The elite season is changing

How can sites that benefit stay ahead of the changes?

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

You all know what a seasonal site is, it typically receives it's traffic during a specific season or around a specific holiday. Did you know the global elite have a season too? For starters, to be considered part of the elite you need a net worth of at least 30 million dollars, the people who make up the elite season are all worth that much or more. You'll understand more in a minute.

There are currently an estimated 295,500 people with a net worth of 30 million or more, or roughly 0.004% of the global population. These people have a global social networking system that caters to them and they tend to travel to the same locations, on the same dates each year to socialize. ie: The elite season. If they don't own a private jet they know someone who does.

The season...
- New Year's Eve in St Barts
- Superbowl in Feb
- Skying in Aspen or St Moritz in March
- The Masters golf tournament in Augusta Georgia in April
- The Cannes film festival and Monaco Grand Prix in May
- Henly Royal Rowing Regatta, England in June
- Wimbledon in July
- Venice Film Festival in August
- The yacht show in Monico in September
- Frieze London art fair in October
- The Melbournce cup in November
- Art Basel Miami Beach, end of year.

This is the elite season, it's what the elite do regularly even if most of the other 99.996% of people never see them. Of course they don't ALL attend every event, but many do. Private jet transponder data is public and many of the private jets owned by the elite fly this seasonal circuit every year. They can't just go to a movie like regular folk but this is the elite social life.

As always people are always super interested in whatever the elite are doing at any given time of year so websites that take advantage of one or all of these events might see ad spend spikes.

So what's changing? Since the pandemic started the number of people becoming rich enough to join the circuit and enjoy the perks reserved for the elite has grown a good amount. Money was consolidated further into the hands of fewer people still. The places suitable for the elite to stay, to park their seasonal vehicles, their yachts, their places, to eat, and even to hire security are stretched to their limits.

Prices have increased though price is of little importance. A 4k night in a Monaco hotel is now a 6.5k night, for example. If reservations aren;t made well in advance the elite best know someone. It got crowded quickly as many freshly minted 30x millionairs joined the elite ranks. The rich want to hang out with the rich and the times and places to do that are stretched much thinner right now.

Note: 30 million is the minimum, you don't see many people with less than 30 million net worth owning a private jet with a transponder that says they do "the elite season". The minimum is increasing as a result.

There is opportunity here, not so much for servicing the elite but definitely for satisfying regular folk who want to peek at the elite lifestyle, and who follow the elite season without knowing it. Can you think of a few types of sites that do well by staying ahead of the season?

Wagering advice comes to mind as it is widely done for the sporting events in the circuit. A recipe site could benefit if it also covers what the elite prefer while in each location and write "Feel the Melbourne cup, try this recipe" type of stuff. There are many, many other types of sites that benefit from parts of the elite season... but not much discussion about it.

You could also go in the other direction - focus on ways to enjoy the circuit on a much smaller budget, or help people with their budgets and ways to save money in general. There is a lot of potential if your site can stay in the season.

Thoughts?

TL:DR - the elite are pushing the ultra-elite out of their traditional stomping grounds. This is leading to ultra-elite looking for new even more exclusive experiences, and they are willing to pay. Private gorrila expeditions in Rwanda, private treks across the south pole and just getting away from it all to mansions in exclusive locations are on the rise. The number of yacht retrofits continues to rise every year as boats are made more capable of going to hard to reach places.

[coothead]

Thoughts?

If I had any, then I would have to say that I
find the exploits of the self indulgent boring .

coothead

[tangor]

What they spend in entertainment could set up a couple thousand hi-value websites for a year!

[ronin]

Or fund a hospital wing or two.

Yes, that's a Del Amitri reference.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Or fund a hospital wing or two.

They all take credit for benevolence of some sort, here's how that works.

- Spend $20k on a cause
- Ask everyone else, including you, to donate the other 5 million.

Good deed done right? It's all about perception. They have a million chocolate bars in their fridge and you have two but they convince you to donate one. Belt tightened.

Regardless, there is an entire industry that entertains only the elite because the top quarter million people own a third of the planet's wealth. I wasn't refering to building sites for the elite, I was referring to building sites that cater to the billion or so people who live vicariously in one way or another during elite season.

BOOMING industries right now include yacht carriers that bring the elite's yachts around the world on massive cargo ships. People with small boats come out in droves in the same places during the season. BOOMING industries include rentals in the areas currently in season etc.

Even the elite are complaining that traditionally rich hotspots are being accessed by too many rich people and they are looking for NEW hotspots, like mansions inside cities like Vancouver Canada. My point was that the elite have a season that generate huge amounts of money for sites and services that cater to the less wealthy, but where the elites are.

example: The elite don't care about a local lawnmower website but if the elite demand perfect lawns while they travel the people who cater to the elite do care. Food, entertainment, news, security and the entire supporting cast of topics do well during elite season.

[martinibuster]

They all take credit for benevolence of some sort, here's how that works

It's a tax write-off and a social occasion.

Just Google "charity" gala ball black tie [tinyurl.com] and bring a barf bag. :(

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Just Google "charity" gala ball black tie [tinyurl.com] and bring a barf bag. :(

Like I said, people who have a lot of money create a wake of benefits for the service industry that caters to them. Instead of pointing fingers at people for being too wealthy I'd rather discuss how NOT to miss opportunities by being unaware there even is an elite season, much less how it's changing.

I'm being practical, informative, and looking for ideas on how to earn a little more from my sites if I can find ways to tap into the elite season. I control me, I don't control them. It's not my job to change them but I'd be a fool not to benefit when the seasons change.

The rich are literally complaining there's not enough exclusivity for sale and not enough "things" to spend money on because the number of people worth over 30 million is growing. They are finding their yachts outdated so retrofit services are in huge demand. They are finding their resorts too busy and so wanting private new mansions to use for a weekend is booming.

I'm not interested in doing as these people want, I see the industry that caters to them and I think a lot of sites miss the seasons each year by ignoring it.

The newly rich are also changing how the elite behave to some extent. Example: You can rent a private jet to get to the same places the elite go, get the same priority treatment at airports and look just as "important" in the process. The elite counter this by getting bigger private jets. Bezos bought two bigger jets recently, they are too big to land on St Barts island so they land nearby St martins and a private helicopter is used to get to St Barts.

Suddenly it means you're elite if you show up by helicopter because your plane is too big? If you already have a website about travel or flying etc why would you not discuss this and perhaps become an affiliate of a charter helicopter service using top-end choppers. They are selling out regardless.

Target the non-elite wealthy, which can be anyone who saves enough, with an option to fly a private helicopter and show them it's what the elite do and suddenly youre earnings go up at that time of the elite season. What you do with your money is your business.

THE RICH aren't the demographics I think our sites can benefit from, it's the entire supporting industry that pops up to support them that brings opportunity. When there's a climate meeting these days it comes with an absolute traffic jam of private jets... so even political events are working into the elite seasons lately.

It's repugnant but it's reality, how do lowly little webmasters benefit too? I think this thread is DOA though, I'd hoped to get past the disdain to find more ideas.