Last night I attended an evening with The Coveteur and American Express, which featured a panel discussion on a look into The Coveted Life.

The discussion of The Coveted Life centered around what enriches your life, and how to achieve it. The panel included Laura Scheck from American Express, Stephanie Mark from The Coveteur, Liloo Alim from the Four Seasons Toronto, and moderator Catriona Smart from coco&cowe.

The idea of what enriches your life seemed to be a very personal question for each panel member. Everyone on the panel had a different answer that they put a lot of thought into, but all of the answers seemed to resonate with me. Balance, cherishing the small moments, and my favourite answer – just say yes and figure it out later! It all sounded like good advice to me!

The talk moved into details about trends each panel member has seen recently, and Laura from American Express said that she is seeing people want more premium service – valet service at the airport, premium lounge access, and overall front of the line service is in demand. She said that she has noticed there are less people travelling through the airport in sweatpants, and more are sporting a polished look on their travels. Very true – I have noticed the same!

Liloo said she has noticed at the Four Seasons that people are taking more time to be pampered with spa weekends, and are generally looking for a more healthy getaway. She is finding guests are looking for where the nearest juice bar is, and plan activities that are more health conscience.

This seemed to be a bigger trend abroad as well. Stephanie from The Coveteur mentioned that even in Paris vegan restaurants and juice bars are starting to pop up, which is something you would have never seen in the past. Everyone is focusing more on eating local, and eating healthier.

Many of the questions were directed to Stephanie Mark from The Coveteur as she has had access to some of the worlds most amazing closets!

She talked about how she provides access to her readers when it comes to the closets and wardrobes that The Coveteur covers. She said that they try to make sure they cover things differently by gaining access in a way that no one else does. She says they strive to get insider tips from beauty editors to share with readers, and they constantly work at staying cutting edge and ahead of the curve. Stephanie said connections are key to what they do, and relationships are a big part of that. They personalize everything and stay away from stock photography. The Coveteur experience is different than any other.

A portion of the panel discussion was devoted to service. In a poll last year it was revealed that very few Canadian’s viewed themselves to have had impressive customer service. With social media being what it is, it seems like everyone is complaining about some type of service they have received!

The panel gave some great advice on how to control what kind of service you receive. One of the best pieces of advice was to talk to your service provider, whether it be in a hotel, at the airport, or anywhere you are looking for assistance, and give them an idea of what you are looking for. Many people just expect that things will be provided to them, but they don’t realize that sometimes they need to vocalize what they are looking for. It’s important to give someone a chance to provide you with the service you want, and sometimes that involves telling them your expectations.

It’s also important to be nice! It seems like such simple advice, but it’s so important to be nice to the person providing you with service! You will be well remembered for this, and the service provider will want to make sure you are happy even more.

Finally, it’s very important to thank someone for good service. It’s so important to remember how you would feel in a similar situation if you went above and beyond for someone – make sure you tell someone when they have done something great for you!

My favourite talking point was about closets and wardrobes with Stephanie! She explained that in her experience some of the best closets were not necessarily excessive, but had a curated collection. She said that in her own personal life she thought more was more, so a larger wardrobe meant you had style. She said her best advice was to shop less, and put more time and thought into purchases. Something that works well for her is a versatile wardrobe where you can take an outfit from work, to dinner, to the airport.

She said it’s important as well to get organized! This is such great advice. She said that you can look at your wardrobe and think you have nothing to wear, but it could be because you have a preconceived notion of what you have. You may thing you know what is in your wardrobe, but if it’s disorganized then you don’t really know what is in there. Stephanie said often times they would look into someone’s closet for The Coveteur and pull out an amazing piece the owner wouldn’t even remember having!

Overall I really loved the panel discussion, and I learned some great tips and tricks to ensure I have the experience I want to have when it comes to service, and it really made me think about what it means to have an enriched life. It was really interesting to hear the prospective of each panel member!

Guess what I am doing this weekend? Organizing my closet. I’m feeling inspired!