Dufry CEO Julián Díaz to lead powerful speakers’ line-up for 2015 Trinity Forum

Julián Díaz: A leader’s perspective

HONG KONG. Dufry Group CEO Julián Díaz, who has led the retailer’s super-charged consolidation of the travel retail sector since 2004, heads a powerful speakers’ line-up for The Trinity Forum 2015, to be held on 16-18 September in Hong Kong.

The Trinity Forum, this year hosted by Hong Kong International Airport (whose CEO Fred Lam will be making the opening remarks), is the world’s leading airport commercial revenues conference. It is a tri-partite alliance between The Moodie Report (the Forum’s exclusive media), Airports Council International (ACI) and ACI Asia-Pacific. The event will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Hong Kong.

This year’s theme is ‘Putting the Consumer at the Heart of the Trinity’.

A carefully crafted programme will include several innovations – and surprises.

The second Trinity Prize, which recognises the most game-changing tri-partite partnership of the year (last year won by Treasury Wine Estates, Sydney Airport and The Nuance Group Australia) will be awarded; a major recognition of an industry legend (details will only be revealed at the event) will be unveiled; and one of the sector’s great brand companies will present the findings from a unique external perspective on the future of travel retail. Additionally a leading airport company will deliver an ambitious new Trinity concept; and a Trinity consortium of stakeholders will reveal plans for a unique collaboration.

Each session will focus on enhancing consumer engagement and conversion with focused debate on key issues including a session entitled ‘Airport retail price comparisons – the consumer’s friend or a race to the bottom?’

Full programme details will be revealed later this month. Other confirmed big-name speakers to join Díaz are Jean-Charles Decaux, Executive Board Chairman and Co-CEO of the world’s leading outdoor advertising company (and airport advertising leader) JCDecaux; Rick Blatstein, the dynamic CEO of innovative US travel retailer and restaurateur OTG; an airport CEO’s panel; Garry Stock, Chairman of one of the world’s most admired independent travel retailers, JR/Duty Free;Adil Raihani, the straight-talking Senior Vice President Center Management at Vienna Airport; and, representing the host airport, the much-respected Airport Authority Hong Kong Executive Director, Commercial Cissy Chan.

They will be joined by Patrick Graf, Head Marketing, Retail & Services at Zürich Airport (speaking on ‘The future of travel retail – and the importance of consumer connection); Chris Rayner, CEO of SSP Asia Pacific, one of the world’s leading travel-related food & beverage providers; Nicola Wells, Director – Global Customer Strategy and Marketing for ambitious Irish travel retailer Aer Rianta International; and Wolfgang Weil, International Airport Chief Operations Officer and Member of the Board of Directors at Xi’an Xianyang, one of China’s most innovative airports in terms of commercial services.

Other speaker details will follow soon.

Mondelez World Travel Retail and L’Oréal Group Travel Retail are Platinum Sponsors for this year’s Forum; Mars International Travel Retail is a Silver Sponsor and Furla is hosting the day one lunch. Additional sponsoring partners include Ferrero, Lacoste and Qatar Duty Free. For further sponsorship opportunities please e-mail Sarah.Genest@TheMoodieReport.com.

The Trinity Forum 2015 will commence with the Opening Cocktail on 16 September, with the conference proceedings taking place on 17-18 September.

“With travel retail at a tipping point in terms of converging forces – particularly sector consolidation and the acceleration of social media’s impact – there’s never been a more important time to address the industry’s shortcomings and seize its many great opportunities,” said The Moodie Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie. “We can only achieve these goals if we put the consumer at the heart of each and every approach.”

The Trinity Forum attracts a powerful audience from the airport, concessionaire and brand communities – the ‘Trinity’ of travel retail. Its unrivalled focus on a progressive industry agenda and genuine debate on industry issues ensures it is not ‘just another industry conference’. Many of the speeches that have been made at The Trinity Forum since the inaugural event was held in 2003 have been hailed as seminal influences on the subsequent development of the travel retail industry.

Delegate registration is now open, with ‘Early Bird’ registration rates available. Click on the following link for further details: www.trinity2015.com