Cannes 2021: health-aware, business-focused

A reassuring, relaxed feel at this year’s TFWA World Exhibition & Conference (25-28 October in Cannes) will let business take centre stage as duty free and travel retail prepares to meet face-to-face again.
  

With a successful Cannes Film Festival in July underlining the city’s ability to safely host international events, anticipation is building for TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2021. While DF & TR professionals are keen to see colleagues in person again, some may still have concerns about the transition from home office to exhibition floor. To address these and make it easy for delegates to focus on meeting clients and doing deals, a programme of health-related measures will feature at the industry’s global gathering. Visitors to the Palais des Festivals will need either to be double-vaccinated or show a negative test result from the on-site testing facilities. Access to a 24-hour medical concierge service will be also available to all participants. Industry executives based outside France will be glad to know that documentation requirements for entering the country are limited to proof of double vaccination and a signed declaration available online for download and completion. Further details can be found here. 

The chance encounters and casual contacts that make live events so valuable, and that 18 months of online meetings and remote working have prevented, will loom large in Cannes this year. From Monday to Wednesday, TFWA will host a TFWA Lounge (venue to be confirmed soon) where delegates can meet and network after the Exhibition closes at 18:30. Open until 21:00, the Lounge will provide a relaxed environment in which to chat with colleagues or continue conversations from the Palais.

This year’s TFWA Conference offers a range of authoritative market insights as the recovery gathers speed. After TFWA President Jaya Singh’s maiden Cannes address, Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group whose brands include Skyscanner and Ctrip, will share her views on the restart of travel in China and elsewhere. Benjamin Vuchot, CEO of DFS Group, will talk of travel retail’s need to reinvent itself, while IATA Vice-President for Europe Rafael Schvartzman will address the future for travel from the airlines’ perspective. And with Gen Z consumers top-of-mind for brands and retailers alike, Jay Richards of brand advisors Imagen Insights will reflect on how best to engage a new generation of travelling shoppers.

As preparations for Cannes continue, TFWA is monitoring the overall situation closely and may make changes to the programme as appropriate.

Visitor pre-registration for TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2021 is open now at tfwa.com until 7 October. Book your place here

Take a look at what to expect in Cannes in 2021
See the 250+ brands taking stand space at the Exhibition