Current trade performances and challenges in the region and prospects for the future with a special focus on Egypt will be discussed at an upcoming conference in Cairo.

The Middle East Duty Free Association (Medfa) and TFWA will hold the annual Medfa Conference on November 28 and 29 at the Mena House Oberoi Hotel.

Following an opening address by Anthony Chalhoub, Medfa president, facilities development, new retail concepts and supplier initiatives which are boosting ‘Egyptian duty free and travel retail’ will come under spotlight.

With huge growth in capacity, the arrival of new super airliners and the rapid growth of low cost airlines in the Middle East, the structure of the region’s air transport and airport retail industry is changing radically.

In ‘Airline development in the region’, aviation analyst David Huttner from Nyras Capital will provide an overview of the Middle East aviation landscape and identify the key movers in the region.

Alan O’Neill, Kara Change Management will assess whether retailers and suppliers are ‘Maximising opportunities’ in the region given the projected growth in traffic and its potential impact on sales.

Using case studies from both domestic and travel retail, he will illustrate how more proactive engagement can reap tangible rewards.

The ongoing WHO framework convention for banning duty free tobacco sales features on the agenda of the WHO Uruguay meeting in early November and the potential repercussions for duty free and travel retail will be included in a session on ‘Current concerns; future solutions’ alongside other issues currently affecting the industry.

A financial analyst will join other speakers to assess why currency fluctuations are a constant concern to travel and retail stakeholders.

Michael Barrett, TFWA Conference and Research Manager, will present an overview of the ‘Middle East Industry – past, present & future’ with analysis of where future opportunities will lie, given airline development, economic growth, infrastructure investment and industry initiatives.

Integrating airport information systems with retailer POS systems, RFID tagging of passenger boarding and sophisticated new customer loyalty cards are some of the topics which will be included in ‘Tomorrow’s technology today’ which will be led by Christina Cassotis, SH&E Vice President, Leader Airport Services.

‘Regional focus: Destination Africa’ will reveal how operators in South Africa handled the influx of international arrivals and how they plan to maintain sales growth in the post-World Cup era. Kenya, Africa’s second largest international hub, will also feature in this session which will be led by, among others, Selwyn Grimsley, Managing Director, Tourvest Duty Free.

In the final session, ‘Building the duty free brand in the Middle East’, René Carayol, CEO, Inspired Leaders Network will explore some of the secrets behind the recent success of duty free and travel retail in the region and assess the implications for the future. – TradeArabia News Service