TFWA CANNES PREVIEW: DIGITAL VILLAGE


Digital Village to test its credentials in second year


A Tuesday opening and technology pitch platform exemplifies changes to this year’s TFWA Digital Village, which returns to the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference for a second year running. Luke Barras-Hill reports.


I


f one thing was learned from TFWA’s Digital Village debut at last year’s World Exhibition &


Conference, it was that travel retail seems to be taking the importance of technology seriously. This year, the Digital Village goes


under the delegate microscope once again as it returns to La Gare Maritime (2-5 October), situated adjacent to the main exhibition at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. Spread over 840sq m of floorspace,


the dedicated environment allows approximately 30 exhibitors to meet leading industry decision makers and present innovative technology solutions that will hope to shape the future of their businesses; and in some cases the industry. TFWA has made a number of


improvements to the agenda in 2018. Invariably, these are designed to bring DF&TR closer to the pulsing heartbeat of digital, which for better or worse is changing every global retailing landscape. “The majority of exhibitors at the


Digital Village last year will be making a return and we have a number of new companies joining this year,” TFWA Exhibitions Director Myriem Chalabi tells TRBusiness. Aside the popular Digital Focus


Workshop (Tuesday 08:00am – 9:00am), One2One Meetings (Wednesday 09:00am onwards) and the


SEPTEMBER 2018


exhibition itself, a new Pitch Corner hosted at the TFWA Press Centre, Grand Auditorium on level one of the Palais will allow exhibitors to showcase their digital prowess to a wider audience. “As this will be located inside


the Palais itself, it will bring Digital Village exhibitors closer to the heart of the exhibition,” says Chalabi. “We are also very pleased to be inviting the media to our Digital Village press breakfast being held on the Friday morning of the exhibition.”


Information exchange Companies’ motivations


for


exhibiting typically revolve around presenting their products and services to DF&TR stakeholders, but knowledge and information exchange plays an important part in justifying exhibition investment. “I would say the overwhelming


response we received from visitors at last year’s event was one of the key motivations for attending again this year,” comments Ethos Farm Founder Sally Alington. “In fact, before last year’s event even ended we had discussions with TFWA to ensure we could exhibit again this year.” Ethos Farm says its involvement


in the first Digital Village proved invaluable as a platform to communicate its application and


The Digital Focus Workshop (pictured) will accompany new features such as Pitch Corner. Source: TFWA/ Nathalie Oundjian


TRBUSINESS 33


products to potential customers. “A good return on investment


for us would be coming away with confirmed sales as we did last year and lots of keen interest about our technologies as well as our wider business,” continues Alington. “You really are on stage at this event with the eyes of the entire travel retail industry on you and that exposure is also invaluable.” Another returning exhibitor,


DutyFreeList.com, gained some interesting takeaways last year from brands, retailers, airports and airlines that are helping grow its one platform global pre-order solution.


“The majority of exhibitors at the Digital Village last year will be making a return and we have a number of new companies joining this year.”


Myriem Chalabi, Exhibitions Director, TFWA


Above: Around 30 exhibitors will demonstrate their digital solutions across 840sq m of floorspace at La Gare Maritime. Source: TFWA


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