News

INTERNATIONAL. Three more senior travel retail executives, from 3Sixty Duty Free, Gebr Heinemann and King Power International Co (Thailand) are in with a chance to win US$1 million or a luxury car following the latest Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo prize draws in association with Dubai Duty Free.

Melica Monti, Director of Fragrance & Cosmetics at 3Sixty Duty Free, has won a ticket for the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw and could now capture the US$1 million prize.

Gebr Heinemann Head of Buying Wine, Sparkling Wine & Champagne, Beer & Soft Drinks Sven Thiele goes into the Finest Surprise draw with the opportunity of winning a luxury car.

As one of our recent winners has left their company, and cannot take their place in the draw, this week we are awarding a third ticket to one of our Virtual Expo retailer delegates. King Power International Senior Officer, Merchandising Kingkanok Pipatsomran was randomly chosen and now goes forward to Dubai Duty Free’s next Finest Surprise prize draw.

With less than three weeks to go until the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, there is still time for retailers and airports to register for free, and be in with a chance of winning US$1 million or a luxury car courtesy of Dubai Duty Free

Dubai Duty Free, the world’s biggest single airport travel retail business, is offering registered Expo visitors multiple opportunities to win grand prizes in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws. As reported, all registered retailers, buyers and airport executives will have the chance to win a ticket for the two immensely popular draws every Friday between now and the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, which is due to commence on 12 October.

To register and qualify for each prize draw in the run-up to the event, please click here.

Our weekly draws are conducted through an online random name generator. In the event of any individual winning an ultimate grand prize, it can be donated to charity if a company policy precludes accepting individual benefits.

Over the past 20 years, the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire promotion has changed the lives of 332 winners and their families. Seven lucky individual winners have won twice. The Finest Surprise Promotion is now in its 30th year, making it the longest-running duty free promotion in the world.

The SEVA Group – one of just three Diamond Partners at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo (12-16 October) alongside China Duty Free Group and Qatar Duty Free – is leveraging the event to make an emphatic statement about its heady ambitions in the channel.

In a compelling interview with Martin Moodie to be published in coming days, Founder & Chairman Severino Pušić spells out those ambitions, while today we present a sneak preview of the group’s presence at the event and meet The SEVA Group Virtual Travel Retail Expo team.

Here’s a taster of the Severino Pušić interview:

Martin Moodie: Severino, for those in travel retail who don’t know you or your company, they might have been surprised to see The SEVA Group up there as a Diamond Partner alongside industry heavyweights China Duty Free Group and Qatar Duty Free at the inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo. That is quite some statement. They might be a little less surprised, of course, when they read that your intention is to be an industry top 20 retailer within five years. That’s a lofty ambition. How serious are you about it?

Severino Pušić: “I think you know us as a group long enough and well enough to know that we always are serious about our intentions. To have a vision, an idea and a goal is one thing but achieving it is another. There are many things that have to pull in the right place at the right time to achieve something. But, yes, we are ambitious and very serious.”

In the interview, Pušić talks about the values and the people that drive the business. Today The SEVA Group embraces travel retail (supply, distribution and retail), local market distribution and real estate. Founded in 1997 from origins as a liquor and tobacco wholesaler in the Balkans, The SEVA Group has emerged as a powerful international force, with operations in Panama, Australia and Dubai, and a global distribution centre in Croatia.

Its first duty free store, which opened in 2018 in Metković, on the Croatian road border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, is one of many planned through both organic growth and acquisitions.

The SEVA Group is also a brand owner, producing 200,000 cases of fine wine per year through the Rubis winery in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also has the exclusive distribution rights to Samsonite brands in Middle East travel retail through specialist subsidiary Organico Travel Retail (Organico Solutions), led by The SEVA Group IMEA Managing Director Roger Jackson.

[The SEVA Group invites delegates to the Virtual Travel Retail Expo to visit the Rubis winery, virtually of course]

SEVA IBP Managing Director Laura Klingeman

The Moodie Davitt Report: We have seen SEVA IBP growing strongly in the last few years. Tell us about the business and the strategy that has driven this success.

SEVA IBP was established to offer brand owners the best possible route to market for their products and to deliver solid execution at the point of purchase.

Laura Klingeman: We operate every day with a commitment to creating value for brand owners, shoppers and retailers

We are true to The SEVA Group values of partnership and trust, and it’s this way of working that really has driven the growth. Fundamentally we operate every day with a commitment to creating value for brand owners, shoppers and retailers.

Most recently that value has come from a real back to basics approach, stripping out complexity and being ultra-responsive to the rapidly changing demands of each of these groups, and of course innovating were needed.

What are you most looking forward to at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo?

After such a prolonged period of instability, our priority is to connect and support, in order to build the much-needed momentum for the recovery period we are now in.

We are excited to see the elements of travel retail that have at times been overlooked recently. For example, beautiful brand plans, engaging innovation and a raft of new ideas that will accelerate us all into the next generation of travel retail.

Organico Travel Retail General Manager Natalie Jackson

Natalie Jackson: Massive commitment and unwavering belief in the future of travel retail

As the creative lead on the Virtual Expo, tell us about The SEVA Group’s commitment to travel retail. What drives this?

Consumers have shifted their behaviour in so many ways during the last seven months, but the key trends we have observed only cement our belief that travel retail is a critical platform for brands to engage and excite shoppers.

We will of course, all need to innovate to make this a continued reality, and for Organico and The SEVA Group, part of this innovation is showing just how disruptive we can be in the virtual world with our trade show presence.

What is your major focus at the event? 

Primarily to show our massive commitment and unwavering belief in the future of travel retail.

