FULL SPEAKER LINE-UP CONFIRMED FOR TFWA ASIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS

“TFWA has put together what we feel is an excellent programme for the plenary and workshop sessions at TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition this year,” said TFWA Vice President Thom Rankin. “The line-up of speakers will challenge and inspire delegates who are aspiring to achieve perfection in duty free and travel retail in Asia Pacific and beyond.”

The TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition will take place in the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Center in Singapore from 12^th to 16^th May. The conference and workshops, on the theme of ‘Striving for Perfection’, will be held on Monday 13^th May from 08:30 to 17:30 with a packed programme of eminent speakers.

The keynote speakers in the plenary session, as already announced, will be Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Gilbert Ghostine, President Asia Pacific, Diageo, Dr Fan Gang, Director, China National Economic Research Institute and Chairman, China Reform Foundation, and Erik Juul-Mortensen, President, TFWA.

They will be joined by Asia Pacific travel retail expert Sunil Tuli, President, APTRA and Managing Director (Duty Free & Travel Retail), King Power Group (HK). He will update delegates on the challenges to growth faced by the regional industry today and how industry associations are working together to drive the business forward.

The closing session of the conference, entitled ‘New Consumers, New Challenges’, will provide two powerful perspectives on today’s travelling consumers and on the challenges the industry faces to serve them better.

Counter Intelligence Retail Managing Director Garry Stasiulevicuis will present highlights of the report commissioned by TFWA into ‘non-shoppers’ with his conclusions on the main barriers to purchase among today’s travelling consumers.

Anson Bailey, KPMG Principal Business Development will discuss the conclusions of another absorbing report, Global Reach of China Luxury, which was published earlier this year. The study assesses the growing importance of the travelling Chinese consumer to premium brands worldwide and includes case studies from some key suppliers.

Taking place between the opening and closing plenary sessions will be a choice of four workshops on topical issues led by experts in the field.

WORKSHOP A - PERFECT JOURNEY will look at how store design, terminal layout, retail branding and better communication can ensure retail is an essential component of the traveller’s journey. The speakers will be Faizah Khairuddin, Senior General Manager of Commercial Services, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad, Lorenzo C. Formoso, Chief Operating Officer, Duty Free Philippines, and Ian Taylor, Global Marketing Manager, William Grant & Sons.

WORKSHOP B - PERFECT PITCH will focus on how an integrated, partnership-based approach to engaging the customer between different stakeholders can enhance the retail proposition. Leading the discussion will be Monet S. Aluquin, Assistant Vice President, Airside Concessions Division, Changi Airport Group, Steffen Brandt, Chief Executive Officer, Heinemann Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, and Eva Yu, Managing Director, L’Oréal Luxe Travel Retail Asia Pacific.

WORKSHOP C - e-PERFECT will analyse the rich marketing opportunities that the latest digital and social media represent to premium brands and the retailers who sell them. The panel will be Stephenie Rodriguez, CEO, Sticki Digital Media, Jens Thraenhart, Co-founder & President, Dragon Trail / Publisher, China Travel Trends, John McDonnell, President, International and Chief Operating Officer, Patrón Spirits International A.G. and Sang J. Ahn, Head of Consulting, Incheon International Airport Corporation.

WORKSHOP D - PERFECTION PERSONIFIED will focus on the ‘human touch’, exploring how innovative staff training and human resources programmes are ensuring that the industry’s ambassadors in store or inflight can serve each customer more effectively. The expert line-up will be Rachael Green, Recruitment & Employee Development Manager, Dubai Duty Free, John Garner, Group Deputy Chairman and President Asia Pacific, DFASS, Andrew Gardiner, General Manager Retail, Sydney Airport, and Trevor Lee, Managing Director, TravConsult.

In addition to the plenary and workshop sessions, TFWA is to host an Industry Association Working Lunch, at which invited delegates will be updated on the latest regulatory and other challenges facing the duty free and travel retail industry in Asia Pacific and beyond. Contributing to the session will be Erik Juul-Mortensen, President, TFWA, Sunil Tuli, President, APTRA, Sarah Branquinho, President, ETRC, and Sean Staunton, President, MEADFA. The Working Lunch will be moderated by Michael Barrett, Executive Officer, APTRA. Please note that the session will be closed to the press.

The opening and closing plenary sessions will be moderated by John Rimmer, Conference, Research and External Affairs Director, TFWA and Trevor Lai, Presenter, Thoughtful China. The workshop sessions will be chaired by Dermot Davitt, Vice Chairman and Editorial Director, The Moodie Report, John Sutcliffe, Travel Retail Advisor, Doug Newhouse, Editorial Director, Travel Retail Business and Amanda Felix, Publisher, Duty-Free News International.

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

Registration for TFWA Asia Pacific Conference & Exhibition is open at www.tfwa.com until 18^th April.

Ends

For further information please contact

TFWA Press Office – Kate Teagle 

www.tfwa.com Email: press@tfwa.com