A detailed look at the latest emerging trends and destinations in the region, courtesy of ForwardKeys CEO Olivier Jager. Olivier will look ahead to what the booking situation tells us about travel to the region at year-end and beginning 2019.

Spending via blockchain in the Middle East and Africa is expected to double in the coming years, according to the International Data Corporation. The database technology behind cryptocurrency bitcoin is gaining ground, driven by the need for organizations to improve efficiency, agility, security and transparency.  Blockchain is also predicted to be a weapon against counterfeit goods.

The MEADFA Conference will hear from one of the region’s experts on blockchain and bitcoin, and author of “The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking” Dr. Saifedean Ammous, Professor of Economics at the Lebanese American University and Columbia University. Prof Ammous will evaluate the potential of blockchain technology and how it will both assist and disrupt the world of retail.

The second day of the MEADFA Conference will begin with a report on the current business climate and how to succeed in the region amidst constant technological disruption and geopolitical change.  The session will hear from Beirut-based economist, journalist and broadcaster Maurice Matta on how businesses in the Levant and beyond can benefit from the rapid changes taking place in the Middle East, with regard to technological advances and new modes of consumption.

Airports across Africa are increasingly aware of the need to develop their commercial revenue, if they are to make the investment needed to improve infrastructure and to become profitable. In this session Ali Tounsi, Secretary General of ACI Africa, will explore the current climate for African airports, and discuss the steps they need to take to exploit the continent’s undoubted potential for duty free & travel retail.

The ACI outlook will be followed by a discussion featuring some of the travel retailers shaping the industry’s future in Africa, including Dufry Group Managing Director Africa Isabel Zarza, Lagardère Travel Retail COO Europe, Middle East & Africa Frédéric Chevalier and Tourvest Ground Duty Free CEO Blacky Komani.

According to the confirmed 2017 sales figures from Generation Research, the inflight market is back into growth after several years of decline. The Middle East and Africa regions are home to some of the airlines driving that growth, although familiar challenges remain – notably, how can the inflight sector provide a truly differentiated retail experience for increasingly sophisticated consumers? This session will feature insights from Middle East Airlines Director of Purchasing Mounir Seifeddine and Qatar Duty Free Vice President Thabet Musleh.