Till November 26, the International Herald Tribune's annual luxury conference to be held in New Delhi in the first week of December was on track.
Interviews were being set-up and India looked all ready to host one of the most prestigious events in the luxury business marking the country's importance in that segment.
Less than 24-hours later, the newspaper that is owned by the New York Times had been forced to send out an official note confirming that the conference had been postponed.
In an email message, Stephen Dunbar Johnson, publisher of the IHT said: "We had already put in place security measures but we are, of course, sensitive to the safety concerns of all our conference participants following the terrorist attacks on Mumbai.
"While reluctant to postpone the event, we felt it was inappropriate to hold this conference at such a difficult time for India -- but we plan to be back as soon as the situation is stabilised.
"We are now in personal communication with speakers, sponsors and our delegates, who have so loyally supported the International Herald Tribune's luxury business conference over the last seven years to inform them of the decision.
India is a growing market and a rich source for inspiration for the global luxury industry and, with the support of the Indian authorities, the International Herald Tribune is fully committed to bringing its conference to New Delhi early next year," he added.
The conference was to be attended by such luminaries of the luxury business like Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO, PPR, Christian Blanckaert, executive VP, Hermes International, fashion designer Dries Van Noten, Nicolas Ghesquiere, creative director, Balenciaga, Tomas Maier, creative director, Bottega Veneta, fashion designer Stella McCartney, apart from Suzy Menkes, the fashion editor for IHT and who is responsible for hosting and putting the entire show together.