We know brand owners are considering how they operate in our new reality so, for me, really demonstrating how we have got the tools and capability to build brands and create meaningful and sustainable value is essential.

For sure, we will be sharing case studies where we have doubled revenue and share for our partners by totally re-thinking the traditional model.

We look forward to meeting brand owners and retailers alike, who are interested in our proven approach to brand building and distribution.

Vina Rubis General Manager Oliver Mandarić

Oliver Mandarić: World-class wines with a regional twist

Oliver, you are in charge of a fascinating side of The SEVA Group’s business. Tell us about the Vina Rubis winery, which has won numerous awards but might not be known to a wider travel retail audience.

The story begins with the Mandarić family in Vionica, a small Herzegovian village between Mostar and Medjugorje.

The Mandarićs have a deep history of winemaking and viticulture. Their quest for winemaking perfection was embodied in my uncle, Mate Mandarić, who founded the origial winery. Sadly Mate passed away but his dreams of creating world-class wines with a regional twist lived on.

In 2014, The SEVA Group took ownership of the winery, appointing me as a key part of the leadership team, to ensure that the legacy and craft of my uncle was preserved. They brought a passion for innovation and huge ambition to accelerate the winery into the future. They invested heavily in our equipment and supported commitment to quality, meaning we were able to take our beautiful products to a much larger audience.

Today, the winery produces some of the region’s best vintages. We use oak barrels for ageing and still have our small cellar in which the Rubis story began.

Vina Rubis is regarded as the fastest-growing premium wine in the region. What are the keys to that success?

As an authentic regional brand steeped in history, locals, visitors and international consumers enjoy our crafted products.

We work tirelessly to deliver superlative production standards, owning every step of the wine making process. We blend traditional methods and state-of-the-art technology; we own the vineyards, grapes and winery and literally leave nothing to chance. We are meticulous in our pursuit of excellence every day.

SEVA Travel Retail General Manager Nikolas Brkić

Nikolas Brkić: The real success of the store is how we retail and service the customers

The SEVA Group moved into direct retail in 2018 and has made a big impact within the travel retail industry as a result. What are the key factors behind that success? 

We have a great location on the border of Croatia, close to a UNESCO World Heritage site. This area has massively accelerated its popularity with tourists from across the globe.

However, location is only one part. The real success of the store is how we retail and service the customers. And that includes curated ranges of international and local products, expertly merchandised. Everything we do is centred on world-class customer service and ease of shop.

What’s next for SEVA Travel Retail?

Expansion is the next logical step for our business. We believe the team has built significant capability in this area and this concept is now ready to be rolled out to more locations.

As we expand our footprint, we are really keen to partner with more brand owners as we know every location will have its unique requirements – we intend to use the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo to catalyse new relationships.

QATAR.  Entries have closed for The QDF Factor, an unprecedented initiative to encourage and champion creativity at a time when travel retail needs it most, having attracted a diverse and compelling array of entries.

As reported, The QDF Factor is the brainchild of Qatar Duty Free (QDF) and The Moodie Davitt Report. It is a competition open to all brands and concepts, both within or outside the travel retail channel. It offers a top prize of a complimentary six-month listing and high-profile promotion at Qatar Duty Free’s award-winning retail offer in Hamad International Airport, Doha.

The victor will also win a six-month US$50,000 multi-media advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report, including an eZine dedicated solely to the winning entry/entries and other high-profile visibility spots.

Qatar Duty Free Vice President Operations Thabet Musleh said: “I am delighted to announce that The QDF Factor entry submission is now closed and that we have been overwhelmed and humbled by the number and breadth of entries from brands across all categories, including both travel retail and non-travel retail brands.

“We will review the submissions and announce the ten shortlisted entries in our Qatar Duty Free Diamond Suite at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo on Monday 12 October. The quality of entries has been very high so it will be a tough process!

“We wish all entrants the very best of luck and I take this opportunity to thank you all for participating.”

The ten finalists will be revealed on Monday 12 October by Qatar Duty Free at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, where Qatar Duty Free is a Diamond Partner. The winner will be named in an online ceremony on Friday 16 October.

Musleh will judge the awards along with senior members of his team, with assistance from The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie.

[The Qatar Duty Free and Hamad International Airport communications team put this short Instagram clip together to capture Thabet Musleh giving Martin Moodie a sneak preview of the new-look Qatar Duty Free offer in the South Node of Hamad International Airport late last month]

Judgement time awaits: Thabet Musleh and Martin Moodie, pictured in the Harrods Tea Room at Hamad International Airport, assess some of the early entries

Entries are being assessed on a series of qualitative criteria, including:

• Innovation: What does this product or concept offer that is unique, makes it stand out from its competitors, and creates a talking point for retailer and consumer alike? What is its USP?
• CSR – what additional social credentials does your product offer?
• Presentation:  What is compelling about the packaging? What makes it stand out on shelf?
• Commercial viability: Who is your product targeted at? What makes it a winner? What is your pricing policy and (going forward) marketing approach?
• Overall quality: Tell us about the R&D that went into your product, the quality of its ingredients/components etc.

Qatar Duty Free may award more than one prize if sufficiently impressed (The Moodie Davitt Report will match any additional prizes with further advertising).

Qatar Duty Free is a Diamond Partner at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo

INTERNATIONAL. In what will certainly rank as the most enduring success of the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, the event will transform the lives of around 120 children and their families by helping to fund the work of international cleft charity Smile Train.

As reported, The Moodie Davitt Report is to fund a cleft operation through Smile Train for every registered exhibitor at the pioneering event.

