2023 Programme

Opening Cocktail

Welcome from moderator

Dermot Davitt

Welcome address from MEADFA President

Sherif Toulan

Welcome from official hosts

African aviation in focus

As the MEADFA Conference comes to West Africa for the first time, the opening session of the event will bring together some of the region’s leading airports at a time of optimism for Africa’s aviation and tourism industries. A panel of senior airport executives will discuss new developments in their respective locations, address the context for international travel in the region, and explore the importance of non-aeronautical revenues to African airports.

Delegates will hear from Pamela Djamson-Tettey, Managing Director, Ghana Airports; Dina El Sherif, Commercial Development Director, Egyptian Airports Co; and Youssef Jroundi, Commercial Director, ONDA Morocco.

Rebuilding the model

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the faultlines in the traditional business model for airport retail. As the sector recovers, more meaningful and efficient collaboration between airlines, airports and concessionaires is needed more than ever to create a more sustainable business model. This session will explore how the airport commercial model can be adapted to ensure a durable recovery for all stakeholders.

Featuring Keith Hunter, Partner, Hunter Palmer Global Retail Solutions; and Abdeslam Azgoul, CEO Middle East and Africa, Dufry;  Nico Reifkogel, Director of Business Development, Gebr Heinemann.

Networking coffee break

Stronger together

The 2023 MEADFA Conference is held at a critical time for our industry, as the signatories to the World Health Organization’s Illicit Trade Protocol meet in November in Panama (MOP 3). At that meeting, the WHO will formally begin research into “the extent to which” duty free sales contribute to illicit trade.

This important session of the MEADFA Conference will update delegates on the implications of MOP 3 for all categories in duty free & travel retail, along with the advocacy work being done by MEADFA and its fellow associations on their behalf. Rob Marriott, Chair of the MEADFA Advocacy Group, will open the session along with the group’s category leads Roger Jackson and Milika Kalyati, while Duty Free World Council President Sarah Branquinho will provide global context.

Consumer insight: tracking the post-Covid MEA traveller

Supported by the latest travel and consumer data, this session will explore how today’s traveller in the Middle East and Africa has evolved since pre-pandemic days. What do changes in demographics and spending levels say about post-covid duty free shopping in the region?

Delegates will hear from travel retail research specialist Pi Insight, whose Managing Director Stephen Hillam will present findings from an exclusive study carried out for the MEADFA Conference. A perspective from the High Street will be provided by respected global market analyst Euromonitor, whose Research Manager for Sub-Saharan African Christy Tawii will present the latest data on consumer trends in the region.

Networking lunch

Gala Dinner

Welcome from moderator

Dermot Davitt

Keynote speaker to be confirmed

Charting the recovery

Having witnessed an encouraging recovery in 2022, the Middle East could see international travel return to pre-pandemic levels this year, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). In Africa, tourism is still recovering but business travel is expected to boost traffic across the continent. This session will look at the latest traffic data and travel forecasts and understand trends & emerging destinations as well as challenges facing the travel industry.

Featuring Kojo Bentum Williams, Founder and publisher, VoyagesAfriq Travel Media and Lead Communications, UNWTO Africa; and Martina Bednarikova, Economist and Policy Analyst at leading global airline association IATA.

Focus on African shoppers

Africa may be travel retail’s smallest region in terms of duty free sales, but its increasingly affluent travellers are among the highest-spending customers in some airports and on certain long-haul routes. In this session, delegates will hear from some of the companies with experience of catering to African shoppers, and of adapting to their brand and product preferences, motivations to purchase and attitudes towards local and international brands.

Featuring Tourvest Retail Services CEO Clive Jones; and MMI & Emirates Leisure Retail Group CEO Tyrone Reid.

Networking coffee break

MEADFA & sustainability: a progress report

Last year in Bahrain, delegates at the MEADFA Conference heard a blueprint for creating a more sustainable and equitable travel retail industry in the Middle East & Africa. Since then, sustainability has risen up the agenda for every company in the travel ecosystem, and the issue’s importance to the end consumer cannot be overestimated.

In this session MEADFA’s Sustainability Lead, Lagardère Travel Retail CEO Saudi Arabia Munif Mohammed will update delegates on the progress made and the challenges ahead, while delegates will also hear from some of the companies that are making sustainability a priority.

Innovation in action

For travel retail to stay ahead of the changing wants and needs of today’s travellers, it is not just about making more effective use of technology, but about creating and nurturing a spirit of innovation. This session will explore how companies can collaborate more effectively to ensure they stay ahead of the game.

Delegates will hear from Orange Africa Innovation Booster Nicolas Bry, who has a wealth of experience helping companies in Africa to harness the region’s potential. The session will also hear case studies from travel retail companies aiming to bring fresh ideas to the market in the Middle East & Africa, including Beam Suntory Global Marketing Director Manuel Gonzalez.

Networking lunch