Some of the biggest names in the airline, airport, cruise retail and F&B communities, together with key executives from outside the channel, will speak at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo in September.
Archive for April, 2020
“The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo offers an exciting and innovative way to connect and unify the industry at a time when it is more important than ever before,” says Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail CEO Mohit Lal.
A simple 45-minute operation can transform the life of a cleft child forever. And for every exhibitor at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, we plan to fund one such operation.
“An innovative way to connect with our partners around the world… there are plenty of ways to showcase, share and connect. We are only limited by our imagination,” says Beam Suntory Global Head Of Marketing Travel Retail Ed Stening.
A perfect example of ‘adapt to survive’ – retailers applaud Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo
“We will certainly have all our teams participate. Moodie Davitt has given us a venue without risk to health and cost. Tremendous!” Read how one leading travel retailer has reacted to the first-ever Travel Retail Virtual Expo.
ARI becomes the latest major player to join a powerful line-up of travel retailers set to visit the first-ever Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, to be held in September (with a 30-day follow-up showcase running into October).
INTERNATIONAL. The Moodie Davitt Report has appointed Singapore-based integrated retail, marketing and design agency FILTR as its Virtual Stand & Experience Partner for the inaugural Moodie Davitt Travel Retail Expo, to be held in September and October.
FILTR, which already works with a range of brands across global travel retail, will provide an Account Manager for every exhibitor.
The agency will help guide brands and other exhibitors through all the technical requirements and ensure that their Virtual Experience Stands are curated to a high standard. FILTR will also provide a full press centre service at the expo to ensure maximum visibility worldwide for exhibitors.
In response to overwhelmingly positive exhibitor feedback, the ‘live’ component of the Expo has now been extended to three days (currently set for 9-11 September but adjustable in light of an evolving COVID-19 situation), followed by a 30-day Online Amplification period when all Virtual Experience Stands will remain online 24 hours per day.
Delegates to the event will still be able to access material and downloads during the Online Amplification period and exhibitors can continue to receive visitor analytics across the entire period. A full analytics report will be prepared for each exhibitor at the end of the Expo to allow them to evaluate their ROI.
As reported, travel retail’s first Virtual Expo will allow retailer and airport delegates from all over the world to visit exhibitors – offering an unrivalled level of direct buyer & airport contact. Crucially, attendance for retailers, buyers and airport executives is free.
A retailer or airport executive in, say, Auckland, New Zealand or in Anchorage, Alaska can visit the show from their desktop with no cost of travel, hotels and entertainment and no loss of time from the office.
Buyers can enter closed chat rooms with suppliers; view new launches and existing products in brochure, video and pictorial form; and much more besides in a controlled private business format.
No new or complicated software is required to participate – buyers simply need to register free of charge and have access to the internet.
As reported, many of the world’s leading travel retailers have already committed to sending their full management and buying teams. They include China Duty Free Group, Dubai Duty Free, King Power Group (HK), King Power International (Thailand), King Power Traveler, Ontario International Airport (California), Qatar Duty Free, Shenzhen Duty Free and 3Sixty Duty Free.
Alongside some confirmed exhibitors such as SEVA Group and William Grant & Sons, The Moodie Davitt Report is in discussions with many more – places are limited so early booking is advised.
Accessible pricing that recognises difficult times
Three Virtual Stand & Experience options are available to suit various budgets*, in a pricing structure that very much reflects the difficult times in which the industry finds itself. Pricing tiers are differentiated by location and size of Virtual Experience Stands.
A presentation pack will be available from 10 April.
Each exhibitor will receive complimentary advertising in the official Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo Guide as well as maximised publicity through The Moodie Davitt Report and official media partners, which to date include Chinese WeChat B2C platform Globuy, Vane Media of the US, and Travel Markets Insider. Travel retail’s leading filmmaker, Peter Marshall of Marshall Arts and TRUnblocked, will be providing bespoke services to those seeking additional video collateral for the Expo at a special exhibitors’ rate.
Note: Registration for the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo opens on 15 April. A preliminary information pack is available from 10 April. To pre-register your interest in advance as either a delegate or as a potential exhibitor, please contact Gemma Aldridge at Gemma@moodiedavittreport.com and/or Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com
INTERNATIONAL. Some of the world’s leading travel retailers have committed to attending the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo to be held on September 10-11. They include China Duty Free Group, Dubai Duty Free, King Power Group (HK), King Power International (Thailand), King Power Traveler, Ontario International Airport (California), Qatar Duty Free, and Shenzhen Duty Free with others set to be announced in coming days.
ARI CEO Ray Hernan also expressed “keen interest” in the event in September, saying it would be “timely and relevant”.
Additionally, two brand companies have already agreed to exhibit – SEVA Group, the fast-expanding travel retail distribution group and border shop retailer with operations in Panama, Sydney, Dubai and Croatia: and Glenfiddich-to-Hendrick’s independent brand owner William Grant & Sons.