Smile Train has supported over 1.5 million cleft surgeries since 1999. Every five minutes Smile Train-supported cleft treatment helps a child in need. Some 200,000 babies are born every year with cleft lips and/or palates. US$250 funds the cost of the 45-minute cleft surgery that transforms the life of a child – and that of his or her family.

“Though we may not be able to travel right now because of COVID-19, this virtual event proves that we can all still come together to do some real good for children in need around the world,” said Smile Train President & CEO Susannah Schaefer.

“All of us at Smile Train are thrilled and honored to be partnering with The Moodie Davitt Report on the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, and I want to send my personal thanks to Martin Moodie for his special dedication to changing the world one smile at a time, now and always.”

To mark the partnership with the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, Smile Train produced the following vivid portray of its work and how it has changed the lives of so many around the world.

Smile Train: The Investment of a Lifetime

How do you define a good investment? Is it one that pays for itself or doubles in value in a short time? What if there was an investment that paid for itself 170 times over, saved children’s lives, and yielded higher returns the more people invested in it? It might seem too good to be true, but it’s real. And like so many other revolutionary discoveries, this investment was born when one intrepid individual realised that a traditional model was inefficient, unsustainable, and sometimes even destructive.

The late Charles B. Wang founded an organisation that would change the course of over 1.5 million young lives in ensuing years

That intrepid individual was the late New York-based tech entrepreneur Charles B. Wang. His revelation came while serving on the board of a US charity known for flying American doctors on medical missions to perform cleft surgeries in developing countries.

Wang had no experience with clefts or cleft charities before joining their board, and when he traveled to see the organisation’s work in the field, he was left standing slack-jawed at the sight of babies who had been on the brink of starving to death, children who had spent their lives sick, shunned, and rejected — sometimes even by their own families — leaving the mission tent less than an hour later filled with hope and wearing smiles warm as the tears flowing down their mothers’ cheeks.

A scene from rural Vietnam, where Charles Wang realised a different business model was needed to ensure that any child with a cleft could receive treatment

The faces that stuck with him most, however, belonged to the children who never made it to the tent. After the mission packed up at the end of the week and began to drive away, Wang looked out his window and gasped to find children with untreated clefts desperately chasing after their van.

The medical volunteers explained that of the 600 or so children who came to the tent seeking treatment each mission, they typically only had time to care for about 150 of them; these children had simply come too late. Wang found this unacceptable, and those terrified children running after the van like their very lives and futures depended on it haunted him for days and weeks afterward.

Ever the entrepreneur, he was determined to find a better way. One that was sustainable, that built up — rather than ignored — local healthcare systems and helped children when the time was right for them, not foreign doctors. One that, most of all, understood that every child with a cleft, even those at the back of the line, was worth the investment.

Local doctors all around the world have developed cleft expertise thanks to the support, training and funding of Smile Train

He found the solution in the ancient wisdom of Confucius: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Through this adage, Wang understood that empowering local healthcare professionals with training and the latest technology, then providing those trained with opportunities to, in turn, train others, would make high-quality cleft care possible all over the world 365 days a year while also building up local medical systems.

He called it the ‘teach a man to fish model’ and pitched it as a pilot programme to the mission organisation. After some back-and-forth, they rejected it. But Wang believed in his idea and didn’t get to where he was in life by not taking risks on ideas he believed in. He promptly resigned from the board of that organisation and founded one of his own. He called it Smile Train.

First Stop: China

Wang Li, Smile Train’s first patient, pictured at nine years old. Her life of shame and harassment was about to be changed forever.

Meanwhile, over 7,000 miles away in Nanjing, a nine-year-old girl named Wang Li was living in despair. Born with a cleft, she spent most of her childhood confined to her bedroom, the one place on earth she felt safe, where no one gawked at or harassed her. The abuse was so bad she couldn’t even go to school.

Her parents were desperate to help but could barely afford to put food on the table, let alone pay for the surgery she needed. Then, when Wang Li was nine, a rubbish collector noticed her cleft and told her father that he had just read in the newspaper about a new organsation funding cleft surgery at a local hospital. Her father wasted no time. After a long journey to the capital district, Wang Li was approved to become Smile Train’s first patient.

An Investment Matures

Since the day in 1999 when Wang Li smiled at herself in the mirror for the first time, Smile Train’s donors have continued and furthered Wang’s investment in the potential of every child with a cleft, powering it to become the largest cleft charity on earth. In that time, Smile Train has partnered with more than 2,100 healthcare workers in 1,100+ medical centers across more than 90 countries to sponsor life-changing treatment for 1.5+ million children with clefts, more than every other NGO combined.

René had learned to live on porridge and tapioca, but he never learned to live with no-one understanding him when he spoke. Since his life-changing surgery, he wants to be a cleft surgeon like his role models at Smile Train.

Yet, of all those 1.5+ million patients, no-one demonstrates the truly transformative potential of Smile Train’s investment in local cleft care quite like René. Like so many other babies born with a cleft, René was constantly hungry and at severe risk of malnutrition. Hope seemed to come from above when a mission group landed near his small town in Ecuador offering to perform free cleft surgeries.

Thankfully, his family arrived early enough for him to receive the surgery he needed to save his life; unfortunately, however, his palate reopened shortly after the mission group flew home, creating a hole in the roof of his mouth called a fistula. Unable to eat solid foods once again, René learned to live on porridge and tapioca, but he never learned to live with no-one understanding him when he spoke. He grew frustrated and began to act out.

