TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2024 pre-event round up

Anticipation is building as TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, being held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes from Sunday 29th September to Thursday 3rd October, draws closer.

The TFWA World Conference will kick-off at 9:00 on Monday 30^th September, headlined by former US Secretary of State, former US State Senator of New York and 2016 Democratic Presidential Nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Its star studded line-up of speakers will include anthropologist, futurist, best-selling author and CEO of meta-media studio Radical Next, Sam Rad and NASA astronaut and the first female private space explorer and CEO of the XPrize Foundation, Anousheh Ansari. The conference will be moderated by world-renowned journalist and broadcaster Stephen Sackur and promises to offer engaging insight into the forces shaping today’s economic environment and their impacts on the travel retail and duty free landscape. Please note that seating is limited, and additional security screening will be in effect for entry. Doors will open at 8:00, so we encourage delegates to plan their arrival accordingly.

Delegates will be able to attend a workshop session titled ‘Reimagining travel retail’ taking place on Tuesday at 8:00, hosted at the Majestic Hotel. At this session they will hear from industry experts including Andrew Ford, managing partner of Paccaya Resources & chairman of ANARA, Isabel Zarza, CEO Southern Europe for Avolta, and president of Horizon Consumer Science, Ian Cesa on the most up-to-date developments and challenges in the world of travel retail. The workshop will also feature Euromonitor International, innovation senior consultant, Marie Isquenderian and focus on the impact of digital trends in daily consumption, alongside partner and chairman emeritus of global consulting firm Kearney, Alex Liu. The discussion will delve into innovative strategies that delegates can incorporate into their own business to thrive in an ever evolving industry. To book your place, please email us

This year, the ever-popular TFWA i.lab will return with a new collaborative concept at the Golden Village within the Palais des Festivals. The i.lab space will feature new and returning tech companies, with an open plan area where delegates can network and discover the latest innovations. To see a list of all companies taking part in the TFWA i.lab, click hereTFWA i.lab is sponsored by Uber Advertising, China Trading Desk and BW Confidential.

A networking programme especially tailored for the associations 40^th anniversary will include the “Nuit Blanche” Opening Cocktail to be held on the Carlton Beach from 19:00 on Sunday and the “Starry Night” Closing Party to take place on Wednesday evening from 20:00-02:00. Both events will feature a number of surprise elements to delight guests. For the full event programme, click here

TFWA would also like to extend a special thanks to all sponsors of this year’s event, including the main partner of TFWA Lounge, Qatar Duty Free, TFWA Lounge sponsors Mondelēz International, product distribution sponsors Santa Margherita, Heineken, Crafter’s Artisanal Gin, Nemiroff Vodka, Duty Free Global, Quintessential Brands Group, Espolòn Tequila, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail with their Drink More Water campaign, Perfetti van Melle, Wonderful Pistachios, Seeberger, Tartufi Jimmy and TFWA Pétanque tournament sponsors, Haribo, Bloom Dead Sea Life and Jack Link’s. For more information on the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference sponsors, click here

“It is not long until we will be welcoming delegates to Cannes for what promises to be yet another outstanding TFWA World Exhibition & Conference. The impressive line-up of speakers and jam-packed schedule of learning, doing business and networking, promise to do justice to the milestone 40th anniversary of TFWA that we mark this year. We look forward to seeing you all in Cannes.”
Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA President