Some great wines were ‘shared’ and some great, and often very moving, stories told. Wine – and Zoom – ensured that while we might be isolated, we are not alone.
Miscellaneous
The end of certainty
It was as if each of them was simply trying to come to terms with the change to the human condition as much as they were trying to navigate the immediate future for their businesses.
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Events
Croissants, crisis and human kindness
I watched, transfixed as a heated argument broke out after one passenger accused another of not using tongs to pick up his chocolate croissant
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Events
Up close and personal with big Magdy Al Sheikh at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Magdy is Mr. Fix-it at the tennis. Need to find a seat for a VIP at the last second? Need a security man that no-one dares mess with? Get Magdy. Want someone that the players feel safe with? Yep, Magdy is your man.
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Events
Novak shows his skills, balance and class in Dubai
Novak was a host’s and sponsor’s dream, making time for what seemed like a million photos, taking part in the party fun, and generally showing what an outstanding ambassador he has become for the sport.
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Events
Exigency in travel retail, excellence at Dubai Duty Free
The truth is that no-one knows what lies around the corner with this situation. It is a time to concentrate on the basics and no-one does that better than Dubai Duty Free.
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Events
February 2, 2020 – a palindrome to remember, a day to forget
It’s sad and grim on every level. A time to buckle down as businesses, stay safe as individuals. It’s important to keep noting that the travel retail sector historically recovers quickly from crisis. It will again this time.
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Events
Counting the most important cost of a health crisis
There are rocky weeks and perhaps months ahead for our industry but ultimately they pale in comparison to the human cost of such a crisis.
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Events
Let the roaring twenties begin
The 2010s nearly gone. How did that happen? It seems just the other day that I was walking along the banks of the Thames in the darkness of a chilly London night as we ushered in the new millennium.
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People
Tallink touches new heights while Comptoir Libanais provides a feast of the senses
Tallink is generating enormous sales of Krug and Dom Perignon Champagne, for example, and luxury skincare brands such as Dior and La Mer. Just ensuring supply keeps up with demand is a constant challenge.
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Events
Discovering Penghu, the Pearl of the Taiwan Strait
I’ve tracked the Ever Rich Duty Free story for many years – in 2015 I wrote the company’s 18-year history – and I never fail to be impressed by the group’s commitment to quality, to culture, to sense of place and to society.
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Events
Official secrets and unofficial homework grades
I’ll skip the slight and take some comfort, and my moral compass, instead from two young women whom I met over recent days, one in person and one on the screen.
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Events
A tribute to Thabet as Qatar stands for quality at terrific Trinity
I wondered at one stage if Thabet had several body doubles such was his ability to be constantly on hand.