INTERNATIONAL. Welcome to our video review of the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference, which took place virtually on 11-12 September. The event, organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, featured a series of compelling presentations and interviews around key themes in the world of travel dining.
A hugely important session focused on diversity and inclusion within the airport concession space with guest speakers Los Angeles World Airports Deputy Executive Director Commercial Development Dave Jones; Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Executive Vice President and Group Director, Airports Mike Salzman; and Enjoy Repeat Inc Founder & CEO and Concord Collective CEO & Managing Partner Greg Plummer.
Minority-owned small business Concord Collective made history earlier this year at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as the first Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) business to take over the entire portfolio of a major food & beverage concession operator.
The three representatives of the companies involved in the venture detailed their determination to offer a pathway for smaller, local, minority players to manage major airport dining concessions.
“Every day comes with something new,” Plummer said. “In the talent recruitment area, we have really focused on bringing in new managers who haven’t had a huge amount of experience in management but they have had experience in F&B. The intent was to create a fresh start.
“We didn’t want to take the same old approach with managing this business. I am really proud to say that 90% of our management team has come from frontline positions. We have seen people with fresh ideas, fresh perspectives and not necessarily the same ethos when it comes to management as it was before.”
He underlined the huge opportunity available for minority players in airports and the positive “ripple effect” on other businesses offering related services.
Jones described the F&B collaboration at the Los Angeles hub as “monumental”, lauding the Concord Collective model as “exactly the type of thing we need to see more of”. “We want this to be the model. We want to replicate this and find more Greg Plummers out there who want to join us,” he said.
Jones added that Los Angeles World Airports is considering solutions to the challenges of financing and capital costs.
Salzman applauded Concord Collective’s “vision and foresight to buy into the business at a time when many people were retrenching”. “What Greg has accomplished here is perfectly consistent with our vision as a developer in the airport space. We like to see local owners of businesses execute and ultimately succeed in the airport environment.”
All three speakers emphasised the key role creativity plays, along with education, respect and strong partner relationships to overcome challenges which include rocketing construction and labour costs.
“The industry is more collaborative than ever before, working together. It takes passion. This business is really, really tough and like others has its ups and downs. You have to maintain mutual respect and work towards solutions,” Plummer said.
Jones added: “LA is a diverse city, culturally, racially and economically and we want the airport to reflect that. The airport is under massive renovation right now [building up to the 2028 Olympic Games] and we are looking for entrepreneurial spirit, people with great ideas.”
“I see the industry evolving into a better place,” Salzman said. “It must necessarily be better. If we don’t all raise our game, we will all get swallowed up the labour, construction, and financing challenges of this industry. What has got me really optimistic and excited is that I see all of us considering how we think about this differently.”
*Click here for session by session coverage of FAB 2022. More highlights will appear on our platforms shortly.