China travel retail conferences

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

To put the record straight…

There has been much talk during this week’s TFWA Asia Pacific show in Singapore of the two planned China travel retail conferences to be held by rival organisations in coming months.

As reported, GIS Events of China and UK firm Ink are running the China Travel Retail conference in Shanghai on 23-25 July this year, and then annually thereafter.

Shortly after that event was announced, TFWA revealed that it plans to organise a China travel retail conference in Beijing from 5 to 7 March, 2013, in association with the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA).

Some have questioned the need for two China conferences but the reality is that it is a free market and ultimately the industry will vote with its feet (and its delegates’ fees) as to the events’ respective merits.

However, in the face of persistent misrepresentation by one of our rivals, let me make The Moodie Report’s position on those events absolutely clear. We have agreed (for a fee) to moderate the Shanghai event and to be a media partner. We are NOT an organiser, co-organiser or in any way financially tied to the event.

We have no view as to the relative merits of the two conferences and will both publicise the TFWA event and attend it.

Our concern, as stated, about the TFWA event is its proximity to the traditional February/March timing of The Trinity Forum, usually held in Asia.

The Trinity Forum is a joint venture between The Moodie Report and Airports Council International ( the latter, like TFWA, a ‘by the trade, for the trade’ industry association). ‘Trinity’ by common acclaim, is the industry’s leading airport commercial revenues conference and one that has done much down the years to advance travel retail’s interests and standards. Indeed TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen and APTRA President Sunil Tuli were both given speaking slots at the last Trinity and APTRA was given free exhibition space to promote membership.

We believe it inappropriate, therefore, to plan another travel retail conference around the same time as Trinity and we’re disappointed not to have at least been consulted about our own planned timing or venue (currently the subject of private negotiations with would-be airport partners).

As I say, it is a free market and TFWA will no doubt put together, as always, a quality event. We would courteously suggest, however, that in the trade’s interests as well as their own (and ours and ACI’s), they might reconsider the timing.