Programme confirmed for TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference 2015

A fascinating programme has been confirmed for the TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference which will be staged in the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center in Singapore from 10th to 14th May 2015.

Delegates are invited to gather at the Welcoming Cocktail on Sunday 10th which will set them up for a day of plenary conference sessions and workshops followed by three days of meetings in the exhibition.

The theme of the Conference this year is ‘Staying a Step Ahead’ in reference to the fast growth of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region and the need for the duty free & travel retail industry to remain competitive and relevant.

Setting the scene on Monday 11th, the opening session will feature exclusive filmed interviews with travellers at Singapore Changi Airport, offering insights from the people who matter most.

In his state of the industry address, TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen will present the latest data on travel retail performance in Asia Pacific, and look at the role brands and brand-owners play in helping the region fulfil its potential.

Keynote addresses will be provided by two of Asia Pacific’s most respected business leaders: Liew Mun Leong, founding President and CEO of CapitaLand Group, and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Changi Airport Group; and Andrew Wu, LVMH Group President, Greater China.

Liew Mun Leong has over 40 years of experience in construction and commercial real estate, and has been instrumental in the development of Changi Airport, widely recognized as one of the best airports in the world. He is well placed to discuss the rise of Asia, and the challenges facing the region as it strives to retain its growth momentum.

Andrew Wu, meanwhile, has wide experience in the luxury goods business in Asia. As Managing Director of Parfums Christian Dior in China, he oversaw the successful establishment of the brand’s network in the country in the 1990s. After several years with Sony Entertainment Group, Wu rejoined LVMH as its group head in China, responsible for its rapid growth in Asia’s biggest marketplace.

After the opening plenary session, a choice of topical workshops will be offered:

WORKSHOP A ‘Enhancing the customer experience’ will develop consumer insights and explore ways to create a real point of differentiation in duty free & travel retail; to use new communication tools to engage travellers more effectively; and to ensure in-store promotion and presentation matches the best of the High Street.

WORKSHOP B ‘Cruise control: exploring one of Asia’s fastest-growing travel retail sectors’ will examine this market, its current progress and potential, with insights on the opportunities for operators and brands both within the new generation of cruise terminals and onboard the vessels.

WORKSHOP C ‘Competing in e-commerce’ workshop will explore how the duty free & travel retail industry can harness e-commerce and digital marketing to compete more effectively with other retail channels with an exclusive preview of a new study conducted by Counter Intelligence Retail entitled The Digital Age, offering insight into travelling shoppers’ experiences and engagement with digital media.

WORKSHOP D ‘Asia’s rising stars’ will focus on some of the markets that are generating most excitement in the Asia Pacific industry today. Underpinned by research conducted by the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association, the session will explore growth markets in the ASEAN region and in Australasia, and look at how they are changing the travel retail landscape.

Between Workshops A/B and B/C there will be an Industry Association Working Lunch for invited delegates to discuss regulatory and other issues facing the industry in Asia Pacific while most delegates will network over lunch in an adjoining room.

The Closing plenary session, ‘Competitiveness in a new world’, will focus on a world economy which is entering a new era of fragility, characterized by weaker growth, financial, monetary and price instability. Stephane Garelli, a world authority on competitiveness having pioneered this new field of economics, will give the keynote address. He is a professor at the International Institute for Management Development and at the University of Lausanne, and the founder of the World Competitiveness Center.

The TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition will be open Tuesday 12th 09.00-18.00, Wednesday 09.00-18.00 and Thursday 09.00-17.00.

The very popular ONE2ONE pre-arranged meetings service will co-ordinate appointments between key stakeholders and glamorous social occasions, including the TFWA Asia Pacific, Bar, the poolside Chill-Out Party and the Singapore Swing Party, will provide further opportunities for networking.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia