WiTR’s Calendar Girls raise money for charity

Women in Travel Retail today launches its 2018 calendar, featuring some of the dynamic women in Travel Retail.

Following on from its video interviews with 14 women in the duty free and travel retail industry last year, which drew many viewings on The MoodieDavitt Report, Desigual has partnered with WiTR to create this calendar and to raise money for WiTR’s 2018 charity.

In August Desigual invited women from WiTR’s 500-strong network to volunteer to feature on the calendar.  The final list includes women from a variety of sectors in the industry, on different continents and at varying stages of their careers.

The photoshoot took place on Desigual’s stand during TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes in October.

Aurore Rezzoagli, Global Travel Retail Marketing Manager, Desigual comments:

“Desigual is delighted to partner with Women in Travel Retail for the first-of-its-kind WiTR desktop calendar. As one of the leading female-focused fashion brands in the industry, we pursue a mission to ‘Make Women in Travel Retail Happy'; be that travellers or industry executives. Working on this project with so many dynamic and inspiring women of the industry was amazing fun and the energy, passion and commitment of the models is truly reflected in the end product. The 2018 calendar is for a great cause, so I'd encourage as many people – women or men – to purchase a calendar for themselves or as a gift, and help support WiTR’s 2018 selected charity.“

The calendar is available for purchase on WiTR’s new website www.womenintr.com and costs £15, easily payable in any currency through PayPal.

“The final decision on WiTR’s charity for 2018 is yet to be taken, but sales of this calendar will give a brilliant kick start to WiTR’s fundraising activities in 2018.  We are very grateful to Desigual for its continuing support of the WiTR network,” says Gerry Munday (Furla), WiTR’s Vice Chair.

“WiTR’s new website, designed by FILTR, was launched earlier this week and has immediately generated considerable interest; we already have  paid up members from eight countries and two corporate sponsors – Shiseido Travel Retail and Dufry.  This is a brilliant start and we urge all women in the travel retail industry to join (membership is only £25), and to buy a calendar,” adds Sarah Branquinho (Dufry), Chair of WiTR.

WiTR’s next meeting will be held during MEADFA in Dubai (January 28 – 30), kindly sponsored by JTI. 

Dubai passengers step out of this world with Mazaya

October 2017 saw premium shisha tobacco producer Mazaya give travellers the chance to relax, rewind and recharge at two locations as they made their way through Concourse A Departures at Dubai International Airport.

The “Step Out of this World with Mazaya” promotion, created by Outspoken Projects in conjunction with JC Decaux, created an oasis of calm where passengers were invited to step out of the busy airport hustle and bustle and experience a moment of sensory relaxation with Mazaya, Massage chairs provided an opportunity for travellers to relax whilst listening to soothing and calming music through headphones. At the same time, charging points enabled participants to ‘re-juice’ their devices.

Travellers were attracted to the vibrant and colourful Mazaya locations which included soft grass and stone effect carpet. Each area also used small mini mist vaporiser scent machines with aromas including blueberry, apple, orange and mint to create a multi-sensory experience that linked directly to Mazaya tobacco flavours.

Brand ambassadors present assisted the passengers with their complimentary massage as well as communicating core brand information around the Mazaya product range.

To bring in a digital element, those taking part were encouraged to take souvenir photos and share their experience on Instagram, Twitter and to ‘like’ the Mazaya Arabia Facebook page; in return they received a special branded Mazaya Bluetooth speaker or Duffle bag.

Mazaya Brand Manager Rawan Elayan commented: “This was a perfect activation aimed at touching the consumer before they reached the Dubai Duty Free retail outlets. We engaged with over 2000 passengers during the promotional period, enabling us to present the Mazaya brand  and highlight the incredible range of flavours available through a very relevant experience.

“It’s so important to communicate with passengers, not just in the duty free retail area, but at other touchpoints during their journey and this was a perfect example of how successful that can be. As a direct result we have seen an increase in sales between September and October of 16%, while compared to October last year sales are up 17%. Of course, it’s also about raising brand awareness which will reflect on domestic sales not just in Dubai but globally where Mazaya is listed.”

About Mazaya

The Mazaya brand was launched in 2010 by the fast-growing Jordanian tobacco company Alzawrae. Through Mazaya, Alzawrae aims at revolutionizing the production of tobacco-molasses, presenting to their customers a diverse and innovative selection of high quality products, distinguished by their unique ingredients that include pure honey, natural food grade flavours and premium quality French tobacco.

Pioneers in the production and supply of high-end tobacco-molasses and innovators in hookah technology to international quality standards, Mazaya has expanded its presence from three markets to 30 markets in just five years and seeks to expand the base of its success globally.

Women in Travel Retail (WiTR) opens membership and announces new website

Over 500 women in the duty free and travel retail industry are now linked through WiTR which initially started some ten years ago when a small group of women met to form a female-only social network within the industry.

Over that period, WiTR has held networking sessions at most of the industry's key events, allowing women working in travel retail all over the world to exchange ideas, learn from the success of others and access opportunities through new contacts.   In addition to this, with generous contributions from many companies and individuals, the group has raised close to £250,000 for children's charities nominated by women from the industry.

In response to the network’s growth, along with increasing interest in the opportunities and challenges for women in the duty free and travel retail industry, WiTR is launching its own website and is inviting all women in the industry to become members.

The WiTR network extends across the globe and includes those entering the industry through to those at the top. The modest membership fee reflects WiTR's desire to make it affordable for all, using the fees to cover annual administrative costs. The website also offers advertising and branding opportunities. It is planned to donate any surplus income to WiTR's chosen charity each year.

The website http://www.womenintr.com developed by the founding group of women working with FILTR, which has generously sponsored its development, will launch on  Monday November 27. Members will be encouraged to contribute to enriching its content, making it a real reflection of issues and interests of the membership.

To become a member you will need a PayPal account, which you can set up easily as part of the registration process if you do not already have one.

Continuing on from its hugely popular interviews with key women in the duty free and travel retail industry last year, Desigual invited women from the WiTR network to feature in a calendar for 2018 which will be available through the website (payments by PayPal only please).

A wider led group of women has been established with a view to creating local meetings and events.

"WiTR now has a platform for growth; we hope that women in duty free and travel retail across the globe will see it as a valuable resource and 'meeting' point, and a way of reaching out and encouraging women to reach their potential as future industry leaders," say Sarah Branquinho (Dufry), Chair, and Geraldine Munday (Furla), Vice Chair.