Plenary session 60 YEARS OF DUTY FREE:
A NEW MOON RISING
THE STATE OF THE TRAVEL RETAIL INDUSTRY AT 60
TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen marked this 60th anniversary conference by reflecting on some of the major challenges and priorities facing the industry today... and tomorrow. As a new moon rises on the industry, the President offered his vision for a successful and sustainable future.
TURBULENCE WARNING: THE STATUS QUO ON SECURITY
Frank O'Connell, Director-Retail, AerRiantaRetail Restrictions on liquids and gels imposed following attempted terrorist activity in August 2006 continue to impede duty free and travel retail sales at airports. Although the European Commission announced plans earlier this year to accept duty free purchases from countries beyond the European Union upon certain conditions, very few governments have taken the necessary steps to seek the Commission's approval and agree joint protocols. ETRC President Frank O’Connell updated the industry on the latest developments and discussed what needs to be done by industry representatives if the duty free and travel retail industry is to continue to flourish.
LIFE BEGINS AT 60... A STARRY FUTURE?
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, is an icon of the 20th century and one of the world’s best known pioneers. On 20th July 1969 as commander of Apollo 11, he completed the first landing mission to the moon and made that first ‘giant leap for mankind’. As one of the world’s foremost achievers, he inspired the audience with his pioneering vision of what travel and travel retail could look like in the decades to come. Armstrong provided his unique perspective on how the aviation and travel retail industry will progress and how the leaders of today can themselves take small steps to anticipate the giant leaps of tomorrow.
SHOULD THE TRAVEL RETAIL INDUSTRY BE OVER THE MOON WITH ITS LIFE ACHIEVEMENTS?
Mary Portas, Creative Director of Yellowdoor, who has been dubbed ‘Mary, Queen of Shops’ thanks to her recent BBC TV series, is a well established retail guru and brand communication specialist. Creative Director at London retail branding and communications agency, Yellowdoor, Mary has expert knowledge on brands, consumer insights and retail trends. Mary is also author of ‘Windows – The Art of Retail Display’ and writes a weekly feature in the Saturday Telegraph magazine, reviewing the state of the UK’s retail offer. In her presentation, Mary illustrated how successful retail, unlike Neil Armstrong’s experience, is not rocket science. She demonstrated what can be done to revamp the retail offer, presentation and sales approach. ETRC Industry Q&A Forum ETRC President Frank O'Connell chaired a panel with fellow regional duty free associations on the security issues affecting the duty free and travel retail industry. This Q&A forum, which was open to all visitors and exhibitors at TFWA World Exhibition, provided all an opportunity to put their questions on these crucial issues to the panelists, including the recent developments outside the EU and at the European Commission, the requirements for non-EU countries and how regional associations need to respond at their level. Airline Workshop This year TFWA was pleased to announce a new format for the popular Airline Workshop.
This breakfast session featured retail expert Mary Portas and her business partner Yellowdoor Managing Director Peter Cross, who shared ideas with airlines and inflight retail operators about how to increase the potential of the inflight retail environment. Aeroboutique Inflight Retail General Manager Pierre Freyssinet also demonstrated through his experience with Air France and other airlines, what Aeroboutique’s approach is to the challenge of making inflight retail more appealing to passengers. Moderated by Anouska Forte (Travel Retail Business). Asia Pacific Breakfast & Workshop Hundreds of brands are already enjoying successful business in this dynamic region. But the success story is only just beginning. TFWA is confident about the region's potential and is investigating heavily into its Asia Pacific's exhibition and conference. This session looked at the latest trends and highlights of the Asia Pacific region, featuring presentations from Sunil Tuli, President of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) and Marion Buttler, Regional Director Europe of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), as well as a preview of the latest TFWA Japanese outbound traveller study with research partners JTM, presented by Director and Vice President Masato Takamatsu. | 
