Monday, March 10 at 9:30 a.m.: Unlocking Footfall and Conversion: The Power of Experiential Retail in Duty Free and Travel Retail
This panel session offered insight from Kate Herzig, Executive Vice President, Duty Free North America & Canada Retail Operations at Avolta; Andy Machin, Managing Director at Kounter Retail; Peter Mohn, Founder & CEO at m1nd-set; and Sammy Patel, Vice President of Commercial at Vantage Group and CEO at Midway Partnership, moderated by TRBusiness Managing Editor Faye Bartle.
Among other statistics, Mohn’s presentation revealed that 70% of duty free shoppers make their final decision in-store and are therefore highly influenceable by experiential retail. Also worth noting, price advantage is no longer the top reason that shoppers enter a store; this has been exceeded by “browsing around” as a driver at 65%.
Piggybacking off how experiential retail can be implemented (including interactive stores, event hosting and loyalty programs with experiences), Herzig discussed both the Avolta FLEX traveler experience and Club Avolta loyalty program with enthusiasm, while Machin provided a number of supporting brand examples. Speaking about permanent fixtures and displays, he assured the audience that price is not a barrier to entry when it comes to implementing the no one-size fits all concept.
Herzig also teamed up with Patel to discuss the redevelopment of JFK Airport Terminal 6 and how their companies are working to make a difference when it comes to meeting consumer expectations, promoting dwell time and providing retail and F&B visibility in an airport setting. Patel said JFK T6 has been positioned as a “forward-thinking terminal.”
Monday, March 10 at 11:00 a.m.: ASUTIL Press Conference
ASUTIL President Enrique Urioste looks forward to welcoming delegates to Lima, Peru, as the host city for ASUTIL “Nexus” Conference 2025, set to take place from June 3-6 at the Swissotel Lima. “It is an amazing country for people to see, plus we have the wonderful new airport terminal in Lima opening soon,” he noted. ASUTIL will be managing this year’s conference independently following its previous partnership with TFWA.
With only 300 spaces available, demand for the event has been unprecedented; 200 places have already been booked, leaving just 100 spots remaining.
The conference is expected to provide an exclusive setting for key industry leaders to connect, with discussions focused on the evolving duty free and travel retail landscape in Latin America. Given the high level of interest, early registration is strongly recommended.
Monday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m.: Creating a Vibrant Future
Co-organized by the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association (ARRA) and The Moodie Davitt Report, the final session of the show focused on the airport concessions market. Moderated by Dermot Davitt, President & Editorial Director at The Moodie Davitt Report, this session featured speakers Andy Weddig, Executive Director at ARRA; David Bisset, Chief Development Officer at Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail; and Judy Byrd, President & CEO at Byrd Retail Group.
Bisset noted that this is not an ideal time to launch a request for proposal (RFP) in North America, citing a mismatch between available opportunities and the capital needed to pursue them. “There are more opportunities than available capital. Paradies Lagardère passed on 40% of RFPs last year because the economics doesn’t add up,” he said. Benton agreed, pointing out that with more than 100 RFPs issued last year, responding to them is often not worth the investment.
The discussion also touched on the disconnect between airport sales and space allocation. Metrics from 2024 indicate that 60% of North American airport sales come from food and beverage, 30% from duty paid retail, and 10% from duty free, yet space allocation does not always reflect this breakdown. Panelists debated whether adjustments are needed to better align offerings with consumer demand.
Bisset highlighted the relative absence of profit-sharing and joint-venture models in North America, which have been successful in other regions. “We operate one profit-sharing contract (since 2011) at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. It’s incredibly successful, but I’m surprised that it has not become more common in the market,” he said. In 2024, two airports approached Paradies Lagardère to learn more about this model, signaling interest in moving beyond the traditional landlord-tenant approach.
With economic pressures and evolving consumer expectations, the panelists emphasized the need for new business models and strategic shifts to create a more sustainable and profitable future for airport concessions.