But all the words in the world couldn’t have prepared him for what came next. When he was three, his mother passed away from bone cancer, a tragedy made unspeakably worse when his father abandoned him and his siblings soon after, never to return. René’s seven-year-old sister, Cristina, was now forced to drop out of school to work as a nanny and a cleaner so the rest of the family could survive.

After his mother passed away when he was just three and his father abandoned the family, René was looked after by his then seven-year-old sister, Cristina, who left school to work as a nanny and cleaner to support them and their other siblings

Starting school a few years later offered René no relief — like Wang Li and countless other children with untreated clefts, he was mocked every day for the way he looked and spoke. But no matter how bad the taunting got, he refused to miss a day of school because he understood, even as first-grader, that Cristina was sacrificing her own schooling to give him a better life.

This arrangement continued for several years. Then, one day, René heard on the local news that an organisation called Smile Train was partnering with Clínica Santa Ines, a local medical group in the nearby town of Cuenca, to provide cleft surgeries and other essential cleft care services like speech therapy 100% free.

Care They Could Relate To

Unlike mission-based organisations, Smile Train’s local model allows it to train and empower local professionals, providing ongoing non-surgical forms of essential cleft care like pre-surgical nutritional support, speech therapy, orthodontics, psychosocial counseling, dental care, and more to patients in need at absolutely no cost to them. It’s a big investment, but it pays even bigger dividends.

Smile Train partner doctors Cristian and Andrea Astudillo fulfilled their promise to René that after a lifetime of struggle, the hole in his mouth would finally be healed.

For René and Cristina, this model introduced them to another brother-sister pair, Smile Train partner doctors Cristian and Andrea Astudillo. When they met René, the first thing they did was promise him that, after a lifetime of waiting and struggle, the hole in his mouth would finally, permanently, be healed.

But that was only the beginning. Because the Astudillos not only spoke René’s language but lived nearby, they were able to form a trusting relationship with him and his sister. And once they learned more about their circumstances, they arranged transportation for René to regularly travel to Cuenca for speech therapy and rallied the local medical community to ensure Cristina and René each received the nutritional and dental care that had been beyond their reach since their mother passed away.

In the years that followed, Drs. Cristian and Andrea regularly checked in with René to make sure he attended every speech session. This fretting was mostly to reassure themselves, as every time they spoke, René told them loud and clear how much he loved speech therapy and how it made him feel more confident.

René now wants to be a cleft surgeon like his role models, saying, “I know that there are many other children out there living with untreated clefts like me, and I want them to know that they are not alone and there are people out there willing to help them.”

Delivering on Dreams

This is the advantage of the ‘teach a man to fish’ model. Because Smile Train and its donors invested in local healthcare workers, they could fully invest in René, providing this orphaned boy with all the medical care and emotional attention he needed to go from struggling to stay in school or even make himself heard to believing he can become a surgeon.

Wang Li today at home with family – husband, son and mother

Flashback to 2007 when Wang Li made a surprise guest appearance at The Moodie Report/Hugo Boss Smile Train fundraiser in Hong Kong. Her speech, made shortly after guests

It paid off for Wang Li, too. Her new smile allowed her to re-enroll in school. The strange looks from others disappeared and her confidence grew. In years that followed, she found love, married, and had a son, who she named Xiao, or ‘Smile’. Her family recently moved to Hangzhou and started their own delivery business — which was soon designated the official package carrier in the area. Even now, more than two decades later, she attributes her success to the investment Smile Train made in her, the surgery that freed her to get an education, make friends, and live the life she dreamed of.

[Click on the icon to watch the remarkable story of Wang Li]

Exceptional ROI

Exceptional as Wang Li and René are as people, the numbers prove their stories are actually far from exceptional. A recent independent study quantified the economic value of global cleft surgery using patient data from Smile Train . For every US$250 invested in a single cleft surgery, the researchers found that as much as US$42,000 is put back into the local economy as former cleft patients go on to contribute to economic productivity and lead full lives in their communities — that’s nearly 170 times return on investment!

Charles passed away in the fall of 2018. He never got to see little Xiao grow up or hear René’s incredible story. But his ingenious model lives on every day in the more than 90 countries with revitalised healthcare systems, in the thousands of medical workers empowered with the latest knowledge and technology, and most of all, in the lives of more than one and a half million children around the world who now know they have what it takes to change the world, one smile at a time.
How do you define a good investment?

July 2007 and Martin Moodie meets Anji, a little boy who was about to be operated on by the Smile Train team at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India. “He had eyes as deep as the Indian sub-continent and a smile as wide as Hyderabad – especially when I suggested he would one day play cricket for India,” I wrote. Anji was due to be operated on the day after my visit but the procedure had to be delayed after the medics discovered that he had a heart condition. In August 2008, his heart issue fixed, little Anji returned for his life-changing cleft surgery. The transformation (below) was extraordinary. Maybe now he will some day play cricket for India.

[Make the investment of a lifetime. Just US$21/month is all it takes to sponsor life-changing cleft surgery for one more child every year. Visit smiletrain.org to make a gift today.]

INTERNATIONAL. The follow-up to two highly successful Trinity Initiative webinars hosted by The Moodie Davitt Report in association with Bain & Company will be held today at 9am UK time and 4pm UK time.

The earlier webinars focused on changing consumer behaviour, new shopping environments and the industry commercial model during and post the COVID-19 crisis. Since then Bain & Company and The Moodie Davitt Report have held several private discussions with a wide array of sector stakeholders in an effort to help evaluate the industry landscape of the future.

The third webinar will once again feature Mauro Anastasi, a Partner with management consultancy Bain & Company Italy and Jack MacGowan, Director at Castlepole Consulting in Ireland and former CEO of Irish state-owned Aer Rianta International. MacGowan works closely with Bain & Company.

