MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA. Lebanese President of the Council of Ministers H.E. Saad Hariri will provide a headline address at the annual MEADFA Conference 2017. The TFWA-organised event is being held in Lebanon for the first time, at the historic Phoenicia Hotel in the capital Beirut on 19-21 November.
TFWA said the conference will offer in-depth analysis of a broad range of subjects impacting the travel industry in the Middle East and Africa. This will include discussion of the importance of the rapidly-changing, increasingly youthful consumer base in the Gulf and the Levant, and the future of duty free and travel retail in African airports.
Other confirmed speakers include Lebanon’s Minister of Tourism H.E. Avedis Guidanian; Phoenicia Trading Company Chairman Mohamed Zeidan; ACI Africa Secretary-General Ali Tounsi; and South African business expert and broadcaster Victor Kgomoeswana.
EMIR (Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research) founder & Chief Analyst Trevor McFarlane will present an exclusive report on the business outlook in the Middle East as part of a range of consumer insights from experts from within and beyond the industry.
TFWA said the event once again includes a number of networking opportunities. Official host Beirut Duty Free will welcome delegates to a gala event on Monday 20 November, and Dufry will host the Opening Cocktail at the Phoenicia Hotel on Sunday 19 November.
MEADFA President Haitham A. M. Al-Majali said: “We are honoured to have an esteemed roster of industry leaders speaking at our event and have no doubt our delegates will find their insight fascinating. We look forward to welcoming our guests to what I’m certain will be another successful conference.”
TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen commented: “Lebanese hospitality is renowned, and we are delighted to be bringing this event to one of the region’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities. There is a huge opportunity for growth in duty free and travel retail in the Middle East and Africa, and this event is a key point in the calendar for anyone with an interest in this market.”
The event will be supported by the Ministry of Tourism. Other sponsors of the event will include platinum sponsors Aphrodite Duty Free Shop, Jordanian Duty Free shops, Dubai Duty Free, Kings Tobacco International and Nadiya, and gold event sponsors Oriental General Trading, Aer Rianta International and Lagardère Travel Retail. Exhibitors include Imperial Tobacco, Nadiya, Philip Morris and Beverly Hills Polo Club. The coffee break on 20 November will be sponsored by Nestlé and on 21 November by Le Petit Gourmet. The event’s smoking lounge will be sponsored by JTI.
Pre-registration is open now until 8 November. Further information and updates on the event can be found here.
