FRANCE/INTERNATIONAL. Diageo Global Travel has expressed its optimism for the future of the travel retail industry post-pandemic after it returned to TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes last week. There it had a high-profile presence for its leading brands in an eye-catching beach location, where it also staged a multi-themed, engaging panel discussion series under ‘The Sunset Sessions’ title.
The company expressed excitement about what the travel retail space offers consumers, industry partners and Diageo’s own brands. At Cannes Diageo’s Global Travel teams showcased their category strategy and ambition to bring the leading drinks group’s sustainability and inclusion goals to life.
“I felt a real confidence travelling through every area of travel retail. We are emerging stronger and thinking more proactively about sustainability. We want to play our part in rebuilding and reimagining an industry that works for everyone involved and delivers for our consumers” – Diageo Global Travel Managing Director Andrew Cowan
Reflecting on Diageo’s series of activations and engagements at Cannes, Diageo Global Travel Managing Director Andrew Cowan said: “This year at Cannes we had the opportunity to demonstrate to our customers and partners our vision for the alcohol and non-alcohol categories.
“We brought to life our intent for and the optionality of our portfolio for gifting, different occasions, luxury and choice. Meeting everyone face to face and having the conversations that mattered made all the difference to our teams as we look ahead.”
He added: “After perhaps the most challenging years the industry has ever seen it was all the more important to meet face to face and showcase in person and throughout our exhibition stand what we want to partner with our customers to achieve.
“I felt a real confidence travelling through every area of travel retail. We are emerging stronger and thinking more proactively about sustainability. We want to play our part in rebuilding and reimagining an industry that works for everyone involved and delivers for our consumers.”
As part of this year’s Cannes activity, Diageo Global Travel teamed up with The Moodie Davitt Report to host a series of panel discussions known as The Sunset Sessions at the Majestic Beach Bar, home to Diageo for the week.
Aligned to Diageo’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress ambition over the course of three evenings, Diageo brought together a panel of industry experts to discuss key topics transforming the global travel industry today including:
- Positive drinking and responsible consumption (see our report of the discussion here)
- Sustainable brand action for travel retail (coverage here)
- Driving performance through diversity and inclusion (coverage here)
Diageo Global Scotch Director John Williams, who spoke about the benefits of diversity during the third session, said: “The Sunset Sessions at TFWA Cannes last week were an exciting opportunity for all of us to share ideas and talk about how we can build a better future for everyone. We know diverse teams are more productive, more creative and better at solving problems – this leads to higher performance for everyone, and I think there was a consensus around that idea in Cannes, which is heartening.”
The Diageo Global Travel Category Strategy Exhibition, located at Beach Village, showcased Diageo’s ambition for travel retail. That ambition is to collaborate with customers and partners to lead the spirits category to double in size in global travel by 2030. The focus is on four growth pillars grounded in the understanding of key consumer occasions, needs and motivations. These include:
- Promoting balanced choices – the non-alcoholic space like Gordon’s and Tanqueray 0.0%
- Winning in gifting – with Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve
- Encouraging and enabling flavour exploration – showcasing malts’ diversity
- Creating moments to remember – with the example of Baileys
A Diageo 0.0% bar offered guests a selection of alcohol-free cocktails, as well as providing guests with the opportunity to take a positive drinking quiz via www.DrinkIQ.com on touch screens.
Andrew Cowan concluded: “We set out to demonstrate our ambition, our plan and our commitment to building a sustainable future within travel retail this year at TFWA Cannes. It’s bold, but we feel energised and are focused on collaboration with our customers and partners going forward.
“We remain grounded in key consumer occasions, needs and motivations, with renewed emphasis on our gifting experience, encouraging flavour exploration, creating moments to remember and promoting balanced consumption as part of normal life. We have said it many times – but it is about drinking better.”
Below is a gallery of further images from Diageo’s striking presence in Cannes…