They will be joined by UBS Head of European Transport Research Cristian Nedelcu, CFA, who will examine airport retail from the perspective of investors looking at the space – and how the market is valuing the airport retail businesses. In particular, he will address how COVID-19 and the resultant changes it has brought to the airport landscape are impacting the value that the investment community attributes to retail.

Nedelcu worked for over five years on the buy side for one of the largest European investment funds before joining UBS Equity Research six years ago, initially covering aerospace before starting coverage of European Airports and the broader transport sector.

The 75-minute event will take the theme ‘Fit for the future’?

Anastasi will address the situation the industry finds itself in, noting the sustained impact of COVID-19 and what Bain & Company sees as permanent changes to consumer behaviour.

He will explore what sector stakeholders must do (or are doing) to survive during a harsh transitionary period and plan for the long term.

Anastasi will underline that it is imperative to adopt a long-term strategy adapted for new long-term behaviours

He will address specific issues, including:

1. Travel Retailers: Addressing new long-term consumer behaviour
2. Airports: How are they approaching the contract issue?

 Jack MacGowan will explore the merits and realities of concession contracts vs other models e.g. management contracts.

Audience members will be able to participate in Live Chat with the presenters.

To register for the 9am UK time webinar, click here.

To register for the 4pm UK time webinar click here.

Anastasi and MacGowan will present their conclusion to The Trinity Initiative in the Knowledge Hub sessions at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo in October.

INTERNATIONAL. Two more senior travel retail executives, one each from Tallink Duty Free and DFS Group, are in with a chance to win US$1 million or a luxury car following the latest Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo prize draws in association with Dubai Duty Free.

Eve Purge, Head of Purchasing Department at Tallink Duty Free, has won a ticket for the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw and could now capture the US$1 million prize.

DFS Group Director of Global Merchandising, Spirits, Wine, Tobacco, Food & Gifts, Lina Chan goes into the Finest Surprise draw with the opportunity of winning a luxury car.

Dubai Duty Free, the world’s biggest single airport travel retail business, is offering registered Expo visitors multiple opportunities to win grand prizes in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws. As reported, all registered retailers, buyers and airport executives will have the chance to win a ticket for the two immensely popular draws every Friday between now and the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, which begins on 12 October.

With under one month to go until the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, there is still time for retailers and airports to register for free, and be in with a chance of winning US$1 million or a luxury car courtesy of Dubai Duty Free

Both of our weekly draws are conducted through an online random name generator. In the event of any individual winning an ultimate grand prize, it can be donated to charity if a company policy precludes accepting individual benefits.

All registered retailers, buyers and airport executives have the chance to win a ticket for the two immensely popular draws every Friday between now and the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, which is due to commence on 12 October. A final celebratory draw will be held at the Expo.

To register for The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo (12-16 October) and qualify for each prize draw in the run-up to the event, please click here.

Over the past 20 years, the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire promotion has changed the lives of 332 winners and their families. Seven lucky individual winners have won twice. The Finest Surprise Promotion is now in its 30th year, making it the longest-running duty free promotion in the world.

What’s your passcode
How do you treat your mama
Does your ex give you drama
Things that I gotta know
How many past hoes?
Do you believe in karma
What colour is your aura
Things that I gotta know
Did you lie? If you say no
You’re a liar, you could go
I need honesty, transparency
No sugarcoats — Passcode, Jannine Weigel

‘Passcode,’ the eagerly awaited debut single of Thai-German artist Jannine Weigel launched this evening on the new RedRecords Label — a joint venture between AirAsia and Universal Music Group — is to be the official song of the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo in October.

The release 7pm Malaysia time is a landmark moment as RedRecords sets about its mission to showcase ASEAN musical talent and give rising Asian pop-stars a global platform. Jannine Weigel is the record label’s first signed talent. RedRecords has also partnered with American label Def Jam Recordings to release Passcode in the US market.

What’s your Passcode?: Passcode is the official song of The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo

The Moodie Davitt Report works closely with AirAsia.com whose CEO Karen Chan is presenting on day 1 in the Knowledge Hub at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.

Passcode will be played at the start of every day’s programme and intermittently throughout the week-long event.

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said: “What more exhilarating way to celebrate such a pioneering digital event as the Virtual Travel Retail Expo – where every delegate has an individual log-in passcode – than to partner with AirAsia, a renowned travel retail stakeholder, in joining in the buzz around this brilliant new single?”

Top of the Charts: Passcode is available on Spotify. It was produced by RedRecords, a joint venture between AirAsia and Universal Music Group.

To mark the single’s launch and the partnership with The Moodie Davitt Report, AirAsia is offering Virtual Expo delegates some fantastic flight prizes (details to be announced soon). Each visitor to the Expo will have their own individual log-in passcode so, appropriately given the name of the new song, prizes will be based on a lucky draw each day from those delegate details.

RedRecords CEO Hassan Choudhury said: “We’re so excited about the launch of Jannine Weigel’s new single Passcode – a landmark moment for RedRecords and for AirAsia. And we’re delighted to partner with and support such an innovative new concept as the Virtual Travel Retail Expo – a retail world that we also know very well through AirAsia Shop.”

RedRecords CEO Hassan Choudhury said that Jannine Weigel was “the obvious choice” for the label’s first artist singing

INTERNATIONAL. Leading maritime travel retailers Harding Retail and Starboard Cruise Services have joined the exhibitor line-up for the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, boosting the presence and profile of the cruise sector at an important time for the channel.

