IAADFS education sessions focus on trends, techniques and border opportunities

iaadfs_logo_blue_with_gold_rAs it transitions into a new more service-driven format for the annual Duty Free Show of the Americas, the International Association of Airport and Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) has revealed the list of speakers presenting in the two education sessions being held on Monday and Tuesday mornings, March 27 and 28, 2017.

The IAADFS website reports that representatives from ASUTIL and FDFA will be taking part in the education program, which begins on Monday morning with a panel discussing present and future growth opportunities for duty free and travel retail in the Americas. Under the theme of Growth Opportunities in the Americas, the panel will be moderated by Martin Moodie of The Moodie Davitt Report, and includes Gustavo Fagundes, ASUTIL president and COO of Dufry Brasil; Abe Taqtaq, FDFA president and vice president of Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Duty Free Shop, Inc.; and Erasmo Orillac, IAADFS chairman of the board and CEO of Motta Internacional, SA.

This panel session is followed by a presentation from Peter Mohn, owner and CEO of m1nd-set, and Christine Martin, managing director of Travel Retail Training. In Sales and Customer Insights – Maximizing Your Potential, Mohn and Martin will share their insights about techniques to increase sales volume and customer penetration, focusing on employee engagement in the duty free and travel retail channel. The presenters will also discuss how to attract and engage the millennial shopper and how to use social media more effectively.

Tuesday morning’s education session, Border Duty Free – Crossing the Frontier, features a discussion about the special challenges and tremendous opportunities for duty free border store operators. Simon Falic, COO of Duty Free Americas, Inc.; Abe Taqtaq, vice president of Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Duty Free Shop, Inc.; and Enrique Urioste, CEO of Neutral Duty Free will discuss border duty free stores from their unique geographic perspectives in this session, moderated by m1nd-set’s Peter Mohn.