra cold dirty martini with hand-stuffed blue cheese, Spanish olives, a long talk with a good friend, a good movie on a rainy weekend. Luxury is not about cost. It is about the emotion that the art evokes. Luxury stirs an emotional response; it is often a way to create lasting life memories. All the things above are free or cost very little but they all make me feel good. All of them are even better when shared with a friend or a loved one.

Who is the most impressive and inspiring person you've ever met, and why?

It is impossible to compare apples to oranges. When I met Amma, the international spiritual leader, I was struck with a profound quiet calm and palpable love that she generated. The times I have had dinner with Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan, I laughed heartily. When I listen to Warren Buffet, I was impressed with his intellect and ability to communicate in the humblest terms. I have known many celebrities in all fields. I cannot compare the many celebrities that I have known. Instead, I value each of their unique gifts and am grateful for having the opportunity to have experienced them.

Which countries have you visited so far, and which destination is your favorite?

I love the south of France from May through July. To me, it is the ultimate destination for beauty, great weather, food, wine, and exciting events that pepper the calm, lazy, welcoming days of the season. I love Italy August through October. I love Italy for the way the Italians embrace life, and a couple of visits a year are a must. September in East Hampton. In the winter, I like to take a trip some place warm and explore many exotic places. November through February, I like to be in the City, London or Paris. I think Paris is one of the most beautiful cosmopolitan cities in the world.

You are a member of many elite international networking clubs. How would you advise my readers to expand their international contact base and network with the upper echelon?

One of the first successful sites is A Small World (ASW), which is an online, invitation-only, international, social networking site for the elite, founded in 2004. They currently have about 330,000 members worldwide who are wealthy tastemakers and influencers.

If your readers want to learn more about the luxury market, I suggest that they subscribe to my luxury blog. They will automatically receive my new postings by e-mail, no more often than once a day.

You are a very successful businessperson and a genuine international jet setter, which is the life that many of us aspire to. How do you manage your busy schedule?

Everyone who is successful in life is busy. If you're going to fly with the big boys, you better be professional and well-organized. A team of great people, knowledgeable in their specific fields, is a must.

What is the major goal that is currently driving you? In other words, what wakes you up in the morning and gets you excited about work and life?

White Light Global Productions is my current driving force.

If someone is invited to a major event, such as a ball or high-profile awards ceremony, but they're on a limited budget, what would you suggest as appropriate attire to make a good impression?

If you can't aford a new evening dress for every event, buy a few classics that are simple and flattering. Elegant is always better than trendy. You can change it up with the accessories that you use. If you have a friend your size, exchange dresses with her.

What travel tips would you give my readers for arriving refreshed to faraway destinations and for minimizing jet lag?
First day is always rough but do what you can to match the time zone you are in when you arrive...and it will get easier after that. If you sleep when you want, you will stay on your old time zone. I take 2 Benadryl if I need to sleep before I am tired. If you drink a lot of alcohol on the plane, that also makes it difficult to adjust.

Current State in the Greeting Card and Stationery Markets

The market for greeting cards is a tough one in today's environment with consumers having so many faster, easier and in many cases cheaper ways to send a greeting. Times have gotten even tougher as a result of the current recession, with consumers looking to cut spending anywhere they can.

The market for greeting cards reached $12,067 million in 2008 on a 2.03 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2002 to 2008, slower than growth in the overall $21.9 billion stationery market which posted a healthier 3.02 percent CAGR in the same period.

Many cultural trends are afoot that are changing consumers' demand for greeting cards, but one thing is for certain. The business of selling traditional greeting cards is only going to get harder as consumers turn to newer, faster and better communications alternatives.

In a tough market, the competition is getting even tougher as leading retail brands -- American Greetings, Carlton Cards and Papyrus-- consolidate and leading greeting card and stationary brands -- Schurman Fine Paper's wholesale division and Recycled Greetings -- consolidate under American Greetings' leadership.

Testifying to the tough market out there, the Wall Street Journal headline for 6-24-09 reads "American Greetings' 1Q Earnings Down 25% On Store-Sale Loss…Revenue fell 3.6% to $412.9 million."

By

Pamela N. Danziger

Dear MS White:

I have a small luxury store and my clients are regional.  My products/services are very customized and are expensive, so I need to reach the wealthier customers.  I am too small to pay the $300 to $400 an hour rate for a top luxury consultant to come in.  I know that it would be worth it in the long run, but just starting out, I simply do not have the funds.  I started to do research on line and your name kept coming up.  I signed up for your blog www.LuxGuru.Typepad.com and I have learned so much.  I did not even understand how much I did not know!  Thank you.  I have started putting your recommendations into practice, and was shocked at how fast I started to see the results. 

So, thank you, from a small luxury proprietor that can’t pay the big brand prices and I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WORTH THEM!!!!

Sidney Delicare,

New York

If you are interested not only in the future, but in meeting the people who are actually creating it, attend the 2009 World Technology Summit & Awards, held in association with TIME magazine, Fortune magazine, Nasdaq, and Science magazine.

THE 2009 WORLD TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT & AWARDS The Time Conference Center, Time & Life Building, NYC July 15th and 16th (daytime, for the Summit conference) July 16th (evening, for the Awards ceremony)

Speakers include: CEO of Verizon Wireless; The "Sun King" of China (founder of world's largest solar company); The President of Rwanda; CEO of Corning; as well as many top entrepreneurs, scientists, thinkers, do-ers.

