A conversation with Chris Beavers of JetsAndLuxury.com

I had the privilege of having a conversation with Chris Beavers, owner of a new luxury oriented site called jetsandluxury.com. As the name would imply, the website's main focus is to provide access to private air travel to users of this type of service.

As luxury consumption continues to grow, demand for private air travel will continue to climb as an alternative to less sophisticated commercial air travel. Chris has expanded the site to include coverage of various luxury related categories.

Read on to find out more about this exciting new website:

Chris, tell us a little bit about yourself and your involvement in the world of luxury:

Well, to say I have a diverse background would be an understatement.  From life in the corporate world and trading bond futures, to luxury car rallies across the U.S. and working in the private aviation world, my CV covers a rather broad spectrum. 

Looking at my involvement in the luxury world, my full-time job is in private aviation sales.  That includes charter and brokerage services, aircraft sales/acquisitions and aircraft management.  As part of Universal Jet, we are getting ready to expand our offerings, but that is just a teaser until the official announcement. 

Why did you created Jets and Luxury?

My objective with www.jetsandluxury.com is three-fold.  First and foremost, being in private aviation sales, I want to encourage current and future clients to contact me for their private travel needs.  Through having a 24 hour presence online and being “searchable”, I want to build my brand and awareness in the market and become my clients’ “go to” person for private jets and beyond.

Secondly, I want to provide value to clients.  Whether it is teaching visitors to Jets and Luxury a little about private aircraft, showing them available flights or looking for new destinations and identifying an event they’re not familiar with - I hope to give visitors something new to take onboard.

Lastly, and for selfish reasons, I started www.jetsandluxury.com to stay current with the luxury world as a means of “bettering” myself.  There are countless aspects to the luxury world - many that I’m aware of and far more that I still have to learn.  I decided a great way to chronicle the on-going learning and exploration adventure was to share it with others.

Who do you feel is your target clientele or audience with jetsandluxury.com?

The target market I want to reach are the people with a sense of adventure, a desire to achieve more, who never settle and fight complacency every day.  I think it’s fair to say these are characteristics of individuals have worked hard and earned the means to enjoy some of life’s finer things.  I want to make Jets and Luxury a site that will peak clients’ interests and open their eyes to new ideas of what they can do next – what is their next new experience or destination to visit.  After all, the individuals who fly privately subscribe to the philosophy of “work hard, play hard!”  (And a great philosophy it is.)

With all the global economic turmoil, do you think that luxury markets will continue to grow?

Absolutely.  With luxury brands making a come back through increased consumer spending, continued demand from Asia and parts of South America and, despite many financial reports - in the U.S. as well.  Over the last 5 years, people have curtailed their spending.  That being said, I believe there is now pent-up demand for luxury goods and consumers are beginning to spread their wings again.  And this applies to countries around the world. 

And this especially applies to individuals in the luxury category.  If you look further afield from the usual suspects, emerging markets are ready to start reaping the rewards of their hard work over the past decade and step into their growing roles in the world economy.  And so they should.

How do you reach out to your potential client on the web?

At this point, I’m focusing on the Jets and Luxury website as well as the Twitter page.  Through regular contact via Twitter, I hope to grow the site’s brand awareness and encourage visitors to spend some time at www.jetsandluxury.com.

I’m excited about the potential of the site, where it will lead and how it will mature.  At this infant stage, Jets and Luxury’s development will be influenced by the input from visitors, Twitter followers and contributors.  I look forward to feedback and especially some good banter!   

Your site covers a wide range of luxury categories including sports. Sporting events are a big business these days. Do you feel that sports and sporting events have been elevated to realm of luxury?

Yes, without a doubt.  There are certainly some sports that are cater exclusively to the luxury pallet, for example, yachting and polo.  Looking at some of the mainstream sports, there are aspects that have certainly become luxury-based.  For example, football/soccer – new stadiums are being constructed with more and more luxury suits with the anticipation of hosting Champions League matches, international tournaments or simply domestic league matches with the hopes of attracting corporate supporters.  Consider Formula 1 and the Grand Prix de Monaco, the sport’s quintessential race of the season.  In addition to the color and pageantry surrounding the race, there is watching the race from the desired perch on a superyacht in the Monaco Harbor.  This is luxury in every sense of the word.

There is a lot of talk about luxury consumption in China. Do you employ a strategy for that particular region?

There is absolutely luxury consumption in China.  It’s a great market for anyone in the luxury industry.  To have brand awareness in China will only result in good things. 

I’m slowly dipping my toes into the Chinese market.  I’m leveraging private flights into and out of Beijing, contacts at luxury hotels in China as well as a friend who lives there, to develop a better understanding of what the Chinese luxury market participants are looking for in services, how they spend their money and where they go.  As that market finds its feet, it will be exciting to watch it grow.  I look forward to being the one who gets Chinese high net worth individuals where they need to be! 

Your site layout is really great. When do you expect to fully roll it out?

Thank you for your kind words!  I’m hoping to have it fully functional and looking professional in the coming weeks.  As I experiment with some looks, I’m identifying content and the best presentation to make site visitors’ experience on www.jetsandluxury.com fun, informative and efficient.  I’ll be the first to say it won’t ever be “settled”.  I want the site to evolve and grow with the wants and needs of clients.  So as mentioned earlier, I welcome feedback.....please be gentle!

All this being said, The Top Tier is a great site!  I think it’s fair to say you’ve set the bar pretty high!

Well I appreciate your time and good luck with jetsandluxury.com.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you - it’s been a pleasure!  I look forward to the next time and reversing our roles and putting you in the hot-seat!

By Doron Levy

Images Courtesy JetsAndLuxury.com

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