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DATES TO REMEMBER:
The 2024 TFWA World Exhibition & Conference will begin on Sept. 29 (Opening Cocktail). This will be the 40th Anniversary of the Tax Free World Association, so expect something special!
The MEADFA Conference will take place on Nov. 19-21, 2023, in Accra, Ghana. This is the first time that the event, organized by TFWA and the Middle East Africa Duty Free Association, will take place in sub-Sahara Africa.
The Frontier Duty Free Convention will take place on Nov. 27-30, 2023 in Toronto, Canada.
The IAADFS Summit of the Americas will take place April 14-17, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference will take place in Singapore on May 12-16, 2024.
The 2024 ASUTIL Conference will take place on June 19-20, in Bogota, Colombia. Full story on page 2.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The TFWA presidential election will take place on Dec. 15, at which time the Management Committee will choose the President of the Association for the one-year mandate which runs from December 2023 to December 2024. Members of the Management Committee who are planning to stand for election can inform the TFWA Election Committee of their intent up to the date of the election.
Any prospective candidates from outside the Management Committee are required to submit their candidacy no later than Wednesday, Nov. 15th, by recorded mail to the TFWA Election Committee, Tax Free World Association, 23-25 rue de Berri, 75008 Paris, France.
For further information, please contact TFWA Vice-President Finance Frédéric Garcia-Pelayo via the TFWA office or at fpelayo@interparfums.fr.
POST-CANNES REPORT
The 2023 TFWA World Exhibition & Conference was an immense success on every count. Not only did the exhibitions cover a record amount of space (enhanced by several new beach pavilions behind the Palais des Festivals) with a record number of buyers and landlords in attendance, as TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen exclaimed at the 2023 closing press conference, the event resulted “in enormous positive energy.”
The opening Conference was excellent—with speakers such as Erin Meyer, who entranced the crowd with her talk on heretofore unrecognized cultural differences that can make a huge difference in international negotiations, and Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Bob Woodward, who mesmerized the audience with his glimpse into the inside world of U.S. politics.
The optimism throughout the exhibition space was matched by innovation and industry announcements that will be making waves for months to come, if not longer. For that reason, this issue of Travel Markets Insider focuses on news and developments that came out during the Cannes event. We will begin reporting on the huge amount of supplier news in our next issue.
Cannes overview, page 1.
The announcement of ASUTIL’s first foray into Colombia for the 2023 Conference, came as Secretary General Jose Luis Donagaray stepped down and new Secretary General Carlos Loaiza-Keel took the podium for the first time in his new role. Page 2.
The Duty Free World Council turns 10. Page 2.
Harding+’s Sue Gosling named Chair of the DFWC Academy Advisory Group. Page 2.
Dufry Group rebrands as AVOLTA, a unified brand reflecting the Dufry-Autogrill business combination. Page 3.
LVMH posts 14% revenue growth in first nine months as Selective Retailing drives growth with sales up by 26%. Page 4.
Starboard announces executive leadership appoints, bringing in jewelry industry veteran Caryl Capeci as SVP of Fine Jewelry and Watches, and bringing back the very popular Benito Mendez as SVP of Merchandising and Planning. Page 4.
Harding+ CEO James Prescott steps down after 10 years. Page 5.
Cannes highlights in Pictures. Page 5.
U.S. AIRPORT NEWS
Family-owned ACDBE companies partner to open three new marketplaces at DEN. Page 6.
WHSmith North America opens iconic Tennessee culture retail concepts in Nashville International Airport. Page 6.
