ICELAND. The weather is bitterly cold but the welcome has been full of Icelandic warmth at the ACI Airport Commercial & Retail Conference being held in Reykjavik this week. The annual event has drawn an audience of around 350 delegates to the Icelandic capital.
The event, hosted by airport authority Isavia, is being held in the magnificent Harpa conference centre and concert hall (pictured below).
This year’s event is themed, somewhat dramatically, ‘Adapt or Die’ – a reference to key external influences from falling spend per passenger to digital disruption that is threatening traditional sectors such as duty free retail.
The event kicked off on Monday night with a welcome reception hosted by airport authority Isavia at Whales of Iceland, a remarkable exhibition and event space featuring life-sized models, an interactive installation and virtual reality experience.
The conference and exhibition began Tuesday, featuring a packed and provocative programme that addressed both the opportunities and threats emerging from a market going through rapid change.
Positives ranging from a sustained growth in passenger traffic to a willingness to engage the shopper/diner throughout the traveller journey were balanced by well-articulated concerns over a softening of spend per passenger in certain sectors (notably duty free) and the threat from digital disruptors and external ecommerce providers.
The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie led a strong panel discussion entitled (somewhat wordily) ‘The competitive problem is also the solution: Harnessing digital disruption in the cause of maintaining the physical airport store.’
In his opening remarks, Moodie cautioned: “I do believe we should probably avoid the hyperbole of statements like ‘Adapt or die’ and talking about ‘the solution’. This business will not die unless it absolutely stands still and I see no evidence of that from the players in this room. Nor is digital disruption ‘the solution’. Or not all of it. It is a key part of the necessarily rapid evolution of this sector in the face of even more rapidly changing circumstances. The convergence, the fusion of humanisation and digitalisation, of experience and technology, is, I believe the right road map for this business and one that is increasingly being followed.”
The panel featured strong presentations from Dr Patrick Bohl, Head of Retail and Advertising, Budapest Airport; Melvin Broekaart, Founder and Managing Director Global, Aircommerce; Kian Gould, Founder and CEO, AOE; Gunnhildur Erla Vilbergsdóttir, Commercial Manager, Isavia; Danielle Neben, Marketing Director, ePassi Iceland; and Neil Muir, Managing Director, Blynk. More details on all sessions to follow.
The Gala dinner, hosted by Lagardère Travel Retail last night, was held at the Reykjavik Modern Art museum, an ideal location to convey the sense of place that has made this week’s event so memorable.
The conference concludes today.