QATAR. Innovators, ideators, disrupters, dreamers and entrepreneurs are all being encouraged to submit their entries to The QDF Factor, an unprecedented initiative to encourage and champion creativity at a time when travel retail needs it most.
The QDF Factor, launched earlier this month, is the brainchild of Qatar Duty Free (QDF) and The Moodie Davitt Report. It is a competition open to all brands, both within or outside the travel retail channel, that offers a top prize of a complimentary, six-month listing and high-profile promotion at Qatar Duty Free’s award-winning retail offer in Hamad International Airport, Doha. The victor will also win a six-month US$50,000 multi-media advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report.
The winner will be revealed by Qatar Duty Free at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo, where Qatar Duty Free is a Diamond Partner.
Entrants, to be judged by Qatar Duty Free Vice President Thabet Musleh and his team, and The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie, will be judged on a series of qualitative criteria, including:
- Innovation: What does this product or concept offer that is unique, stands out from its competitors, and creates a talking point for retailer and consumer alike? What is its USP?
- CSR – what additional social credentials does your product offer?
- Presentation: What is compelling about the packaging? What makes it stand out on shelf?
- Commercial viability: Who is your product targeted at? What makes it a winner? What is your pricing policy and (going forward) marketing approach?
- Overall quality: Tell us about the R&D that went into your product, the quality of its ingredients/components.
Qatar Duty Free may award more than one prize if sufficiently impressed (The Moodie Davitt Report will match any additional prizes with further advertising).
Qatar Duty Free Vice President Operations Thabet Musleh said: “QDF has always worked closely with travel retail brands to create unique offers and experiences for our customers.
“Now we are really excited to provide an opportunity for all brands – no matter how big or small, with or without a presence in travel retail – to have their product in one of the top three airports in the world. We welcome all brands to participate and very much look forward to seeing really innovative concepts that will delight our customers in the post COVID-19 era.”
The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said: “We’re hugely excited to be working with Qatar Duty Free, our Diamond Partner at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, on a project that breaks new ground in travel retail. With the channel having experienced such trauma since the COVID-19 crisis began, this is the perfect tonic to focus on the qualities of creativity and innovation that are surely the key to the industry’s future.”
All entries must be received by 15 September at the following address:
- Qatar Duty Free Company
- Office 401 & 408
- 4th Floor, Qatar Airways Tower 3
- Building 133, Street 310, Zone 48
- P.O. Box 22553
- Doha, State of Qatar
You must include:
- A PDF/word document answering the entry criteria above
- Photos and/or video of the product
- Samples [in the event of alcohol entries please send to Martin Moodie at The Moodie Davitt Report – address details to be supplied on application]
