MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA. The Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) Conference next month (15-17 November) will explore the forces reshaping travel retail, from geopolitical and economic shifts and Africa’s expanding aviation and tourism landscape to evolving consumer expectations, sustainability, artificial intelligence and major sporting events.
To be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Rabat in Kasr Al Bahr, Morocco, the event will form part of the association’s 25th anniversary celebrations, bringing together key leaders from aviation, travel retail, tourism, technology and consumer industries.
The Moodie Davitt Report President & CEO Dermot Davitt will co-moderate the programme, which will kick off on 16 November with ‘MEA at a crossroads: Navigating a new global reality’, followed by ‘Growth under pressure: Leading travel retail across MEA’.
The leadership session will bring together senior industry voices, including MEADFA President Abdeslam Agzoul of Avolta.
He will be joined by Aer Rianta International CEO Nuno Amaral; Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi; Africa Travel Retail Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson Chichi Maponya; Lagardère Travel Retail COO Asia, Middle East, Africa, France & Luxembourg Vincent Romet; and Gebr. Heinemann CEO Middle East Africa Bernard Schlafstein.
Making its Morocco debut, the MEADFA Conference will feature ‘Morocco’s moment’, a session exploring the country’s expanding tourism and aviation landscape.
Monday 16 November’s agenda will also include ‘Protecting the channel’, highlighting regulatory change and industry advocacy, and ‘MEA air traffic outlook’, with Amadeus’ Marina Giuliano examining shifting passenger flows and connectivity across the region.
The programme will conclude with ‘Game Changers’, tackling the growing relationship between sport, tourism and travel retail.
Tuesday 17 November will open with Qatar Airways Chief Retail and Hospitality Officer Thabet Musleh, followed by ‘Africa in focus’, which will explore aviation growth, infrastructure investment, intra-African travel and shifting consumer markets across the continent.
Another agenda highlight, ‘Do malls do it better?’, will examine how new retail models across shopping malls, lifestyle destinations and digital-first brands could offer insights for travel retail.
Sustainability will also feature prominently, with Lagardère Travel Retail Middle East CEO Dr Munif Mohammed leading ‘From commitment to action’, providing an update on the MEADFA Sustainability Charter.
The Conference will close with ‘AI: buzzword to business tool’, featuring Professor Hajar Mousannif of Cadi Ayyad University.
MEADFA President Abdeslam Agzoul said: “We’re especially proud to bring MEADFA to Morocco for the first time in this anniversary year. The programme reflects a region full of change and opportunity, and I’m looking forward to the conversations it will spark across our industry.”
The networking programme will include an Opening Cocktail on 15 November and the Gala Dinner and MEADFA Awards on 16 November, alongside dedicated networking facilities throughout the event.
The conference is organised in partnership with TFWA, with Avolta as Official Host and support from a strong line-up of industry partners. These include Swedish Smokeless Solution, Chkoudra, Scent of Africa, Locali Gourmet, Hama Gulf and Badael as Diamond Partners.
Other sponsors include Heinemann Middle East Africa for the Opening Cocktail and International Duty Free Shops Maroc for the Day 1 Lunch. Lagardère Travel Retail and Mazaya will support the Day 2 Lunch, while Masra by Al Waha Duty Free will sponsor the Networking Lounge.
Aphrodite Duty Free, Aer Rianta Middle East, Dubai Duty Free, DFP World, Estée Lauder Companies and Imperial Brands are the Conference’s Platinum Partners.
Gold Partners are Inter African Marketing and Pernod Ricard, while Mondelez International and Mars Wrigley will sponsor the Coffee Breaks. Other sponsors include Moroccan Oil, Seeberger, Al Jaber and Bloom – Dead Sea Gift Enterprise.
Pre-registration is open until 22 October. ✈
