At the recent TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, The Moodie Davitt Report Managing Editor Ameesha Raizada caught up with 2.0 & Partners’ Head of Hospitality Programmes & Brand Expansion Vittoria Passoni and Head of Customer eXperience Management – Italy Erika Giannini to discuss how the London-based boutique agency continues to bring human connection and cultural awareness to the forefront of airport retail.
“2.0 & Partners started as a two-man show but we have grown a lot since then,” says Passoni. “Our business is divided into two units: location and brand planning, and customer experience management, which combines advisory services, mystery shopping and training programmes – all tailored for the travel retail environment.”
Passoni emphasises that understanding the full passenger journey is essential to delivering meaningful experiences. “Airports aren’t just transit points anymore. They have become destinations where people go to spend time, to shop, to eat, and they expect the same level of service and quality throughout the entire journey.
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“What really makes the difference is when airports, brands and operators work together. When everything is aligned to what passengers are really expecting, that’s where we make a difference.”
That collaborative spirit extends to the company’s Airport Ambassador Academy, designed to empower frontline staff to transform the passenger journey. Passoni says, “Travellers are getting more and more demanding, and they have extremely high expectations.
“The Airport Ambassador Academy gives frontline teams the knowledge to go beyond procedures, to anticipate needs and exceed travellers’ expectations. It’s about ensuring that real interactions are not overlooked.”
Giannini, who spearheads the Customer eXperience Management business suite, highlights the power of practical learning: “The Onboarding programme was designed to deliver an effective and practical training on the skills needed to operate successfully in travel retail.”
Cultural understanding, Giannini adds, is also fundamental. “Managing culturalism doesn’t just mean being able to communicate in the language of our customers,” she says. “It means interacting with them in a respectful way according to their background, in order to create meaningful connections.”
These cultural academies – focused on key traveller groups, including Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian and US passengers – have been designed to bridge these nuances. Giannini says, “Only by understanding these differences are we able to create meaningful and effective connections with our customers.”
Reflecting on the company’s growth and the ever-evolving travel retail landscape, Passoni says: “Travel retail never stops. When everyone is on vacation, we are working twice as hard, and when everyone comes back, we’re already planning the future. It’s that continuous movement that keeps the industry challenging – but at the same time, very exciting.” ✈
