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TFWA releases Singapore conference details
The Tax Free World Association (TFWA) has announced the speaker line-up for the 2016 TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference.
The TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference opening cocktail
In a change to the format of previous years, there will be a second plenary session in the morning, replacing the closing session at the end of the day. Both sessions carry the theme ‘Navigating through Change’.
The first plenary session, will open with a state of the industry address from TFWA president Erik Juul-Mortensen, followed by an update from Jaya Singh, president, Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA).
Author and diplomat Kishore Mahbubani, a former ambassador to the UN and now dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, will then share his understanding of the political and economic challenges facing the region. ‘Futurist’ and author Mike Walsh will conclude the session with a review of how the duty free and travel retail industry should respond in the current climate of disruptive change.
The second plenary session focuses on the experience of travel retailers, with Philippe Schaus, CEO of DFS Group, Jack MacGowan, CEO of Aer Rianta International, and Kevin Chiang, general manager, Ever Rich Duty Free addressing delegates.
Following a business networking lunch, three workshop sessions will take place simultaneously: Workshop A, Off-airport duty free: Asia Pacific’s powerhouse; Workshop B, Tracking the millennial traveller; and Workshop C: Safeguarding our industry’s future.
Workshop A will outline the exciting duty free developments that have taken place away from airports in the region, with a particular focus on downtown duty free. The importance of millennial travellers will be the subject of Workshop B, while Workshop C will examine threats to growth in the fast-changing world.
The day will conclude with an hour of afternoon networking, complete with refreshments.
For 2016, the conference and workshops will take place in a new location within Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, on Level 5. A dedicated conference app is in development, which will allow delegates to take part in real-time polls and put questions direct to the speakers.
“The new format of the conference means it offers more breadth and more depth, and even more opportunity to gain first-hand insight from some of the most high-profile figures in the business,” said Thom Rankin, TFWA vice president, conferences and research.
“A record number of exhibitors and a healthy number of delegates have already registered to join us in Singapore. This year’s exhibition and conference is definitely shaping up to be an essential diary date for anyone who has an interest in the duty free and travel retail sector within this dynamic and exciting region.”
304 exhibitors are set to take part in the trade show, which will run from 8-12 May 2016. See tfwa.com for further details.