They will take their place alongside over 120 other partners across a range of categories and channels at the pioneering event next month (12-16 October).

Anticipation is building ahead of the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, with the recovery of the cruise sector an important theme, and with the two leading global cruise concessionaires taking exhibition space

Harding Managing Director James Prescott (left) said: “We’re thrilled and excited to be part of the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo. We’ve all been too long locked away licking our wounds, so this chance to come back out into the light and engage as an industry is absolutely fantastic.

“The opportunity to show and share what we’ve been up to, and talk about the wider cruise sector is incredibly welcome. We’ll be using the platform to raise awareness about cruise as a whole and also see it as an ideal medium to thank our partners for their continued support.

“What you will see from Harding in the coming weeks will be very exciting and a real surprise. I’d like to thank Martin, Dermot, and the wider Moodie Davitt Report team and their partners for enabling us to take part.”

Starboard Cruise Services Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Kauffman (right) said: “We’re looking forward to participating in the Moodie Davitt virtual trade show as an exhibitor. Our two companies, Starboard Cruise Services and Onboard Media, will have the opportunity to introduce our strengths and capabilities to a global audience of potential partners and customers with the innovative and high production quality digital showcase concept.”

The profile of the cruise sector will be further boosted by a special session at the Virtual Expo Knowledge Hub dedicated to the recovery of the channel. It will take place on 13 October and will feature James Prescott, alongside Starboard CEO Lisa Bauer and MSC Cruises Head of Retail Adrian Pittaway.

Click here for more on that session, the Knowledge Hub and the wider event.

INTERNATIONAL. As excitement builds around the upcoming inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo (12-16 October), UK-based independent Out of Home specialist The Talon Group and its international division Plexus are offering a remarkable US$250,000 free airport media space to one business partner that visits its Expo booth.

In addition, the client will benefit from free creative services from Talon’s specialist digital OOH creative agency Grand Visual.

#sendinglove: Talon Group underlined the power of OOH messaging in Times Square, New York, during the pandemic

The company – which will take its place in the Omnichannel/Travel Retail Services hall in the Exhibition Hub – is hosting partners and showing its flagship presentation ‘Effectively engaging with the connected traveller during the new consumer journey’.

The opportunity to win the services will be open to any company that believes it would benefit from a multi-market airport campaign. Potential winners can visit the booth and answer some questions based on the group’s presentation, to be entered into a draw.

Eye-catching campaigns for Oakley and Estée Lauder in the travel space; Talon and its Plexus international division will be promoting their services at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo

Managing Partner Adrian Skelton said: “The huge amount of customer data available combined with the amazing digital OOH assets at airports means there hasn’t been a better time to be smarter in how you engage consumers. Through smarter media planning and creativity we are able to say the right thing, at the right time, to the right people. The importance of this approach will be our main focus at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.”

*For a full interview and a profile of The Talon Group, see the latest edition of The Sight Lines eZine, which appeared last week.

Specialist drinks company Duty Free Global (DFG) has been appointed to represent Indian cream liqueur brand House of Somrus in global travel retail. Duty Free Global will be introducing the brand at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo in October, where it will be exhibiting in #Virtual Stand WS-P1.

House of Somrus offers a range of Indian-inspired cream liqueurs. These are made with dairy cream and five-times distilled hand-crafted rum. Its range is low ABV,  preservative-free, gluten-free and is made with no artificial flavours.

The House of Somrus portfolio is comprised of the Coffee, Mango and Kulfi flavours. Coffee was inspired by ‘Kaapi,’ a popular filter coffee in South India. It is made with an artisanal blend of Arabica coffee and roasted chicory.

Mango takes inspiration from the Mango Lassi and the Indian Aamrus milkshake. It is crafted with a blend of fresh Alphonso mangoes, dairy cream and rum. Kulfi was based on popular Indian desserts from Kulfi and Ras Malai and offers a flavourful mixture of Eastern spices and nuts.

Somrus, which means ‘Nectar of the Gods’ in Sanskrit, is one of the world’s fastest-growing cream liqueur brands

“We’re thrilled to be representing The House of Somrus in the GTR channel – Somrus is an exciting, highly awarded brand with a super-premium look, which introduces the unique flavours of India in a delicious cream liqueur to worldwide consumers,” said Duty Free Global Founder & Commercial Director Barry Geoghegan.

“This is one of the most innovative new launches in this category almost since this category was invented in 1974,” Geoghegan added. “We are confident that our travel retail operator partners will be delighted to list and promote this superb range of product as it will appeal to a large group of passengers.

“The newest expression, Somrus Coffee, is packaged in a stunning rose gold bottle has been extremely well-received by buyers and travel retail operators. Along with the addition of a specialty Value Added Pack set that features the Coffee (750ml) with cocktail recipes, plus two 50mls bottles of the other flavours. We are both excited and eager to share more about the brand with our network at The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo in October.”

The Indian cream-liqueur brand is “one of the most innovative new launches in this category,” says DFG

The House of Somrus Director of Global Business Guy May added, “It is a privilege to be working with Barry and the DFG team on this uniquely exciting project. When I joined The House of Somrus earlier this year, it was clear that they had created a brand that is next generation and truly innovative in the category.

“Somrus’s ‘spiked rum creams’ are highly mixable with other spirits and importantly with non-alcoholic beverages — such as cold brew or coconut water — to create a lower calorie and low ABV drinking solution. The talented team at DFG are well-established to help bring our unique flavours, from a region representing a fifth of the world’s population, to the travel retail channel.”

