The 21st anniversary edition of The Trinity Forum was every bit as special as that landmark warranted.
Ho Chi Minh was a fabulous location and I have run out of superlatives to describe the hospitality, grace, support and professionalism of our co-hosts Airports Corporation of Vietnam and IPP Group.
And so the hard-working Moodie Davitt team prepare to ride out after a memorable Trinity Forum. Pictured from left are Aran Turner, Irene Revilla, Vincci Chung, Kristyn Branisel, Mark Lane, Dermot Davitt and me doing my Easy Rider impersonation.
I often muse about the term ‘moderating’ when it comes to leading an event such as The Trinity Forum on stage. There’s nothing moderate about the stress that comes with the role, that’s for sure. What people don’t see is the hours of late (and often through the) night and early morning preparation nor the anxiety that goes with ensuring all appears calm and seamless.
And in 12 months time we’ll do it all over again but this time in Doha, Qatar. I am pictured during the delightfully atmospheric handover ceremony, which included the exchange of gifts between this year’s joint hosts, Airports Corporation of Vietnam & IPP Travel Retail and Qatar Duty Free. Pictured with me from second left are Qatar Duty Free Head of F&B Operations Ibrahim Al-Emadi; Qatar Airways Group Chief Retail and Hospitality Officer Thabet Musleh; Airports Corporation of Vietnam Deputy Director Nguyễn Cao Cường and IPP Travel Retail Chief Executive Officer Phillip Nguyen.Minh Ho, a prodigiously talented ten-year-old violinist, entertained guests at The Trinity Forum Gala Dinner. The young boy was born with a cleft lip in 2014, the disfigurement later treated at a Smile Train partner hospital in Vietnam. His condition and the subsequent medical attention he received to correct it didn’t stop him from pursuing an early, innate love of music. His appearance helped spur an amazing US$118,500 fundraising effort on the night for Smile Train.
I tend to stumble away from such events, feeling as if I have been placed in a very public equivalent of a pressure cooker, steamed at maximum temperature for two days.
The kitchen variety of the pressure cooker was invented in the 1600s by a French physicist and mathematician named Denis Papin. His early prototype was called a steam digester, which seems an even more appropriate analogy for the art of moderating.
One week on, that steam has not only been digested but at last released. Hopefully our method of cooking paid off. Below are some of my favourite memories of the courses we and our hosts served up. ✈
{Look out for extensive further coverage of The Trinity Forum 2024 in a special omnibus edition of The Moodie Davitt eZine}
IPP Travel Retail Chief Executive Phillip Nguyen (right) and Duty Free Global Founder & auctioneer extraordinaire Barry Geoghegan (centre) kick off the fundraising efforts during the Gala Dinner
What a pleasure and privilege it was to present two industry luminaries – outgoing Mondelez World Travel Retail Managing Director Jaya Singh (above) and Imex Pan Pacific Group Founder & Chairman Johnathan Hanh Nguyen (below) – with awards for Outstanding Contribution to the Airport Commercial Revenues Sector. Their smiles say it all.
(Above and below) Marvellously vibrant, localised scenes from the Gala Dinner
A lovely moment of celebration with Dermot Davitt and Johnathan Hahn Nguyen
THE OPENING COCKTAIL
The traditional Opening Cocktail was hosted by Airports Corporation of Vietnam and IPP Group with a superb spirits line-up provided by Diageo Global Travel
What great support Diageo Global Travel always gives Trinity. Bravo Andrew Cowan, shown toasting the occasion with me.Andrew is joined in a toast by (from left) IPP Travel Retail CEO Phillip Nguyen, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East Director General Stefano Baronci and Airports Corporation of Vietnam Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc HungCo-hosts and organisers join in raising a glass to the delegates who came from far and wide to join The Trinity Forum 2024Phillip Nguyen and I hatched the plan to bring Trinity to Ho Chi Minh City 14 months ago. Phillip and his team deserve immense credit for the incredible devotion and professionalism they poured into making the event a smash hit.
