SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
Debut Americas’ summit yields high expectations before ‘downtown’ move
The highly anticipated Duty Free & Travel Retail Summit of the Americas kicks off this month (March 18–21) in Orlando, Florida at the Orlando World Center Marriott hotel, as joint organisers ASUTIL and IAADFS look to gauge responses to a new programme.
months to make the prospect of a first show a reality [see page 29 for the full interview].
Buyers’ relaxation area One novel feature new to the event will be a temporary relaxation area for buyers, Payne reveals to TRBusiness. “There are buyers and suppliers
trying to connect and we want them to do so,” he says. Having considered various other
Above: The combined Duty Free & Travel Retail Summit of the Americas is likely to attract strong numbers to its opening cocktail (pictured here is last year's IAADFS opening cocktail).
M
uch of the build-up to this year’s inaugural Summit of the Americas
has focused on the new executive conference sessions – and for good reason. Return on investment will
ultimately be the prime motivation for exhibitors, but well-curated educational sessions are very often the reason why delegates (exhibitors, buyer and, visitors) return en masse to events of this kind. For the first time, executive conference sessions will take place on the mornings when the event begins in earnest (Monday to Wednesday), with a stellar lineup set to include Dufry CEO Julián Díaz, Carnival
“I think it is a very good opportunity to do business, network and also share information and views about the future. There are always things to improve and a lot to change for 2019, but that’s what this is about.”
José Luis Donagaray, Secretary-General, ASUTIL
26 TRBUSINESS
Cruise Lines’ Chief Operating Officer Gustavo Antorcha; Portland Design Director Environments Lewis Allen; and AOE CEO and Founder Kian T. Gould. Open to all registered attendees, sessions will cover topics such as travel retail’s digital future and Americas’ air traffic evolution, the latter courtesy of IATA and m1nd-set. The Duty Free World Council will also host a separate workshop to update the industry on various initiatives. “We have a good team of speakers
who will give us a lot of information,” ASUTIL Secretary-General José Luis Donagaray tells TRBusiness. “I think it is a very good
opportunity to do business, network and share information and views about the future.” Major buyer companies from the ASUTIL and IAADFS boards have committed to the event, with large delegations expected from the likes of Dufry and Motta Internacional. The 140-strong exhibitor list includes returning companies such as Furla, Buckley London and Haribo. IAADFS President and CEO
Michael Payne attests that both organisations have worked tremendously hard over the past 18
cities, the event will remain in Orlando for 2019 and 2020, but shift from the Marriott to a new undisclosed ‘downtown’ location. This will be close to shops, restaurants and other amenities. “When you look at the whole of
the Americas, there are two main hubs, Panama and Florida, where you have the main brands and their offices,” explains Donagaray. “If you move out of Florida, people have to travel and it’s more money.” Florida also provides good connections to Latin America and Europe. “We think it is going to be a lot
more convenient and still provide us with space for a nice exhibit hall. There will also be opportunities for more private meeting rooms that people want,” explains Payne. Donagaray adds: “The event has to be good, not just for the venue but because of the content. If you have good networking time, speakers and brands, you can do it anywhere, but better in a place that is easy to get to and not expensive.” While both associations agree that
Orlando remains the best location to host the event in the immediate term, a future move [post-2019/2020] has not been entirely ruled out. There will no doubt be plenty of fervent debate on the topic. «
MARCH 2018
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