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EUROPE. Airports Council International (ACI) Europe is to partner with the European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) to address key challenges facing the airports industry at the forthcoming ACI Europe Trading Conference & Exhibition in Malta (26-28 April).
The event is hosted by Malta International Airport and organised by ACI Europe, but this year is being delivered along with the ETRC.
ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec said: “In the contemporary landscape of the airport industry, commercial revenues have become a vital part of the business – providing passengers with a better experience and more services, while also helping maintain competitiveness and in some cases, even helping to finance expansion.
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ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec: Spirit of collaboration required to tackle key industry challenges |
“The pressure for commercial success has never been greater, yet the obstacles to achieving that goal continue to increase. Challenges include increasingly burdensome security regulations, airline single bag carry-on restrictions and recent efforts to outlaw tobacco sales and even potentially restrict the sale of liquor to international travellers.
“In order to address these threats we need to work together effectively on our lobbying and communication strategies, and Malta will be the meeting place to forge our positions and strategies going forward.
“To reflect this true spirit of essential collaboration, this event will also be delivered in partnership with ETRC, which represents the interests of the tax free, duty free and travel retail industry in Europe. We have worked together on many key issues in recent years and look forward to taking our working partnership to a new level through this conference.”
The theme of the event is ‘New Decade, New Economic Cycle, Permanent Revolution: Reinventing your commercial offer to captivate the post-recession consumer’.
The keynote speaker is Gerald Ratner, once head of the world’s largest jewellery retailer, now driving his own online business. He will speak on the topic “˜From riches to rags, back to riches again – unique lessons from high street and internet retailing’.
Among the other speakers are BAA Commercial Director John Holland-Kaye, Budapest Airport Director Consumer Business Bob McFadyen, Dublin Airport Authority Head of Retail Gerry Crawford, Manchester Airport Commercial Director Andrew Harrison, car parking specialist APCOA Chief Executive Friedrich Schock and Malta International Airport CEO Julian Jaeger.
 A welcome relationship |
| ACI enjoys a presence at the most powerful of tables. It is a natural conduit for the ETRC and other travel retail associations to work through. |
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They will be joined by Pragma Chairman Roy Palmer, Diageo Global Travel & Middle East Corporate Relations Director Tim Rycroft, European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) President Frank O’Connell and Aer Rianta International-Middle East General Manager Business Development and Corporate Affairs John Boland. Moderators will include The Moodie Report Publisher Martin Moodie and The Travel Retail Business Editor Doug Newhouse.
The event will also see a greater emphasis on networking, including via a new meetings booking system that is available to delegates online in advance.
The Gala Dinner will be held on Tuesday, 27 April in Villa Bighi, close to the Grand Harbour. The Moodie Report is Media Sponsor for the Conference.
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