TFWA Asia Pacific Live workshop programme

Opening session featuring TFWA and APTRA Presidents & keynote speaker Charlie Ang

This session featured an opening address from TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen, and Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association President Sunil Tuli. Delegates also heard a fascinating talk from renowned futurist and Fourth Industrial Revolution expert Charlie Ang on how new technologies and modes of consumption are changing the way we do business.

Focus on India

This session put the spotlight on one of Asia’s biggest markets, and one that will be at the heart of the regional recovery. Featuring insights from brands, retailers and airports, the Focus on India workshop explored current and future opportunities in the country’s duty free market, customer trends and infrastructure developments.

Speakers included Delhi Duty Free CEO Ashish Chopra, Bangalore International Airport Ltd Asst Vice President - Commercial Development Pravat Kumar Paikray, and Beam Suntory Managing Director Global Travel Retail Ashish Gandham. 

APTRA Exchange

A knowledge-sharing session aimed at updating APTRA members and their business partners on the current status of the duty free & travel retail industry in the Asia Pacific including travel trends, corporate social responsibility and the changing dynamics in wine and spirits.

Kicking off the session, Gordon Clark, Vice President, Business Development, Forward Keys presented 'What’s on the horizon for the Travel Retail Sector – key learnings during a pandemic’, disclosing the latest air ticketing data, airport traveler volumes, shifts in consumer behaviour and a look at which APAC destination is rising from the ashes in 2022.

The second discussion focused on the changing dynamics in wine & spirits. It explored how new consumer trends create opportunities for brands and retailers in drinks and beyond, the role of omnichannel and how global brands see travel retail. This took the form of a panel discussion featuring Aude Bourdier, VP Managing Director, Global Travel Retail, Brown Forman; Luke Maga, Head of Europe & Global Travel Retail, Distell International; Barry Geoghegan, Founder & Commercial Director, Duty Free Global; and Stephen Timms, CEO and Director, Lotte Duty Free Oceania. This session was moderated by DFNI Editor Kapila Ireland.

With sustainability a key focus for APTRA’s research and advocacy work in 2022, the discussion on corporate social responsibility began with a brief presentation ‘Mind The Gap. Where does sustainable travel retail in the region stand?’

Continuing the theme, the APTRA Exchange finished with a panel discussion on future-proofing a changing CSR landscape that considered the growing need for the trinity to address CSR requirements, eco-friendly fit outs as a key metric in successful tenders and business operations, and the different dynamics of brands and retailers in this respect. Delegates heard from Alexander de Nerée tot Babberich, Global Account Manager Airlines, Heineken Global Duty Free; Chris Morriss, Director & Partner, Concourse; and Simon van Moppes, General Manager, North Asia Travel Retail Pernod Ricard. This session was moderated by TRBusiness Managing Editor Luke Barras-Hill.

State of the travel market in Asia Pacific

Featuring: Pedro Castro, Dufry; Sarah Mathews, TripAdvisor; Ilia Lioutov, ACI World and Jason Cao, DFE & Amberich International

This workshop looked in detail at the current state of the travel industry in Asia Pacific: tourism and air traffic trends, emerging destinations and traveller preferences, plus hotspots such as Hainan. The session also looked at the findings of ACI’s analysis of the business model for non-aeronautical revenues at airports, including duty free & travel retail.

Sustainable futures

Featuring: Dr Peter Mohn, m1nd-set; Jaya Singh, Mondelez; Anna Marchesini, m1nd-set, Melvin Broekaart, Rituals Cosmetics and Jackllyn Chau, Lagardère Travel Retail

Held in partnership with trade journal TR Business and drawing on a major recent consumer study by m1nd-set, this session explored what “sustainability” truly means for shoppers in Asia, how perceptions vary by nationality, and the role environmental and social concerns play in purchase decisions. The workshop, moderated by TRBusiness Editorial Director Charlotte Turner, also heard from brands and retailers on how they are adapting their business model to meet the expectations both of consumers and their own business partners.

Digital transformation in SE Asia

Featuring: Dhruv Vohra, Meta and Praneeth Yendamuri, Bain & Company  

In their recent report entitled Southeast Asia, the home for digital transformation, Meta and Bain & Company explored how the migration from offline to online will shape the consumer way of life in Asia post-pandemic. TFWA was delighted to welcome the authors of the report to share their insights on how brands and consumers in Asia will interact in future.