Delegates flock to TFWA show

Last week’s TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes recorded an encouraging increase in visitor and exhibitor numbers, reflecting a recovery in confidence in the travel retail sector.

The week-long duty free and travel retail show in Cannes welcomed a total of 5,868 attendees – up 9% on 2010 – while the number of companies participating also increased by 6% to 2,737.

The most significant areas of growth were in delegations from Asia at +15% and Europe +11% with +13% from Africa, +4% from the Americas and a drop of -6% from the Middle East and -12% from Oceania.

This event, running with the tagline “A Brand New World”, got off to a damp start as a host of leisure activities on Sunday 18 September were affected by heavy rain.

Regardless, delegates ploughed on with rounds of golf, jogging, hiking, beach volleyball, a perfume workshop and a wine tasting experience.

That evening at the rather windswept opening cocktail party on the terrace of the Palm Beach entertained 1,380 people.

The Asia Pacific Workshop on Wednesday 21 September focused on “Emerging Asia”.

Around 200 delegates were given a briefing on these dynamic markets by Marion Buttler, regional director Europe of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Sunil Tuli, president of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association, Peter Mohn, partner at M1nd-Set and Mathieu Vanhalst, international sales manager at the TFWA.

The Spirits Business, db’s sister magazine, held its own party on Monday 19 September, hosting producers from all around the globe.

This year’s event was, unusually, held in September, but next year will be returning to its traditional October dates, running from 21-26 October.

Before then members of the duty free and travel retail community will assemble at the MEDFA Conference on 21 and 22 November in Dubai and at TFWA Asia Pacific & Gate One2One from 13 to 17 May in Singapore.