Left: Delegates network in the exhibitor halls at SOA 2025. Right: IAADFS Chairman of the Board Rene Riedi.

TRBusiness caught up with International Association of Airport and Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) chiefs – Chairman of the Board Rene Riedi, Executive Director Steven Antolick and Chief Advisor to the Board Michael Payne – to discover how the 2026 Summit of the Americas (28-31 March at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando), is shaping up.

Plus the trio talk advocacy efforts, the US tourism trajectory and the opportunity to give duty-free sales a boost through a cash and carry approach…

This interview was conducted late January, and was first published in the TRBusiness February e-zine.

We’re edging closer to this year’s Summit – can you give us a glimpse of the work that’s going into ensuring the show delivers on top form for participants?

The Summit of the Americas has long been praised as an event that makes it easy for operators and suppliers to connect, network and do business. We have an expanded team working on planning and execution of the 2026 Summit of the Americas. We’ve been thoughtful about the layout of the space, including exhibit booths, private exhibit/meeting rooms, the location and format of the session space, and locations for our various networking opportunities to ensure a smooth and positive experience for all attendees, and to continue delivering on the promise of easy connections and valuable business interactions. We’re redesigning some of our food and beverage options to provide even more value for attendees.

Having a golf course onsite at the Rosen Shingle Creek has made it easy to add what has long been a staple of our event – a golf tournament, which is being generously sponsored by Carisam-Samuel Meisel Inc. and m1nd-set.

Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando is the venue for this year’s Summit of the Americas. 

How many delegates are you targeting and how are registrations tracking?

For the 2026 Summit we’re targeting for total registration of 1,200, including all registration categories. We’re off to a good start so far, with a strong response from the supplier community for space bookings and sponsorships, and key buyer companies already committed for the event.

It’s a bit early to provide visitor splits because we haven’t yet hit our first registration discount deadline, which tends to be a driver for registration. That said, we’re already seeing a trend for attendees purchasing the full registration option instead of the daily registrations, suggesting that attendees are planning to stay at the Summit longer to take full advantage of the programme. We’ve also seen very strong hotel pickup, which isn’t surprising considering the very competitive rate we have for 2026.

IAADFS is seeing a 30% increase in the number of exhibiting companies compared to 2025.

How is the take-up of exhibit space progressing and can you give us an update of split by category along with any key highlights?

Our 2026 exhibition space is larger than what we had in 2025, and we intentionally selected a location for 2026 that would allow us to expand compared to our 2025 space. Our 2025 move to Miami factored in past feedback from attendees and exhibitors, but it was more challenging to find a venue that offered the right mix of exhibit space, meeting space and rooms.

The move back to Orlando in 2026 allows us to utilise a venue that is more suited to our type of event – one that’s easier for exhibitor move-in/move out, offers more space, has a greater variety of onsite food and beverage options that will be beneficial and more convenient for all attendees – all in a resort-type atmosphere.

The take-up of exhibit space has been very strong this year. We had a 31 October deadline for early space requests, and we employed a new space assignment process for exhibitors that had requested space by that date, which resulted in our booth space being nearly sold out by mid-November, which is much sooner than in past years, where we’ve reached sold out status by late January.

Since then, we’ve been fortunate to be able to add a limited amount of additional booth space to absorb new demand. To date we’ve seen a 30% increase in the number of exhibiting companies compared to 2025, with additional requests continuing to come in. This includes many new exhibitors and some exhibitors returning after an absence.

What advocacy efforts are IAADFS involved with currently and what support you are offering to members around said topics?

I think we are all still celebrating the success of the WHO as it relates to the tobacco sector, but the ruling has broader implications for the duty-free industry as it strongly reaffirmed the stringent regulatory environment in which duty-free operates. We will continue to monitor this as confectionery and alcohol are likely next areas for WHO to examine. The cash and carry initiative, which is discussed below, and continued efforts to ensure adequate dwell time is protected where possible and done safely.

Networking at the Summit of the Americas 2025 in Miami.

How are weak tourism statistics to the US and the drop in overseas arrivals impacting the travel retail industry? What is the outlook for 2026?

International arrivals to the US dropped by around 6% in 2025, leading to lower travel retail sales and economic losses, especially in airports and border regions. The drop was most pronounced among travellers from Canada, Western Europe, Africa and the Caribbean, while some regions like the Middle East and Central and South America saw moderate increases. Domestic travel has partially offset these declines.

Looking ahead, 2026 is expected to see a 3.7% rise in overseas visitors, boosted by major events such as the FIFA World Cup and America’s 250th Anniversary and evolving retail trends. The industry outlook is optimistic, with growth projected in both leisure and business travel, supported by strong domestic demand and strategic adaptation.

Duty Free Americas will operate the ‘cash and carry’ duty-free programme in JFK’s new Terminal One, which is scheduled to open in phases starting this year. Do you think this is the start of more such programmes at US airports and what are the opportunities for stakeholders around this as you see them?

As you are aware we have been working closely with our partners at ACI to complete a demonstration programme at JFK, which is completed and awaiting the final report. The results have been very encouraging and we hope to have this authorised in another airport soon. The new JFK Terminal One opportunity reflects, in our opinion, US Customs willingness to allow cash and carry in a secure environment, which is more difficult in the US, where international and domestic travel is often mixed. Terminal One is a more sterile international passenger environment. The opportunity to significantly increase duty-free sales through a cash and carry approach would benefit all stakeholders – airports, suppliers and concessionaires.

A version of this interview was first published in the TRBusiness February e-zine. Please click here to read. 

READ NEXT: B&S accelerates Americas growth strategy ahead of IAADFS Summit

READ NEXT: JP-GTR to showcase emerging American spirits brands at IAADFS

READ NEXT: IAADFS announces 2026 Summit dates complete with new location