Many other brands have contacted us today to find out more while South American duty free association ASUTIL has also taken up the offer of a complimentary promotional area (The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo will intensively promote the critical work, role and physical events of trade associations such as ACI, ASUTIL, APTRA, TFWA and others to help rejuvenate the sector).
As announced last Friday, travel retail’s first Virtual Expo will also embrace the 2020 Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards, previously scheduled for 2-3 September in Istanbul. And it will integrate the inaugural Sightlines Airport Advertising & Communications Awards & Workshop.
Retailer and airport delegates from all over the world will be able to visit exhibitors; enter a private chat room with them; view new launches and existing products in brochure, video and pictorial form; and much more besides in a private business format. All exhibitors will receive a full ROI analytics and lead report detailing all attendees who visited their virtual stand. An auditorium will host the award ceremonies and conference presentations for each sector, all themed around the theme of ‘The Road to Recovery: How the new industry landscape needs to look”
Crucially, delegate attendance will be free to airports, retailers and other commercial service providers, and brands, thus ensuring that these key sectors of the travel retail community can get together without having to leave their desks.
Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin told The Moodie Davitt Report: “I was pleased to learn that The Moodie Davitt Report is planning to launch a Virtual Retail Expo in September. I think this idea is unique, and will help to unify the duty free industry.
“I look forward to it and advise that the Dubai Duty Free Management team including our Purchasing team will be in full (far off) attendance.”
“The free, virtual model means that a retailer, say, from Dunedin Airport in the far south of New Zealand or an executive from Anchorage Airport in Alaska, can attend without spending a single cent on flights, accommodation or meals in a highly time-efficient manner from the security of their own office space.” – Martin Moodie
China Duty Free Group President Charles Chen also told The Moodie Davitt Report via WeChat that he and his full team would attend.
King Power Group (HK) Managing Director and Chief Merchandising Officer of King Power International (Thailand) Antares Cheng commented, “It is a very nice idea. We will bring the whole Hong Kong and Thailand teams to ‘see you’ at the event.” King Power Group (Hong Kong) Group Chief Executive Officer Sunil Tuli added: “I will be bringing a team of at least five or six buyers with me.”
King Power Traveler President Rakhita Jayawardena, the first travel retailer to confirm attendance, said that the virtual and cost-free format was ideal for the hard-pressed inflight retail sector and said he would be participating along with “four or five of his team”.
Thabet Musleh, Vice President Operations of Qatar Duty Free, whose parent company Qatar Airways has performed so impressively during the crisis*, said, “I think it’s a brilliant idea. For FAB, for example, I can usually only afford to bring along two people, now I can bring the whole team.”
Ontario International Airport Chief Commercial OfficerDan Cappell said, “We will have a minimum of ten from my team with you at the event.”
About The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo
Several media titles have also signed as official Media Partners. They include Globuy, “the KOL of Chinese travel retail”, which has a monthly audience of 1 million views for its WeChat social media platform promoting new launches, product availability, promotions, and special offers. Globuy will work with The Moodie Davitt Report to ensure maximum brand visibility in China to Virtual Expo exhibitors.
Others are Lois Pasternak’s Travel Markets Insider, an invaluable and trusted information source for travel retail in the Americas; and Vane Media, Cristina Alcivar’s innovative North American media house which focuses on airport wellbeing services (from spas to therapy dogs) and will give particular coverage to exhibitors from the wellbeing space.
The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said: “We’re delighted with the early response to our inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo. As with any trade show, buyer participation is critical. With our event, attendance is free to airports, retailers and other commercial service providers, thus ensuring that these key sectors of the travel retail community can get together without having to leave their desks. This means that a retailer, say, from Dunedin Airport in the far south of New Zealand, or an executive from Anchorage Airport in Alaska, can attend without spending a single cent on flights, accommodation or meals in a highly time-efficient manner from the safety of their own office space.
“Given that unique model and the strong interest expressed by some of the world’s leading travel retailers, exhibitors can feel confident that their participation will be rewarded with strong global interest from buyers and senior management teams.”
The Moodie Davitt team is now ‘building’ the show, talking to potential exhibitors about their needs to ensure appropriate pricing, quality merchandising and a curated approach to each company’s products and positioning.
A full schedule, exhibition floorplan and programme are currently being finalised. In the meantime please contact Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to register your interest or for any inquiries.
*Note: Qatar Airways, which has performed so impressively during the crisis – actually stepping up flight activity in its mission to “get people home” as many other carriers have sharply reduced operations – has just announced an important boost to its loyalty programme, Privilege Club.
The airline said it will further honour the loyalty of its members by extending or reinstating their tier status for 12 months, for memberships due to expire before 31 January 2021. Members can retain their current tier benefits such as upgrades, Shop & Pay with Qmiles, extra baggage, lounge access, and more, for 12 months.