Wednesday, 13 March 2013

FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA TO MAKE KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT TFWA ASIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE


TFWA is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker at the TFWA Asia Pacific Conference in the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Center on 13th May 2013 will be Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia.

The conference, which will launch the annual exhibition event for the duty free and travel retail industry in the Asia Pacific region, will be on the theme of ‘Striving for Perfection’ and will explore how new approaches in key areas of retail are enabling operators and brands to engage the travelling consumer more effectively.

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest-serving leader and one of Asia’s most respected statesmen, will discuss the challenges he overcame while helping to position Malaysia as a leading economy in South-East Asia. He will assess the geopolitical challenges ahead for Asian economies in a multi-polar world.

His presentation will follow a State of the Industry address by Erik Juul-Mortensen, President TFWA, who will explore how the Asia Pacific market has evolved into the industry leader and analyse how changes to customer behaviour will shape its future.

Gilbert Ghostine, President Asia Pacific, Diageo will provide a perspective from the world’s leading premium drinks company and owner of some of duty free and travel retail’s biggest brands. He will summarise the keys to successful brand-building in an increasingly sophisticated and competitive marketplace, and analyse the role of duty free and travel retail in marketing premium brands to today’s consumer.

The final speaker in the morning plenary will be Dr Fan Gang, Director, China National Economic Research Institute and Chairman, China Reform Foundation. As one of China’s leading economists, Dr Fan Gang is well placed to assess how the recent leadership changes in China will influence the country’s future direction. As part of his analysis he will look at future demand for luxury goods among Chinese shoppers, and at the influence of exchange rates on consumer trends.

Delegates will be able to choose one of two workshops which follow the plenary session, each moderated by an industry professional and led by a panel of experts:

  • WORKSHOP A - PERFECT JOURNEY on how store design, terminal layout, retail branding and better communication can ensure retail is an essential component of the traveller’s journey;
  • WORKSHOP B - PERFECT PITCH on how an integrated approach to product assortment, layout, display and merchandising between different stakeholders can enhance the retail proposition for the customer;

A TFWA Industry Association Working Lunch will offer invited delegates the opportunity to discuss regulatory and other issues facing the industry in Asia Pacific and beyond.

All other conference delegates will be invited to a Business Networking Lunch at the conference venue.

The afternoon will kick off with a choice of two topical workshops:

  • WORKSHOP C - e-PERFECT on the rich marketing opportunities that the latest digital and social media represent to premium brands and the retailers who sell them;
  • WORKSHOP D - PERFECTION PERSONIFIED will add the essential element of the ‘human touch’ to the retail mix and explore how fresh approaches to staff training and human resources programmes are ensuring that the industry’s ambassadors on the shop floor or inflight have the tools not just to serve each customer effectively, but to ensure that customer comes back and spends again.

The closing plenary following the afternoon workshops will draw out the conclusions of the day and will broach the forward-looking topic of ‘New Consumers, New Challenges’ focusing on two fascinating recent studies into the travelling consumer. More details to follow.

The three-day TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition will open at 09.30 on Tuesday 14th May.

Pre-registration for the TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition is now open at www.tfwa.com.

Ends


For further information please contact
TFWA Press Office – Kate Teagle 

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