BAHRAIN. The Middle East & African Duty Free Association (MEADFA) has revealed latest details of the programme for the MEADFA Conference which takes place on 27-29 November in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Managed by TFWA, with Bahrain Duty Free as Official Host, the event venue is The Art Hotel & Resort.
MEADFA President Sherif Toulan will open the conference with a welcome address on Monday 28 November. Guests will hear from some of Bahrain’s leading industry experts, including Gulf Air Acting CEO Waleed Abdulhameed al Alawi and Bahrain Duty Free Chief Executive Officer & Board Director, Bassam Al Wardi.
Senior figures from the region’s duty free and travel retail industry will assess the current and future state of the market. Speakers will include Rob Marriott, CEO of Aer Rianta International-Middle East, Ramesh Cidambi, COO of Dubai Duty Free, and Isabel Zarza, COO North & Central Europe, Russia & Africa at Dufry Group.
The afternoon sessions will explore the potential of West Africa, innovation, and insights into the regulations and challenges duty free and travel retail companies are facing.
Delegates will hear from Kojo Bentum Williams, Founder and Publisher of VoyagesAfriq Travel Media and Lead Communications at UNWTO Africa; Gordon Clark, Vice President Business Development at ForwardKeys; Keith Hunter, Chief Retail Officer at Urban-Air Port; Waleed Khalaf, CEO of Smart Way Consultancy; Rob Marriott, Chair of the MEADFA Advocacy Working Group and MEADFA Board Members Roger Jackson and Mazen Kaddoura; as well as Sarah Branquinho, President of the Duty Free World Council.
Day two will begin with a discussion on how businesses are implementing sustainable practices while maintaining operational excellence. Speakers will include Lagardère TR CEO Saudi Arabia Munif Mohammed; Mars Wrigley Global Sales Director Marcus Hudson and Bahraini sustainability champion and Founder of New Normal Consultancy Shivani Sathasivam. Dubai Duty Free Senior Vice President Purchasing Sharon Beecham will be among the speakers addressing how global supply chains are transitioning.
Later in the day, market specialists Adrian Pittaway, Retail Director at MSC Cruises, and James Prescott, Managing Director at Harding+, will discuss the growth of cruise lines in the region.
A session will also focus on rebuilding tourism in East Africa, in which speakers will include Surafel Saketa, Country Manager at Ethiopian Airlines and Baptiste Duguit, Vice President of Business Development at Lagardère Travel Retail.
Rounding off the conference, Kevin Alderweireldt, Co-Founder of creative tech company and Metaverse specialist Bureau Béatrice, will examine the implications of Meta-retail.
Alongside the learning opportunities, visitors can enjoy a busy social programme, which will include an Opening Cocktail on Sunday, Gala Dinner on Monday, and networking coffee and lunch breaks.
Dufry sponsors the Welcome Cocktail, while Diamond Sponsors include Imperial Brands, Mazaya and Swedish Match. Platinum Sponsors are Dubai Duty Free, Aphrodite, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, JT International, and African + Eastern/Gulf Beverages. Gold Sponsors are ANDS and Mondelez.
Further support will be provided by Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail and African + Eastern/Gulf Beverages (Wine & Spirits Sponsors), A. Loacker and Nestlé KitKat (Coffee Break Sponsors). DFNI–Frontier, Global Travel Retail Magazine, The Moodie Davitt Report and TRBusiness are Media Partners.
MEADFA President Sherif Toulan said: “Featuring prominent industry leaders, we are happy to be bringing the MEADFA event to Bahrain and look forward to the thought-provoking debates and discussions that will take place during the conference, covering a wider regional array with an emphasis on Africa.”
TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen said: “TFWA is delighted to continue our long-term partnership with MEADFA and we are glad to be supporting the MEADFA Conference once again. As an important air hub in the Gulf region, the Kingdom of Bahrain is the perfect location for the event, connecting industry colleagues from the region with those from other international markets, and vice versa.”
For more, visit https://www.tfwa.com/the-meadfa-conference