Duty Free Global will be presenting House of Somrus at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo in #Virtual Stand WS-P1

Duty Free Global is a Platinum Partner at Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo Duty Free Global is a Platinum Partner at the Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo. The unique 5-day live event, followed by a 30-day showcase, begins on 12 October, just after the conclusion of the Chinese Golden Week holidays. It features a star-studded series of events across the five days, including a Symposium, category workshops and a new consumer research initiative. Registration is free for buyers, exhibitors and preferred media partners (Click here to register).

INTERNATIONAL. Integrated retail marketing, communications and design agency FILTR and leading Asian communications consultancy QINRIVE have jointly developed a KOL Programme that will bring a roster of Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to The Moodie Davitt Report’s inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo next month.

The programme will see influencers from across Asia, Europe, USA and Australia engage with the travel retail channel. With a collective reach of millions of consumer followers globally, the KOLs will interact and connect with brands, retailers, airports and other delegates in a pioneering consumer component of the event, taking place virtually from 12-16 October.

Leading KOL voices across travel, lifestyle and the worlds of beauty, fashion and F&B will take residence in a virtual KOL Sphere in the Experience Hub

Led by FILTR’s Communications Director James Brown, and QINRIVE CEO Ziqin (Kelly) Gao, the KOL Programme is centred around a campaign called KOL Ambassadors. The campaign helps influencers discover the latest travel retail products, services and experiences in order to inspire consumers as the world of travel recovers.

James Brown: “Virtual Travel Retail Expo exhibitors – from the biggest multi-nationals to the newest independents and start-ups – have the opportunity to reach a broad consumer audience through the KOL Programme”

Leading KOL voices across travel, lifestyle and the worlds of beauty, fashion and F&B will take residence in a virtual KOL Sphere in the Experience Hub. The KOL Ambassadors will be able to learn about the latest launches, meet with brands one-on-one and take part in product unboxing experiences remotely.

At the end of the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, the Ambassadors’ top picks will be shared through their social media channels and across The Moodie Davitt Report’s B2B and social media platforms. Coverage from exhibitors will be achieved on an earned (unpaid) basis.

[The exciting KOL Ambassadors line-up will be announced in the coming days]

FILTR Communications Director James Brown commented: “Virtual Travel Retail Expo exhibitors – from the biggest multi-nationals to the newest independents and start-ups – have the opportunity to reach a broad consumer audience through the KOL Programme.

“With so many international routes still limited or on hold, we know that KOLs have not had the chance to grace travel retail stores and explore the latest product launches and novelties. Alongside QINRIVE, we have created a channel for brands to raise awareness and build demand for their products and services in travel retail for when traveller volumes return, supporting the industry in recovery.”

Ziqin (Kelly) Gao: “It is fantastic to collaborate with KOLs from across different regions and come together in a new digital sixth continent – the Virtual Travel Retail Expo”

QINRIVE ASIA Founder and CEO, Kelly Gao, commented: “Travel retail is often referred to as the Sixth Continent, so it is fantastic to collaborate with KOLs from across different regions and come together in a new digital sixth continent – the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.

“Travellers from China and the broader Asian region are key to the recovery in travel retail and similarly KOLs from this part of the world are highly influential on the global stage. With hundreds of millions of loyal followers, they create and lead consumer trends, influence travel decisions and inspire consumers globally through various social media touchpoints across their travel journeys.”

Ms Gao added: “During the past three years, QINRIVE has worked closely with leading global brands to develop integrated communications campaigns to inspire consumers with experiential campaigns in travel retail through KOLs. But after the epidemic, we have had to think carefully about how to provide fresh inspiration for the future of influencer marketing.

“We are honoured to be a part of the new era of digital travel retail conferences and exhibitions led by The Moodie Davitt Report and FILTR, and we look forward to creating a truly memorable and historic KOL Ambassadors campaign at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.”

The KOL Programme is enhanced by The Moodie Davitt Report and the line-up of official Virtual Travel Retail preferred media partners (a wide range of fellow B2B titles, and China market B2B and B2C platforms), providing ongoing editorial and social media support.

Martin Moodie: Stretching the boundaries of trade shows

The creation of a dedicated KOL Sphere within the Expo’s Experience Hub and a KOL workshop hosted and managed by FILTR and QINRIVE will continue to shine the spotlight on this important, evolving and highly relevant marketing workstream. Further details to be announced soon.

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman, Martin Moodie, commented, “The Virtual Travel Retail Expo KOL Programme is hugely exciting. The power of digital is allowing us to innovate and stretch the boundaries of trade shows and redefine the landscape.

“FILTR and QINRIVE are top-class communications agencies, who The Moodie Davitt Report works with extensively, and we are delighted to be partnering with them both to bring KOLs to the Expo.”

About FILTR

FILTR is an integrated marketing, communications and design agency specialising in prestige global retail channels. Established in 2016, FILTR plans, creates and implements multi-faceted campaigns around the world for luxury, premium and lifestyle brands. FILTR’s core services are segmented into four areas: PR & Communications, Retail Design, Graphic & Digital Design and Retail Consultancy.

In August 2020, FILTR merged with integrated creative agency Qingwa to form a 55-person global agency network with operations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Paris and London.

About QINRIVE

QINRIVE ASIA is an independent agency that stirs up the digital times. It combines consultancy with holistic communications to provide a range of marketing solutions. With its headquarters in HK and offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen, QINRIVE ASIA aims to grow together with the travel retail industry and builds up the connections between east and west, inbound and outbound.

QINRIVE ASIA leads and champions the ‘New 4C Marketing’ methodology (creative-content-commerce-community) for digital communications. The agency dedicates itself to building the speciality of emotional marketing through influencers and content. QINRIVE was honoured as a top 100 agency of 2019 worldwide by MADCon.

