For all its impressive sales figures, is the Middle Eastern airport market truly a welcoming environment for premium brands? Do operators provide the right tools and the right setting for such brands to thrive?

This new section of the conference will debate these questions and more, led by two teams of debaters made up of experienced industry experts. Delegates will have the opportunity to comment and to put their points across using interactive voting tablets, making for a truly interactive and lively session.

Speakers will include Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice President Keith Hunter, Hamila Duty Free Chief Executive Officer Tarek Yassine Hamila, Luxottica Head of Global Channels Francis Gros, L’Oréal Luxe Travel Retail EMEA Giorgio Armani and Designer’s Fragrance Director Stefan Dembinski and former Chanel International Director Michel Mignot.

This workshop will present highlights of recent TFWA research on the expectations and perceptions of travellers from the BRIC nations. What does the research tell us about what these travellers want and where the current airport offer succeeds and fails? And what are the implications for Middle Eastern duty free & travel retail in particular?

New developments in technology and connectivity have the potential to raise inflight retail to a new level – with regard to marketing, customer engagement, product range and assortment display. How real are these opportunities and what can operators and brands

Featuring Inflight Service Director of Business Development John Baumgartner, GuestLogix Sales & Business Development Director EMEA Gary Mayger and and Middle  East Airlines Head of In-Flight and Catering Purchases Mounir Seifeddine.

Please note: workshops A&B run simultaneously

Matthew Brown, Managing Director of London-based retail intelligence consultancy Echochamber, explores the most exciting and original new retail developments around the world, and asks how they might translate to the travel retail market. What are the trends that will shape duty free retail in future? How will technology influence store design? And how can advances in “bricks and mortar” retail help travel retail meet the challenge from sectors such as online?

Setting the scene for two days of debate and exchange, the MEADFA Conference presents a visual review of the highlights of the year so far in the region’s travel retail industry.

Dermot Davitt, Vice Chairman and Editorial Director, The Moodie Report
Michael Barrett, Executive Officer, APTRA