THAILAND. Alibaba Group Global Managing Director K. Guru Gowrappan is the latest powerful business figure to join a stellar programme for The Trinity Forum 2017 due to be held in Bangkok on 1-3 November.
Alibaba, founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, is a giant of Chinese and global e-commerce. The company enables hundreds of millions of commercial and social interactions among its users, between consumers and merchants, and among businesses, every day.
The Trinity Forum, the world’s most influential airport commercial revenues conference, will be hosted by King Power International Company (Thailand). The event is co-organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, ACI World and ACI Asia-Pacific.
This year’s theme is, ‘How does airport retail remain relevant in a changing world?’
Platinum sponsors* are Pernod Ricard Travel Retail, Dufry, L’Oréal Travel Retail and Mars International Travel Retail.
The Trinity Forum, first held in 2003, seeks to improve dialogue and mutual understanding between airports, retailers and brands to the benefit of the travelling consumer. Please click here for registration and other details.
Confirmed speakers to date include The Estée Lauder Companies President Travel Retail Worldwide Olivier Bottrie, who will address the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility; King Power International Company Chief Executive Officer Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha; and the same company’s Senior Executive Vice President Susan Whelan.
They will be joined by several of the industry’s most influential executives, including China Duty Free Group President Charles Chen; Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman & CEO Dag Rasmussen; L’Oréal Travel Retail Managing Director Vincent Boinay; WHSmith CEO Stephen Clarke; gategroup CEO Xavier Rossinyol; and Thibault Villet, Co-Founder & Chairman of Mei.com and Glamour Sale, one of the most successful exponents of e-commerce to Chinese consumers.
A key day one session will focus on ‘Driving and combating disruption – positive and negative – in airport commerce’.
It will feature Kian Gould, CEO of AOE, a pioneer of e-commerce relationships designed to bring together industry stakeholders; Adil Raihani, Chief Enabling Officer of The Blueprint Partnership (and former Senior Vice President Center Management at Vienna Airport), a recognised thought leader in airport commerce; Nicole Foo, General Manager, Online Retail, Airside Concessions Division, Changi Airport Group; Karl-Heinz Dietrich, Executive Vice President, Fraport; and Richard Barker, General Manager Retail and Commercial, Auckland Airport
A strong airport management presence will include Fraport Senior Vice President Sales & Customer Relations Winfried Hartmann; Melbourne Airport Chief of Retail Andrew Gardiner; Dallas Fort Worth Airport Vice President Concessions Zenola Campbell; Vice President, Finavia, Helsinki Airport Elena Stenholm; Greater Toronto Airports Authority Associate Director, Retail and Food Programs Giovanna Verrilli (to be confirmed); and others to be named soon.
ACI World Director General Angela Gittens will deliver her usual comprehensive global overview of the crucial role that airport non-aeronautical revenues play.
Airports Council International (ACI) World Director of Economics Stefano Baronci will host a workshop featuring several leading airport executives, including James Thong, Senior Vice President at Changi Airport International, to conclude day 1 of the conference. It is themed ‘Passenger personas and profiles across generations’.
A stellar line-up is bolstered further by Robbie Gill, Director, The Design Solution; Doug Bagley, CEO of CIDF (and former Managing Director of Diageo Global Travel); Gary Clarke, General Manager, Mars International Travel Retail; Ian McLernon, International Director of Travel Retail for Europe & Americas, Rémy Cointreau Global Travel Retail; Gerry Munday, Global Travel Retail Director, Furla; and Ivo Knuesel, Head of Category Planning, Mondelez World Travel Retail.
*The full list of Trinity partners to date is:
PLATINUM
Dufry
L’Oréal Travel Retail
Mars International Travel Retail
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail
GOLD
Shiseido Travel Retail
SILVER
Dubai Duty Free
OPENING COCKTAIL
SSP
LUNCH PARTNERS
Furla
Perricone MD
COFFEE BREAK PARTNERS
EMCAT
Godiva
Nestlé International Travel Retail
SPONSORING PARTNERS
Lacoste
Marshall Arts International
Oettinger Davidoff
Ricola
Travel Food Services
Yaok Shopping
If you wish to partner with The Trinity Forum, please contact Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com.
The Forum will begin with an Opening Cocktail reception on Wednesday 1 November, followed by the conference on 2 and 3 November. A Gala Dinner will be held on the night of the 2nd, with spirits and wines to be provided exclusively by Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail. An additional social programme for those intending to stay on in the Thai capital is being arranged (details coming soon).