Avolta have come to town and are ready to partyThe man of the moment, IPP Travel Retail CEO Phillip Nguyen
PHOTO GALLERY
A high-level meeting at the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh City Mayor Nguyen Van Dung proved a pre-Trinity honour for a select group of delegatesPictured from left are ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci; Mondelez World Travel Retail Managing Director Jaya Singh; The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie; IPP Group Chairman Johnathan Hanh Nguyen; Qatar Airways Chief Retail & Hospitality Officer Thabet Musleh; SSP CEO Patrick Coveney; and IPP Travel Retail Chief Executive Officer Phillip Nguyen.
{This was our opening film for The Trinity Film 2024, scripted by me and created by my super-talented colleague at Moodie Davitt STUDIO, Alexander Roux}
Opening video over. Let the show begin…The MC introduces VIPs and the organisersAirports Corporation of Vietnam Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hung proved an exceptional co-hostThe legendary Johnathan Hahn Nguyen, Founder & Chairman of Imex Pan Pacific (IPP) Group receives a well-earned round of applauseMy long-term colleague, business partner and co-moderator Dermot Davitt takes a bow. So he should, what a great moderator he is.And off we go. But before getting down to business I ask the audience to stand in memory of the great Colm McLoughlin, long-time leader of Dubai Duty Free, who so sadly passed away on 30 October. For all those in the room who knew Colm (and there were many), this was a profoundly poignant momentA room hushed for a great man fallen
Before I introduce our morning keynote speaker, I ask the audience to use their imagination. “Play the video please”…
{Click on the YouTube icon to see this short film shown by Qatar Airways Chief Retail and Hospitality Officer Thabet Musleh just before he took delegates on a journey which illustrated how Qatar Duty Free, Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport are elevating airport experiences through collaboration and imagination. The film was produced by Moodie Davitt STUDIO.}
Thabet introduced me to Sama, QDF’s AI Virtual Assistant, who not only knew my shopping preferences – yes indeed, Hermès Eau D’orange Verte is my go-to fragrance – but even booked me into the Dior Spa during my layover at Hamad International Airport. Thank you, Sama, I’ll take you up on that offer.What a stellar panel this was. I am pictured with (from second left) Diageo Global Travel Commercial Director APAC, MENA and India Sandra Tassilly; L’Oréal Travel Retail Asia Pacific Managing Director Jesús Abia; Airport Dimensions CEO Mignon Buckingham; Cappell Consulting Founder and President (and my excellent co-moderator) Daniel Cappell; and Mondelez World Travel Retail Managing Director Jaya Singh.China Duty Free Group Assistant General Manager Michelle Sun was another star turnRiyadh Airports Company Chief Commercial Officer Abdulaziz Al-Asaker (above and below left) and Altavia Travel Retail Director Hugo Vanderschaegh (below centre) discussed the remarkable transformation of retail and F&B at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and the extraordinary opportunities Saudi Arabia offers
No Trinity Forum would be complete without Avolta CEO Xavier Rossinyol, who was in typically candid moodI’m not sure I’ve ever seen a photo that captures Xavier Rossinyol’s boundless energy better than this
As always, Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths lent an astute and consumer-centric perspective to a fascinating discussion
I always enjoy my conversations with Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dag Rasmussen, one of our industry’s most erudite voices and insightful thinkers. This was no exception.What a class double act. Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi and SSP CEO Patrick Coveney joined me on stage.IPP Travel Retail Chief Executive Phillip Nguyen delivered a rousing presentation outlining the enormous opportunities Vietnam offersThe title says it all as the spotlight rightly fell on the burgeoning Vietnamese aviation, tourism and travel retail sectorsIn an important moment, Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG) and China Duty Free Group (CDFG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a strategic partnership between the respective companies. The MOU was signed by VIPs from both companies and witnessed by guests, including Dermot Davitt and myself from The Moodie Davitt Report.(Above from left) Present during the signing ceremony were CDFG Assistant General Manager Michelle Sun; The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie; CDFG Deputy General Manager and China Duty Free International Director/General Manager Zhao Feng; China Tourism Group Strategic Development Department General Manager Lei Haisu; Acting Consulate General of China in Ho Chi Minh City Xu Zhou; IPPG Founder & Chairman Jonathan Hanh Nguyen; Airports Corporation of Vietnam Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hung; IPPG Vice President Business Development and IPP Travel Retail CEO Phillip Nguyen; Hainan Assembly Hall Merchant Association President Lâm Minh Huy; and The Moodie Davitt Report Editorial Director Dermot Davitt
