[UPDATED] The DF&TR industry has hailed the return of in-person business networking after the Travel Retail Consumer Forum (20-22 September) ignited the first successful industry event of its scale for almost two years (scroll below to view the highlights video and reaction commentary).

Social media has been abuzz with positive feedback and commentary from airport operators, travel retailers, brands and other stakeholders since the maiden Travel Retail Consumer Forum concluded on Wednesday 22 September.

Co-organisers TRBusiness and m1nd-set have also received countless messages of gratitude and positivity on the two-day programme, which featured an opening cocktail on Monday 20 September, a gala dinner flanked by the consumer-voted 2021 Global Travel Retail Awards on Tuesday 21 September and networking coffee breaks.

The event, held at the London Hilton Paddington hotel, sharpened the attentions of delegates – those attending in-person and via livestream – through the lens: ‘Research, Reconnect, Re1magine’.

UNPARALLELED VALUE

Attendees to the event benefitted from a swathe of consumer-focused research curated by co-organiser m1nd-set exclusively for the Travel Retail Consumer Forum and worth a staggering six figures in value.

The two-day conference programme shared unique perspectives on consumers’ purchasing behaviours and attitudes in a mid- and post-pandemic environment, with dedicated sessions on topics such as health and wellbeing, sustainability, e-commerce, in-store shopping drivers, behaviours and design.

Dovetailing with these themes was category-specific intelligence on beauty, luxury, alcohol and other categories, plus domestic and regional tourism trends and a global exclusive at a live event (see below). All sessions were backed by a powerful lineup of speakers and panellists from a broad cross-section of the travel, retail and tourism sectors.

To read reports from the conference, click below links. Delegates can access recordings of all the sessions by clicking here.

GLOBAL FIRST: Urban-Air Port at Consumer Forum

TR Consumer Forum: Luxury, Hainan and Urban-Air Port on day two

TR Consumer Forum: ARI, Heathrow and MAG deliver stirring keynote

Travel Retail Awards winners announced

Both organisers have been incredibly heartened by the wave of positive commentary that followed the conclusion of the Travel Retail Consumer Forum and are delighted to publish a selection of these comments below.

THE INDUSTRY HAS ITS SAY…

As with all industry events – especially new ones – there is always room for improvement and TRBusiness & m1nd-set would encourage any feedback from attendees and viewers, positive or otherwise.

Should you wish to share your comments on any aspects of the programme, please contact [email protected].

“Great to see the industry looking to the future. A well-organised physical event with great data from m1nd-set supported by a relevant panel of speakers. Looking forward to its evolution in 2022.”

Kelvin Clarkson, Strategic Category Development Manager Travel Retail, Nestlé

“Delighted to have taken part, it was a [sic] inspiring conference and was wonderful to see familiar faces again.”

Karine Fleury-Richards, Co-founder/Director, Flores Brand Works/Strategy Decoded

“A really complete and solid event, with key information to understanding where the TR industry is and where are we going in the coming years.”

 Rafael Alonso Sena, Global Marketing Customer Insights Analyst, Dufry

“As airports, we connect people so to be here at the TR Consumer Forum is fantastic as we are reconnecting with colleagues, with airport operators like me, with retailers and brands. It’s just fabulous. You can just feel the energy in the room. Having a conference like this, forcing us in a sense to getting back to looking at consumers, I think is really important.”

Fraser Brown, Retail & Property Director, London Heathrow Airport

“The event was an amazing grounding to understand the new post-covid traveller and the direction we may see consumer trends evolving in the near- to long- term. There was a lovely energy in the room and I felt a buzz of what I see as a tight-knit community meeting face to face after a long virtual break. It’s honestly made me so excited to work in this unique industry, due to the huge spectrum of evolving consumers and the sense of community.”

Hayleigh Curtis, Brand Manager WTR, Mondelēz International

“I think it’s critically important that we collaborate, get-together and engage around the issue of the consumer, understanding what the consumer wants and expects from us and then how we as an industry […] can have an honest, authentic conversation with consumers about their priorities and expectations of us.”

Shane Kelly, Corporate Relations Director Global Travel Retail & Head of Society in Europe, Diageo

“Congratulations on the quality of your presentations and the great discussions they enabled. It is really great (and important!) that the industry is aware of all this knowledge to continue transforming our industry in relevant ways.”

Estelle Vincenti, Consumer Insights Manager Global Travel Retail, Puig

“A huge congratulation on the great consumer forum organised. The amount of insight shared was fantastic, covering a wide range of topics all relevant to us, and the guest speakers added great value to the event. I hope to be able to physically attend the next one.”

Clarisse Daniels, Head of Marketing GTR & Emerging Markets, Whyte and Mackay Limited

“The insights you and your colleagues have shared with us has been excellent to better understand the current attitudes and shopping behaviour of passenger towards travel retail brands.”

Stephan Sutor, Key Account Manager, Media Frankfurt

“The insights provided represented exceptional value for money and covered a wide range of relevant topics and issues facing the travel retail industry today, as well as a holistic view of future trends and opportunities. The materials provided are digestible and understandable with the context of the conference and allow for immediate application within our business.”

Danielle Willox-Semple, Business Development Analyst Global Travel Retail, Edrington

 “Thank you and your colleagues for organising this great event! It was so needed, so much appreciated and so well executed – fantastic job.”

Aire Kraas, Board Member, Marine City Duty Free

“M1nd-set’s analytics are always so good – the quantity and quality of the data, how they react with the consumer to bring that data forward is incredibly valuable. There is so much to take back.”

Rob Robertaccio, Senior Vice President Global & Travel Retail Sales, E. Gluck Corporation

“This event is what travel retail is all about – spending time with people from all parts of the industry who can inspire and support, sharing great ideas and building the connections that are the bedrock of this business. It’s great to be back.”

Clare Williams Fannin, Founder & CEO, Templemere Public Relations

A selection of images from the Travel Retail Consumer Forum will be made available on TRBuinsess.com and via social media in the coming days.