AUSTRALASIA. All of the major travel food & beverage (F&B) retailers in Australia and New Zealand have agreed to support the second Australian Airports Association (AAA) Retail & Commercial Forum as sponsors. The event takes place in Brisbane on 17-19 July.
The industry support panel sponsorship model for the Retail & Commercial Forum was introduced by organisers – the AAA, The Mercurius Group and The Moodie Davitt Report – in 2022 and has been adopted again this year. The idea behind the support panels is that all players in a sector can be part of the event in a cost-effective manner in an industry-wide show of solidarity.
The F&B partners signed up are Airport Retail Enterprises, Cater Care, Delaware North, Emirates Leisure Retail, HMSHost International and SSP.
Recently we revealed similarly strong support from a duty free support panel comprising Lotte Duty Free, DFS Group, Heinemann Australia, Dufry and LagardèreAWPL.
AAA Chief Executive James Goodwin said: “In the same way that we were delighted to see all the duty free retailers in this region support the Forum, we are happy to see all the major F&B retailers get behind it as well. F&B retail is important to almost every AAA member and accelerating its growth is an important topic for them.”
Airport Retail Enterprises Chief Executive John Chapman said: “As the largest F&B operator in the region, we’re supportive of this event and its objective of accelerating growth within the retail sector. The fact that it’s in our home town and hosted by one of our key partners, Brisbane Airport, is an added benefit.”
Cater Care Chief Operations Officer Rob Rutter said: “For Cater Care, airports are a critical market and we have been expanding our portfolio of locations across the country, including at Brisbane. This event provides us with the opportunity to connect with airports from around the country as we grow and develop our portfolio of outlets.”
Delaware North Chief Operating Officer Kieran Fitzpatrick said: “Delaware North has been a long-time participant in the Australian and New Zealand airport F&B market. We are proud of the role we play in this industry and the contribution we have made to the growing importance of F&B revenue to airports. So we are delighted to support this important Forum.”
Emirates Leisure Retail Asia Pacific Managing Director Justin Scotti said: “ELR has come through the tough COVID period with a renewed focus and emphasis on the Australian airports and we have evolved and adjusted our strategy to suit the changing environment. We continue to support the shared sponsorship model that facilitates the Retail & Commercial Forum as it shows that we care about and support our industry.”
HMSHost International Regional Managing Director Asia Pacific David Mackay said: “2023 brings powerful developments to our HMSHost Australia footprint. After creating the best possible guest experience for travellers to Far North Queensland, opening new F&B stores to bring our total to seven stores at Cairns Airport, we are fully focused on building our new stores at Gold Coast Airport.
“Our Asia Pacific team have taken bold steps, winning contracts and building new and exciting concepts across the region, reinforcing our position as one of the region’s largest airport F&B operators, and the largest travel F&B operator globally. As a returning sponsor of the Forum in 2023, we are underlining our ambitions for the Australian market and dedication to our business partners.”
SSP Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific Jonathan Robinson said: “We’re proud to have been serving passengers in Australia since 2009, with significant growth over the last few years. The Forum represents a great opportunity to come together with our peers to debate and discuss the topics of the day and forge stronger relationships across our industry.”
The Mercurius Group Managing Director Ivo Favotto added: “Last year, when we pioneered the shared sponsorship approach, we had the top six F&B operators involved. This year they have all agreed to support the Forum again after the success of the inaugural event – cementing the Forum’s role as the place to be for airport F&B operators to meet with airports and grow their business.”
The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt said: “Our aim is to give these important sponsors value for money from this event. We will have a dedicated F&B discussion panel on the agenda with a Trinity flavour – featuring representatives from airports, retailers and key brands – and of course, many of the other topics on the agenda will also be relevant to F&B.”
Further details on the programme will be released soon.
For further comment or details on the event and for Australasian sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Ivo Favotto
The Mercurius Group
ifavotto@themercuriusgroup.com
+61 423564057
For international brand sponsorship opportunities please contact:
Irene Revilla: Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com
Sarah Genest: Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com
Aran Turner: Aran@MoodieDavittReport.com 
