For The Person Who Has Everything

A night at chef Thomas Keller’s fabled Per Se restaurant in New York City is every foodie’s dream. With expertly executed food that looks more like a magic show than a meal, this is an expensive experience that attracts powerful and famous clientele.

So it was the ideal setting for last week’s American Express event with select Centurion card holders. The American Express Centurion card, also known as the Black Card, began as an urban legend; rumor had it that there was a secret American Express, the Black Card, that was only for elite members of society and that had no spending limit. Years later, American Express capitalized on the cache and created Centurion-- the invitation-only card with concierge services and elite benefits available to no other Amex cardholders.

The Per Se restaurant event (which cost over $1000 a ticket) began with a cooking lesson from Thomas Keller himself, followed by cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and an elaborate 7-course meal. Only Centurion members had access to this one-time-only event, which took over the restaurant’s entire dining room.

Over half the cardholders at Per Se flew in for the Per Se dinner. Two of the women are event regulars. They met each other at a Centurion event years ago in Aspen and have been attending events together for years since, despite living in different cities.

But Lisa, who coordinates these elite-access events, says attendance has been down in the recession. “People are doing less these days… even these people,” she said. “Or they’re buying $1000 event tickets instead of $2000.”

Yet despite the economy, Centurion members are still paying to attend these events. Lisa credits the exclusivity of the program. “Centurion offers our members something anyone just can’t buy. We offer them access. We get them box seats at the US Open. We get them prime seats at New York fashion week and introduce them to the designers. You can’t pick that up on a shopping spree or order it on the Internet.”

Amex understands that true luxury lives in exclusive access and priceless experiences.

Opportunity: Give luxury consumers more than product features—earn them access.