Founder Ziqin (Kelly) Gao is a brand expert and business consultant with 15 years background of luxury and premium brand communication. She gained a Global EMBA from USC Marshall, and has served as Global Brand Director of AXENT and Marketing Head of Vertu in APAC.

 For more details regarding the KOL Programme, please contact James Brown at james@wefiltr.com

QATAR.

Submissions close on 15 September.

As reported, The QDF Factor is the brainchild of Qatar Duty Free (QDF) and The Moodie Davitt Report. It is a competition open to all brands and concepts, both within or outside the travel retail channel, that offers a top prize of a complimentary six-month listing and high-profile promotion at Qatar Duty Free’s award-winning retail offer in Hamad International Airport, Doha.

The victor will also win a six-month US$50,000 multi-media advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report, including an eZine dedicated solely to the winning entry/entries and other high-profile visibility spots.

Finalists will be progressive revealed, along with an extensive profile of their proposition on The Moodie Davitt Report.com, from late September.

The winner will be revealed by Qatar Duty Free at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, where Qatar Duty Free is a Diamond Partner.

Qatar Duty Free Vice President Operations Thabet Musleh will judge the awards along with senior members of his team, with assistance from The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie.

Musleh said that he is delighted with the level of interest and the quality and diversity of entries.

Entry arrangements

All product samples/mock-ups etc and related material must be received by 15 September at the following addresses:

1. Qatar Duty Free Company

• Office 401 & 408
• 4^th Floor, Qatar Airways Tower 3
• Building 133, Street 310, Zone 48
• P.O. Box 22553
• Doha, State of Qatar

Important note: For alcohol products please email Shanoof Mohamed Ali at Shanali@QatarAirways.com.qa to arrange specific delivery arrangements to Qatar and Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com for delivery to a Hong Kong address.

2. The Moodie Davitt Report Hong Kong

Address details via Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com

3. Supporting material

You must include:

• A PDF/word document answering the entry criteria above
• Photos and/or video of the product
• Please send these to qdffactor@qatarairways.com.qa; and Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com

[The Qatar Duty Free and Hamad International Airport communications team put this short Instagram clip together to capture Thabet Musleh giving Martin Moodie a sneak preview of the new-look Qatar Duty Free offer in the South Node of Hamad International Airport late last month]

Let the competition begin: Thabet Musleh and Martin Moodie, pictured in the Harrods Tea Room at Hamad International Airport, begin the exciting job of judging The QDF Factor. Entries close on 15 September.

Entrants, to be judged by Musleh, his team, and Martin Moodie, will be assessed on a series of qualitative criteria, including:

• Innovation: What does this product or concept offer that is unique, makes it stand out from its competitors, and creates a talking point for retailer and consumer alike? What is its USP?
• CSR – what additional social credentials does your product offer?
• Presentation:  What is compelling about the packaging? What makes it stand out on shelf?
• Commercial viability: Who is your product targeted at? What makes it a winner? What is your pricing policy and (going forward) marketing approach?
• Overall quality: Tell us about the R&D that went into your product, the quality of its ingredients/components etc.

Qatar Duty Free may award more than one prize if sufficiently impressed (The Moodie Davitt Report will match any additional prizes with further advertising).

Musleh said: “QDF has always worked closely with travel retail brands to create unique offers and experiences for our customers.

“Now we are really excited to provide an opportunity for all brands – no matter how big or small, with or without a presence in travel retail – to have their product in one of the top three airports in the world. We welcome all brands to participate and very much look forward to seeing really innovative concepts that will delight our customers in the post COVID-19 era.”

Qatar Duty Free is a Diamond Partner at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo

INTERNATIONAL. The Duty Free World Council (DFWC) and its member organisations will take part in the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo from 12-16 October and at the TRMarketplace online event that takes place from 28 September to 2 October.

The Council will share details of its work, while each member will present the initiatives they are working on both under the DFWC umbrella and individually, with a live link to their recent regional reports.

Member organisations include the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA), Latin American duty free association ASUTIL, the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC), the Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA), the International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS), the Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) and Tax Free World Association (TFWA).

The DFWC said it was “grateful to both organisers for making this possible”. It noted that it was “embracing the virtual model” in the absence of the platform that TFWA’s World Exhibition and Conference has traditionally provided for the Council and its regional association members to inform the industry about its advocacy work.

DFWC President Sarah Branquinho said: “We greatly appreciate the support we receive year round from all the industry trade media. We thank both The Moodie Davitt Report and TR Business for their offer to allow the Council and its members highlight the important work we have been involved in, on very many fronts, since the beginning of 2020.

“Obviously dealing with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated but there are many other initiatives impacting our industry which have also been the focus of much work this year and on which we shall communicate during both upcoming events. We look forward to a gradual return to normal for our industry and being able to communicate in more usual surroundings at all our members’ events next year.”

The Virtual Travel Retail Expo: A premium event for a premium audience

About the Virtual Travel Retail Expo

The Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo is a pioneering virtual trade show and symposium, complete with Exhibition Hub, Knowledge Hub (Symposium and Workshops) and Experience Hub (an immersive engagement zone).

As evidenced by an outstanding line-up of exhibitors, it is a premium event for a premium audience. The unique five-day ‘live’ Expo takes place on 12-16 October and is set to be the defining travel retail industry happening in 2020.

Registration is free for buyers, exhibitors and preferred media partners. Dubai Duty Free, the world’s biggest single airport travel retail business, is presenting those registered Expo visitors with multiple prospects to win grand weekly prizes in its Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws (click here to register).