A strong lineup of speakers and attendees are joining this year’s consumer-centric TR Consumer Forum in Geneva, from 1-3 July, which is being activated under the banner of ‘From Air Traffic to Consumer Action: Putting Travellers at the Heart of Retail’, with IATA as the Host Partner. 

Organised by TRBusiness with consumer research partner m1nd-set, the duty free and travel retail (DF&TR) industry B2B event, is taking place at the IATA Geneva Conference Center.

Further to the agenda being announced last month, TRBusiness is now thrilled to reveal details of speakers taking to the stage.

The global conference agenda commence on Thursday 2 July with a dual Keynote Address and State-of-the-Industry Address featuring Marie Owens Thomsen, Chief Economist, IATA and Dr. Peter Mohn, Founder & CEO of m1nd-set.

They will delve into the Forum’s headline theme, providing a compelling insight that connects macro-level air traffic evolution with micro-level purchase behaviour, placing robust data and analysis at the core of strategic industry dialogue.

The first panel session of the day, titled ‘Navigating the Commercial Journey: Passenger Choices Between Food & Beverage and Retail in Airports’, will unpack m1nd-set’s global food & beverage (F&B) and retail dynamics research to examine how passengers navigate airport commercial environments at a global level. Kristina Mees, Chief Commercial Officer, Geneva Airport, is among the speakers joining this conversation.

L-R: Rory Ford, Head of Space and Strategy, Heathrow; Lucio Rossetto, Regional COO Europe & CSR Officer, Lagardère Travel Retail; Julie Lassaigne, Secretary General, ETRC; and Aude Bourdier Founder of ABM Futureproof.

In the afternoon, Rory Ford, Head of Space and Strategy, Heathrow, and Lucio Rossetto, Regional COO Europe & CSR Officer, Lagardère Travel Retail, will be imparting their knowledge on ‘Premiumisation versus Value-Seeking: The Polarisation of the Travel Retail Consumer’ – a session designed to explore the growing divergence between travellers who trade up and those who actively seek value.

In the Forum’s first-ever cruise retail session, Claire McLennan, Lifestyle Director at Harding+ and Janice Smith, Sales & Marketing Director, YV Global, plus others, will be taking a deep dive into how brands and retailers are moving beyond passive listings to create experience-led onboard retail journeys that drive repeat engagement, dwell time, and spend throughout the voyage.

The Networking Evening Event is taking place at an iconic venue – the details of which are set to be revealed soon. Delegates can expect a standout evening to unwind and further build connections, with interactive entertainment and a special performance, in a very memorable setting.

Friday 3 July will see experienced executives including Julie Lassaigne, Secretary General, ETRC, and Mami Sakamaki, Director SFP, PMI GTR, taking to the stage to discuss ‘Mapping Tomorrow’s European Travellers: Dynamics and Demand’.

L-R: Kreol Arakulath, Executive Director, Kreol Group; John Rimmer, Director of JCR Consulting; Thomas Henningsen, Partner, Blueprint; and Anna Somogyi, Marketing Director – Category, Shopper & Customer at Mondelēz World Travel Retail.

The discussion and debate on ‘From Traffic to Transaction: Driving Conversion and Spend Under Pressure’, will be driven by panellists including Judith Dupain, Head of P&C, Falic Group / DFA, Richard Simkins, Commercial & Partnerships Director – Airports, JCDecaux UK, and Anna Somogyi, Marketing Director – Category, Shopper & Customer at Mondelēz World Travel Retail.

Switching up the pace will be Blueprint Partner Thomas Henningsen, who will be delivering a 15-minute thought-provoking talk on ‘inconvenient predictions’ for the industry, exploring how airports, operators and brands must reinvent experiences, partnerships and value capture the coming years – or risk losing relevance.

To round-off the conference, Henningsen will then join a panel exploring the ‘Travel Retail Vision 2030’, which seeks to provide a strategic framework for how travel retail stakeholders can convert future passenger growth into sustainable commercial performance, jioning speakers including Aude Bourdier, Founder of ABM Futureproof.

Additionally, our event-within-an-event, TR Sustainability Hub – a brand extension of TRBusiness’ popular TR Sustainability Week – is giving rise to two panel sessions plus live TR Sustainability Pitches which will be judged by our panel of Sustainability Guardians. Featuring Michael Barrett, Events & Public Relations Director, at m1nd-set, Kreol Arakulath, Executive Director, Kreol Group and Rebekah Lees, Head of Marketing & Communications at the Eco Beauty Store Association.

The moderator team will be led by Faye Bartle, Editorial Director of TRBusiness, joined by guest moderators including seasoned industry expert John Rimmer, Director of JCR Consulting. Details of more speakers will be announced soon.

See who’s attending

The TR Consumer Forum attracts a rich pool of attendees representing a broad cross-section of the DF&TR community.

Among those confirmed to attend the 2026 edition include representatives from Avolta, ABM Experience Solutions, AMB Futureproof, ARI, Blueprint, Coty, Coeur de Lion, Duty Free Global, GMAX Travel Retail, Geneva Airport, ETRC, Heathrow Airport, Ian Macleod Distillers, JTI, Lagardère Travel Retail, Nestlé ITR, Nadri, Oettinger Davidoff, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, Rémy Cointreau, Ritter Sport, Skross, Suntory Global Spirits, Travel Blue, William Grant & Sons, Walker’s and more.

Early bird tickets available until 29 May

Currently, you can save more than a fifth (22%) off the cost of your delegate pass thanks to the early bird discount, which sees tickets priced at GBP£750 each until Friday 29 May (17:30 UTC).

From 30 May, standard passes will be available for GBP£985. Tickets are on sale until the end of the day on Friday 19 June only. There is limited availability this year, so please be quick to secure your space and avoid disappointment.

Book your accommodation 

Attendees can now book their accommodation at the preferred hotel, the Crowne Plaza Hotel Geneva by IHG. A special discounted rate is available for forum attendees on a first-come, first-served basis.

Crowne Plaza Hotel Geneva by IHG.

The rate is CHF165 per night for single occupancy, including breakfast, and excludes the city tax of CHF4.25 per person per night.

Accommodation for the 2026 Forum can be booked via the button below. More information can be found on the dedicated website.

TRBusiness and m1nd-set are looking forward to welcoming DF&TR stakeholders from around the world for yet another insight- and action-packed edition of the Forum.

Please click here to register your interest in speaking or partnering with the Forum as a sponsor or an exhibitor.

Visit www.TRConsumerForum.com to find out more.

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