AUSTRALASIA. The post-COVID-19 travel retail consumer will be the focus of the opening sessions at the 2023 Australian Airports Association (AAA) Retail and Commercial Forum.
As reported, the second AAA Retail & Commercial Forum will be held in Brisbane on 17 to 19 July. The event (at the Sofitel Hotel) is being organised through a partnership of the AAA, The Mercurius Group and The Moodie Davitt Report. Further programme details will be announced shortly.
The first morning keynote will be delivered by Gary Mortimer, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour at the Queensland University of Technology, who has spent over 25 years working with some of Australia’s largest general merchandise and food retailers and is an active researcher in consumer behaviour and retailing.
In 2020, he was appointed as the Chair of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) Consumer Research Advisory Committee. He is widely recognised as Australia’s leading retail expert, industry keynote speaker and media commentator. Professor Mortimer will focus on emerging consumer trends in the domestic retail market and what these mean for travel retail.
TH?NK Global Research will also present findings of a research report specially commissioned by the organisers, which will survey 1,000 travel retail consumers to understand how they feel about the airport commercial offer post-COVID-19. The research will cover all elements of the airport commercial offer including retail and ground transport products.
The research will be presented by TH?NK Global Research Managing Director Kristy Ihle and is being guided by a panel of airports including Perth, Adelaide, Sunshine Coast, Newcastle, Launceston and Queenstown.
TH?NK Global Research is a leading consumer research company with deep experience in working with airports and brands to better understand consumer behaviour and motivation.
AAA Chief Executive James Goodwin said: “Including two retail subject matter experts to present at the start of the Forum shows consumers are the most critical element of any airport’s commercial offer and the better we understand their behaviour and motivations, the better the experience can be.”
“When developing commercial programmes for our client, consumer research is a key element of the planning process – just as important as nationality, destination, socio-economic and demographic analysis. The theme of the conference is accelerating growth and this always starts with the consumer,” added The Mercurius Group Managing Director Ivo Favotto.
“A focus on the consumer is a common feature of the forums and conferences that we run around the world, alongside discussion of the commercial dynamics between airports and concessionaires. We look forward to taking a deep dive into the thinking and behaviour of a new wave of travelling consumers post COVID-19,” said The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt.
For further details on the event and for Australasian sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Ivo Favotto
The Mercurius Group
ifavotto@themercuriusgroup.com
+61 423564057
For international brand sponsorship opportunities please contact:
Irene Revilla: Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com
Sarah Genest: Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com
Aran Turner: Aran@MoodieDavittReport.com ✈