Friends-of-Lorre can register for a Friends-of-Jim discount by contacting me (Jim Clark on FB or at jpclark@wtn.net). Go to

Question:  As someone that studies the social clubs of the elite and writes about them for your luxury consulting clients; what can you tell me about the private on line social group called affluence.org.  They asked me for my financials?  I am well beyond what they require for a minimum, but I am not sure why I would want to give any stranger that information.  Am I buying something?  What do I get for giving them this personal information?  It is a scam?

Lorre: I cannot tell you how many email I get about this site.  There are a few like Elysiam.com (which tends to be more heavily middle eastern) that require you to prove your wealth to become a member.  This allows them to charge more to there advertisers as they can prove the wealth demographic of their members.  After all the reason they are creating these groups is to get advertising dollars.  The wealthier the membership the more they can charge the brands to reach them. I have had many friends and clients, including some whose wealth began with a B that refused the invite.  First of all, membership serves as a benefit only if your purpose is to hit these people up for money, as you know that they are qualified investors.  Thus, they are setting them self up to be hit up for money from every real estate, yacht, private jet, broker out there.  Secondly, this qualifying assumes that there is no person of quality that they may have any interest in knowing, if their portfolio is not of a certain size.  This tends to offend those that like to think of themselves as more enlightened.  As to those that are members, it tends to attract new money, those that are insecure in their status and want people to prove they are important.  It has been my experience that the wealthy qualified people seem to separate along old and new money lines or the flashy VS the understated, which of course, also follows different cultural rules as to what is in good taste.  You do not get anything more than you get on the mass of other boring free social networking sites that are popping up daily.  As to if it is a scam…..technically no it is not.  However, there are many that would argue that point.  There is no right and wrong answer; it is a matter of personal preference.  I have many friends that have decided to join and many that have chosen not to join.  That is for you to decide.

Here's some of the trends articulated by members of The Luxury Marketing Council in recent explorations on the state of the changing luxury customer

Ostentation, long dead, is being replaced by the ability to tell a story (NOT 'bragging rights") about a great service, experiene or product.

EXPERIENCE of the brand and how the brand is sold, presented and marketed is more important than ever before.  HIGH TOUCH' rules! Knowing the bairthdays, anniversaries, hobbies, pets' names, philanthropic involvements, bonus cycles, history of purchase is the only way to win great share of wallet.

Bespoke, intimate, salon-like events which allow best customers to invite their friends and in a sophisticated way 'get smart' about why great things cost a lot and are worth it have proven highly effective.

Luxury no longer lives by BRAND alone. Heritage and awareness will get the best customer in the door. But service and intelligence of selling will keep them.  In these challenging times best customers need a "REASON TO SHOP".  Special, limited-time offers to inspire customers to shop products related to their history of purchase beat radical discounting every time.

AD DEAFNESS: The most sophisticated consumer is more cynical about 'corporate' advertising and 'PUSH TO INSPIRE DESIRE" strategies. They want to be heard; to have increasingly personal connections with brands they love. This means brands must LISTEN first, market/sell second.

VALUE and UNDERSTANDING THE PRICE/VALUE EQUATION is more critical than any time in the last two decades.  Thoughtful handwritten notes and personal gifting to 'surprise and delight' really work, especially these days.

Greg Furman

The Luxury Counsil

Q: I am thinking about purchasing a yacht.  In doing my research I have seen a fractional ownership concept called Yacht Plus.  What do you think of the long term sustainability of this concept?

Lorre:  Fractional ownership of private jets has been a great success lowering the cost point that individuals could enter the private aviation market.  The concept was created by NetJets.  The planes interiors are all identical so there is no difference in the quality of the different aircraft customers use.  The entrance point for someone is about 50 flying hours and $50 Million in liquid assets.

This same concept has been attempted before in the yacht industry and has always failed.  Partly because the jet is a mode of transportation and a yacht is more of a place of living.  It is more agreeable to share the former with other unknown individuals but disruptive in a living situation.  It means that you can’t leave belongs on the boat and you have to pack up like a hotel.  If you are going to do this….it is just easier to charter and you have more flexibility than in a timeshared yacht experience.  The new yacht plans for Yacht Plus have a very attractive look, but these issues, plus a long list of others, make it a risky investment proposition.  Once everyone puts their money in, it is 2 years until the boat is build. 

Q: Is having a yacht or a private jet considered more of a luxury?

Lorre:  That is a good question and one that luxury marketers need to understand.  Studies show that in the US, having a yacht is considered more of a luxury and a private jet more of a necessity.  This may have something to do with the large amount of space the US takes up and travel for business or pleasure takes up a large chunk of our time.  In Europe they see a yacht as more practical and the private jet as more of a luxury, however this is rapidly changing and private aviation is becoming much more common place, like it is in the US.

Dear Luxury Guru:

I just watched your web series on “World Class Wines w/ Lorre White - $125 to $7000/bottle” where you interview the wine director of Le Cirque restaurants.  I really enjoyed the series.  I found them informative and fun.  I appreciate that you covered wines from many countries.  I felt informed and ready go out and explore this world of luxury wines.

You have a very pleasant way about you on camera.  I never felt like you talked down to the viewer but instead took them on a luxury journey with you to learn about each bottle.  I also really appreciated the one that feature the correct stemware for each wine.  I almost skipped it as I thought I knew…. and was surprised that I learned several facts!

I signed up for your blog and love the “inside scoop” from a luxury expert like you.

Thanks again,

B. Benssousan

France