The record attendance at the 2004 MEDFA Conference was as indicative of the rapidly growing importance and dynamism of the region as the tone of the presentations themselves. More than 300 delegates representing 150 companies from over 30 countries packed the hall for the two-day conference held in Dubai on 27th and 28th November 2004. Talk over both days was optimistic and positive - investment, innovation, expansion and success being the keywords of many of the presentations.
MEDFA President Mohamed Mounib said: "I am very pleased that so many people attended the conference this week. The Middle East is becoming the epicentre of global travel growth and we are seeing exceptional progress in the region. Travel retailing in the Middle East is all about innovation, service, quality and added value - I believe the MEDFA Conference this year has well reflected those values and I would like to thank TFWA for its help and assistance in organising the event this year." "State of the Region Industry Address" Mohamed Mounib, President, MEDFA "MEDFA Within the Global Industry" Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA President "The Impact of Airline Development on the Middle East" Peter Harbison, Director, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation
This keynote presentation will be followed by question and answer and discussion among expert panellists: Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General, Arab Air Carriers Organisation; Adel Ali, Air Arabia CEO; Mohamed Mounib, Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Duty Free and Alan Burnett, Regional Director Africa, Middle East, Central and South Asia, British Airways. "Subletting Specialist Shops - Pros & Cons" A long-time trend in Asia and Europe, sub-letting has only recently emerged as a phenomenon in the Middle East – already with conspicuous success. This session examines the benefits and the drawbacks. What works and what does not work? Exploring the relative merits of specialist vs. anchor stores, panellists will discuss which categories are best subcontracted. Do these shops undermine the main stores?
Panellists: Nadine Heubel, Travel Retail Director, Hugo Boss; Gerry Crawford, Regional Procurement & Logistics Manager, Aer Rianta International-Middle East; Richard Talbot, President & Managing Director, Talbot Consultants International "Partnership: The Suppliers' Perspective" What makes an “ideal” partnership between retailer and supplier? In this panel discussion session, four category leaders discuss what partnership means to them, drawing on examples of the way retailer/supplier partnership can work, and what they want and need from retailers.
Panellists: Pernod Ricard Gulf General Manager David Freeborn; Graeme Bradstock, Head of Middle East/Africa/Indian Sub-Continent, Lindt; Salim Mohammed, Area Manager - Duty Free, Middle East & Asia South Region, Philip Morris Services; Jean-Guillaume Trouvin, Managing Director Near and Middle East, Chanel. "Egypt: A Case Study" Habchi & Chalhoub Managing Director Anthony Chalhoub offers this case study on the exciting new developments at Cairo International Airport. "An Undiscovered Goldmine: How Airline Schedules Can Benefit Retail Planning" Duncan Alexander, Managing Director of OAG Data. OAG Data is the world’s biggest source of global flight schedule information. OAG processes the data of some 1000 airlines. How can this information be used to grow retail sales? "Counting the cost of Currency" Arjun Mittal, Director & Regional Markets Specialist of American Express Bank, will examine key currency movements both retrospectively and in forecasts, and their impact on business. “Identifying and Seizing the Regional Opportunities” Dubai-based independent retail consultant Mark Venables will examine big opportunities in the travel retail marketplace in the region and deliver his perspective on how the business could be grown. "The Last Word" MEDFA President, TFWA CEO, and a leading supplier and retailer join in an overall evaluation of the conference’s themes and the regional industry’s direction. Read the 2003 Conference programme Read the 2002 programme | 
