“What triggers people to spend € 4,000 a night? What is the emotional interest there?” From the young age of ten years old, Astrid Oberhummer knew she wanted to work with hotels and, above all, work with people to investigate what it is that makes luxury such a personal experience. Now, with over 35 years of experience working in luxury travel, Astrid Oberhummer – whose last name contains the German word for lobster – has certainly earned her medals among luxury travel experts, affectionately known as Top Lobster to her colleagues. In a buzzing industry where the efforts to connect consumers with luxury travel providers spans a global reach, Astrid made her mark by bringing international movers and shakers in the luxury space to the German-speaking market. Using her years of experience in building exclusive connections and becoming intimately familiar with the needs of the clientele in this market, Astrid and her partner Andreas Müller founded Lobster Experience in 2007.

Astrid shares, “So many companies say, ‘We can do everything right’” across regions and specialised niches of travel, but as she sees it, “You have to be in the [local] network and need to know the culture.” According to Astrid, that deep familiarity is what sets Lobster Experience apart as “experts and market leaders” in the countries they serve. Speaking to Beau Monde Traveler, Astrid speaks on the founding of this game-changing company and shares more about their hallmark offerings, including the innovative, year-round trade fair that is Loop Luxury Fair and the expert services provided in public relations for luxury travel suppliers.

The launch of Loop Luxury Fair was a huge milestone in the growth of Lobster Experience. This year-round trade fair is highly selective, inviting uniquely appealing luxury travel experts from all around the world who have a vested interest in the German-speaking market and the Central and Eastern European markets. By hosting various focused and personalised events throughout the year, Loop Luxury Fair does not revolve around a single massive event, but rather fosters a sense of year-round connection and networking potential that goes beyond any one physical gathering. As more and more world-class establishments wanted an invite to this fast-growing network, Loop Luxury Fair expanded into several different segments to best demonstrate the specialties and niches of luxury travel suppliers. The latest segment is the Loop Wellness Symposium which platforms the attractive offerings of wellness retreats and other health-oriented luxury stays.

The idea for this reimagined B2B trade fair was born out of a desire to address the needs of luxury travel experts to connect in meaningful, personalised ways. The importance of such an initiative was felt all the more during the pandemic. Astrid shares that in this time especially, when travel consultants had to be increasingly flexible in adapting to changing restrictions, that “agencies all over the world realised that they don’t have enough contacts.” She started to feel like a personal Alexa or Siri as people kept calling her to ask for reliable contacts to connect their clients to in order to maintain the standard of luxury travel even in the changing market. The success of Loop Luxury Fair goes to show that a sustainable solution to this networking crisis is a valued necessity.

Aside from Loop Luxury Fair, Lobster Experience has also made a name for itself as an expert one-stop-shop for public relations for luxury travel providers. Elaborating on what makes their public relations services stand out, Astrid highlights the synergy between various departments within Lobster Experience. For instance, with experts in events management, marketing, and sales working together, the public relations strategy that Lobster Experience provides is one that is well thought out from every angle, creating a “360º offering” so that clients feel they are in good hands throughout the entirety of the process.

In Lobster Experience’s consistent drive to adapt to the evolving media landscape, they challenge the norm of “old-fashioned” press releases and PR statements and venture to creatively infuse communications with emotions and human interest to more effectively reach travellers. Astrid reiterates that one key element of this is introducing “people, not just products” and focusing on well-rounded storytelling. She believes this is at the heart of organically and consistently engaging people and this philosophy is put into practice in the variety of Lobster Experiences’ services in the world of public relations for luxury travel.

Astrid’s attitude towards her entrepreneurial journey is a formidable one, making her stand out as a luxury travel expert. “I love challenges,” she shares, “I was born to solve problems. If there’s a problem, we love to solve it. There are hurdles we need to solve? We see this as a positive.” With this mindset, it’s no wonder that Lobster Experience keeps pressing ahead, building ever more robust networks in the luxury travel industry worldwide. When the pandemic struck, Astrid reflects on how “we wanted to stay present and help our community. We created Loop Faces” – an initiative that was the first of its kind in Europe bringing together tens of thousands of viewers for panel sessions with renowned luxury ravel experts – and this was part of the drive to “inspire people not to give up” on the dream of luxury travel.

In this mission, community is everything. Joining forces with other female entrepreneurs around the world who are each luxury travel experts in their own right, Astrid co-founded REPSUNITE in the midst of the pandemic. This became a resource and supportive space for leaders in the luxury travel industry to come together and persevere in through this difficult time in order to innovate and keep alive the possibilities of luxury travel even in the face of struggles.

With over 35 years of experience, Astrid knows better than anyone that luxury is a personalised experience. With the boutique services provided by Lobster Experience and the signature year—round community that is the Loop Luxury Fair, she goes to show that the standard of excellent, personalised service and networking needs to be creatively pursued in B2B space of the luxury travel industry. This innovative fire is what maintains Lobster Experience’s status as an industry thought leader that brings international movers and shakers to the German-speaking market and Central and Eastern European market.