Cannes: The road to recovery

Last year, around 13,000 industry professionals gathered in Cannes for the week’s unique blend of face-to-face meetings, live briefings and networking. Despite (or perhaps because of) the growth in recent years of video conferencing and communication apps, the desire to see business partners in person seems as strong as ever in duty free and travel retail.

The world has changed fundamentally since the last TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, with Covid-19 reshaping almost every form of human interaction. Until the coronavirus has been tamed, large gatherings are off-limits. But with the situation gradually improving in China, it’s possible to imagine a time in the months to come when people will be able to mix and travel safely again.

Then, as duty free and travel retail reopens for business, the ability of the Cannes week to attract the industry’s major actors will play an important role in the sector’s recovery. The network effect of having brands, retailers, landlords and other stakeholders from around the world in one place over several days is significant. TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2020 will also be the first industry event for 12 months, providing further momentum.

In addition to hundreds of brands and thousands of visitors, this year’s edition will feature TFWA i.lab, the innovation forum focused on elevating the traveller experience. With Covid-19 making travel inaccessible to millions for many months, the appetite for enjoyable in-store interaction will be substantial.

But the biggest benefit for duty free and travel retail will simply be TFWA World Exhibition & Conference doing what it does best – bringing together the global industry to do business, discuss the issues, catch up with existing contacts and meet new faces.

Read more about TFWA i.lab