Founded in 1994, The Luxury Marketing Council is the creation of Gregory J. Furman, former Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales Promotion for New York's renowned luxury emporium, Bergdorf Goodman.

The Council, a business organization of CEOs and senior sales and marketing practitioners, is considered the global leader in the fast-growing arena of luxury marketing and the "Gold Standard" for the intelligent exploration of best marketing practices and trends in the luxury marketplace.

Since its inception, the Council has developed chapters in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, London, New York and Paris. In addition to San Francisco, new chapters will be opening in Chicago, Dubai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Orange County (California) and Palm Beach in 2006. Chapters are also slated for opening in Bangkok, Berlin, Greenwich/Stamford, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milan, Palm Springs, Phoenix/Scottsdale, Portland (Oregon), San Diego, Seattle, Singapore, Tokyo and Toronto.

Currently more than 600 leading global and regional luxury brands are members of the Council. A representative sample includes American Express, Architectural Digest, Baccarat, Baume et Mercier, Bergdorf Goodman, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Brioni, Cartier, Christie's, David Yurman, Estee Lauder Companies, Fauchon, Four Seasons Hotels, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Leading Hotels of the World, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Mercedes-Benz, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Montblanc, Morgan Stanley, Movado, Neiman-Marcus, NetJets, The New Yorker, Radisson Seven Seas, Richemont, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Sotheby's International Reality, Steinway & Sons, Swiss International Airlines and Virtuoso.

The Council conducts an intensive program of intimately-exclusive, member-only, weekly and monthly events at which…

• Experts in the luxury arena present valuable, proprietary research and trend data,
• Members share information in a private, confidential setting,
• Marketing alliances , collaborations and joint-sponsorships are incubated and formed
• Members network with peers in an environment that encourages learning, sharing and collaboration.

In addition to the events, the Council also offers a variety of value-added programs including Think Tanks, Executive Roundtables, Common Practice Surveys, and CEO Breakfasts, as examples.

In short, The Council brings the smartest, most innovative marketers of luxury products and services together to explore and share best practices, critical issues and trends affecting the 2.2 million individuals in the U.S. with liquid portfolios of $1,000,000 or more.