Landing a scoop in Doha and heading for showtime in Singapore

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie

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

Not a bad view to wake up to as I open my latest Interim Bureau after a hectic spell on the road, one which is set to continue throughout May including visits to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Brisbane, Australia.

I apologise for the lack of load posts recently, but the pace has been more frenetic than fast; the workload involving a flurry of 18 to 19-hour days in preparation for our blockbuster Singapore show magazine (print & digital, complemented by an eZine and a Category Insight supplement, all published at the same time).

That has ensured that neither me nor ‘the website that never sleeps’ reached for the melatonin. In any case, this magnificent panoramic vista from my 12th floor room at Marina Bay Sands is enough to shake off the jet-lag and plunge into the day and night rigours of a trade show, that being TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition and Conference.

I flew into Singapore onboard the always excellent Qatar Airways, having spent several deeply engrossing days at Hamad International Airport, Doha in the good company of the Qatar Duty Free management and team.

There I was privileged to attend the opening of the first-ever Dior Luxury Beauty Retreat as well as filming for our newly launched Moodie Davitt STUDIO film division.

I just love the sheer ebullience and joy of this photo as Parfums Christian Dior President and CEO Veronique Courtois and Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice President Thabet Musleh officially open the Dior Luxury Beauty Retreat {Photo by Alexander Roux for Moodie Davitt Studio/The Moodie Davitt Report)

I was honoured to meet Veronique Courtois at a celebratory dinner after the Dior opening

Indeed, you can see another of our productions from Moodie Davitt STUDIO below, filmed during the recent Hainan Expo, as The Moodie Davitt Report Chief China Representative Zhang Yimei sits down with The Estée Lauder Companies Global President Travel Retail Israel Assa.

I’ll tell you much more about Moodie Davitt STUDIO in the weeks to come; suffice to say for now that I’m as excited about its launch as I was with the debut of The Moodie Report (as it was then) way back in 2002.

The TFWA show got off to its usual, vibrant start with the Welcome Cocktail at Gardens by the Bay last night. I’ve got a week packed with appointments, as well as keeping my insomniac website sibling up to date. More on the show in my next Blog.

I look forward to seeing many of you during the show, to reacquainting with old friends and making many new ones. ✈

Another great shot, this time by Jeremy Grinan for Moodie Davitt STUDIO as he captures Alexander Roux filming me walking into Hamad International Airport’s airside south node and the famous Lamp Bear by Swiss artist Urs Fischer (seen on the giant digital screen)
Hard at work in another Interim Bureau, this time in the lovely Venchi outlet with Qatar Duty Free at Hamad International Airport, which sells a dazzling array of chocolate, drinks and gelato. And, yes, in time-honoured media style, I did get a scoop.
Well, I’d like to claim I was hard at work again but dining inside Louis Vuitton Lounge by Yannick Alléno on set for Moodie Davitt STUDIO seems more like fun to me. What an experience at this astonishingly fine lounge.
I am pictured with Rivoli Group Chief Operating Officer – Watch Division Abraham Koshy and Qatar Duty Free Senior Vice President Thabet Musleh at a superb Omega pop-up promoting the brand’s fourth-generation edition Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. The animation recreates the famous Apollo 11 Moon landing of 1969, albeit with an Omega twist. The pop-up features an Omega Moon buggy and golden statues of Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin. More details coming soon, a definite example of watch this space.