INDIA. With less than a month to go, the Airport Food and Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference & Awards 2026 is shaping up to be another blockbuster edition, as top industry executives continue to join the powerhouse line-up ahead of the 7-8 July event in Bengaluru.
The latest confirmed speakers include Avolta CEO Northern, Central and Eastern Europe Walter Seib; Vienna Airport Senior Vice President Center Management Philipp Ahrens; Viklari Consulting Managing Director Jonathan Doughty; and Airport Dimensions COO Errol McGlothan.
Owned and organised by The Moodie Davitt Report since 2011, FAB is hosted this year by Bangalore International Airport Limited.
The only global airport food & beverage and hospitality event will bring together senior executives from airports, food & beverage concessionaires and hospitality service providers, as well as other business partners from around the world.
Industry veteran Walter Seib will present ‘View from the Top: How the Sector Leader Assesses the Future of Airport F&B’, bringing decades of travel retail expertise to the discussion.
Seib currently leads Avolta’s Northern, Eastern and Central Europe region, playing a key role in advancing the company’s travel retail and F&B operations across multiple markets.
He assumed the role in 2023 following the Dufry-Autogrill merger, working closely with local and global teams to drive growth and operational excellence.
Seib previously served as CEO of HMSHost International, and earlier led Dutch restaurant chain La Place, building a long career in travel retail and foodservice leadership across Europe, Asia Pacific, India and the Middle East.
Born in Vienna, Seib began his career in hospitality management and has held senior roles across the HMSHost group since the 1990s.
Philipp Ahrens and Jonathan Doughty will take the stage with a session titled ‘Dreaming Together at Vienna Airport: Delivering a New Guest Experience’.
Ahrens has been in his current role at Vienna Airport since 2021, responsible for around 100 retail, F&B and services units across the airport. He brings 30 years of experience in the airport sector, including senior roles at Munich Airport and ACI Europe, with international experience across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
He holds a Bachelor of European Law and an Aviation MBA, and is also a guest lecturer at Danube University in Krems. Since 2022, he has served as Chairman of the ACI Europe Commercial Forum.
Doughty is a veteran foodservice consultant with nearly 50 years of industry experience, currently working as an independent consultant and supporting Vienna Airport’s Southern Extension development through to 2027.
He also continues to work with ECE as Global Head of Foodservice on a consulting basis.
Over his career, he has held senior roles with companies including Imperial Inns and Taverns, Trusthouse Forte, Whitbread, Mars, Masterfoods and Marriott, before founding Coverpoint in 1993, a consultancy that advised more than 250 clients across 50 countries.
He has also worked with ECE and remains active in airport and transit F&B advisory projects globally.
Errol McGlothan brings his hospitality expertise to the panel ‘Turning Passengers into Guests: Where Next for Airport Hospitality?’
McGlothan manages global operations across Airport Dimensions’ airport lounge, hospitality and traveller experience portfolio, working with international teams and partners to deliver customer-focused airport solutions.
He brings more than 20 years of experience in business transformation and operational leadership, with previous roles at NatWest, MyTravel, Orange and Digicel. At Collinson, he played a key role in the expansion of Priority Pass, helping establish it as the world’s leading airport experiences programme.
FAB delegates are encouraged to register via the dedicated website.
For general enquiries on FAB, please contact Vincci Chung, Head of Events at Vincci@moodiedavittreport.com. 
