INTERNATIONAL. The second Virtual Travel Retail Experience, run by The Moodie Davitt Report with support partner FILTR.QINGWA, will now be held from 11 to 15 October as a result of TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes being moved from its original 26-30 September dates to 24-28 October.
The Virtual Travel Retail Experience (renamed from Expo) had originally been set for 18-22 October.
The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said, “Having a virtual show followed by a physical one in two consecutive weeks is not ideal in our view and the extra week’s gap will, we think, assist both TFWA and our event.
“As we showed last year, our virtual format is a very different proposition from a physical exhibition. It is also a complementary one and hopefully these two events in October will generate widespread global involvement to assist the sector’s recovery.
“We will be working very closely with other trade associations and will also do everything we can to promote and support TFWA’s physical event.”
KEY IMPROVEMENTS TO VIRTUAL FORMAT
In related news, The Moodie Davitt Report and FILTR. QINGWA are delighted to announce several critical enhancements to the virtual platform used in 2020.
The two companies can today reveal that they have jointly invested in upgraded software which, while ensuring consistency from last year, will take the event to a new level of exhibitor and visitor convenience, experience and engagement.
New features and settings including:
- A single integrated platform
- Mobile-responsiveness
- China-friendly configuration
- Personalised event agenda
- Upgraded chat function, with video calling and screen-sharing features
- Integrated webcasting and live-streaming
- Enhanced ROI analysis
- 360 Virtual Reality environment capabilities
- Real-time suite access control for Platinum exhibitors
- Private stand set-up previewing
- And even ecommerce integration
Moodie said: “This is a significant but necessary and timely investment by ourselves and FILTR.QINGWA in taking our virtual events to a new level. Our new platform is being curated from the ground up by our teams to address all exhibitor and visitor needs and build on the learnings from 2020.
“It will enable us to host high-class events of varying scale, format and geographies in the future, not just in travel retail but across other sectors such as beauty tech and many others – and to partner with companies and trade associations who require a cost-effective but immersive and practical virtual platform.
“We have consistently shown our support through the crisis for industry trade associations, exemplified by our running of the recent Summit of the Americas with IAADFS and ASUTIL; our partnership with APTRA on the APAC Dialogue series; and our involvement with ACI Asia-Pacific on the ACIAPAC webinars. We hope through this platform to be able to work with such associations and other industry stakeholders even more closely through this difficult period in aviation and travel retail history.
“Our aim is to represent best practice in the virtual events sector just as we do in travel retail and digital publishing and FILTR.QINGWA does in the area of integrated retail, design, branding and communications. We believe virtual events are here to stay, not as a replacement for physical events, which we all want to see return, but as complementary to them.”
FILTR.QINGWA will curate the environment and provide end-to-end support and account management for all exhibitors, plus a series of online masterclasses in the lead-up to the event to help exhibitors leverage the virtual platform to the maximum potential.
FILTR.QINGWA Managing Partner Alex Cook added, “Digital innovation is as relentless as it is inspiring. Building on the learnings of an award-winning platform in 2020, we’re making major investments with the vision to set a new benchmark in virtual events, with the Virtual Travel Retail Experience 2021 leading the way.
“Crucially, the FILTR.QINGWA team will be side-by-side with all the participating companies to help curate their digital experiences. We look forward to this exciting journey together.”
Other key elements of the 2021 programme include:
- A unique Loyalty Scheme for returning exhibitors from 2020, who will receive a -10% discount on 2020 fees if they maintain the same stand tier as last year;
- -10% Early Bird incentive for new and returning exhibitors and sponsors booking by 4 June;
- A six-week ‘encore’ access for exhibitors and visitors at no additional cost;
- A dedicated Retailer Pavilion for airport, downtown, airline, rail and omnichannel retailers;
- A dedicated Cruise Jetty for cruise and ferry retailers
- An Experiential Arena, allowing companies which do not wish to exhibit, high-impact visibility opportunities;
- An enhanced Knowledge Hub programme over five days, featuring many of the sector’s key decision makers, disruptors and innovators; and a dedicated Food & Beverage (FAB) component.
FROM EXPO TO EXPERIENCE
As reported, the all-digital event – which follows up on last year’s hugely successful Virtual Travel Retail Expo – has been rebranded from ‘Expo’ to ‘Experience’ to reflect the wider range of activities it will encompass.
These include The QDF Factor – repeating last year’s acclaimed competition to drive and reward industry innovation through a six-month listing with Qatar Duty Free and a complimentary US$50,000 advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report – and the first-ever Travel Retail Superstars Awards & Knowledge Programme, championing frontline staff in our sector (more on both initiatives below).
The event will again include an array of interactive and immersive Engagement Lounge sessions and a high-profile thought leadership programme in the Knowledge Hub. FILTR.QINGWA will curate the environment and provide end-to-end support and account management for all exhibitors, plus a series of online masterclasses in the lead-up to the event to help exhibitors leverage the virtual platform to the maximum potential.
Dubai Duty Free, which will exhibit in a new Retailer Emporium (an exhibitor showcase with spaces dedicated to some of the world’s leading travel retailers) will be offering two prize draws each week in the run-up to the event, offering the chance for registrants to win US$1 million in the Millennium Millionaire draw or a luxury car in the Finest Surprise draw.
Lotte Duty Free, the Korean number one travel retailer and world number two, is also exhibiting, as is leading cruiseline concessionaire Harding and event Diamond Partner Qatar Duty Free/Hamad International Airport.
Other exhibitors confirmed to date include Platinum Partners Diageo and Philip Morris International; plus Ahmad Tea, Harding, iClick Interactive and One Red Kite with many others to be named in coming days. All exhibitors will benefit from daily performance reports to help track ROI from the event.
For more information about becoming an exhibitor or sponsor of the Virtual Travel Retail Expo 2021, please contact Irene Revilla, Publisher, The Moodie Davitt Report (Irene@moodiedavittreport.com) or Sarah Genest, Vice President Sales & Events (Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com).
Other major travel retailers to have committed their teams to attending include Dufry, King Power Group (HK) and King Power International, Aer Rianta International and Duty Free Americas.
THE QDF FACTOR IS BACK – BIGGER AND BETTER
In what promises to be one of the big highlights, as noted above, Qatar Duty Free returns as an event Diamond Partner and will reprise The QDF Factor – a unique competition to incentivise innovation, offering a grand prize of a six-month listing with the acclaimed travel retailer in 2022 and a complimentary six-month US$50,000 advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report.
The Knowledge Hub programme will see the integration of The Moodies – travel retail and aviation’s only social and digital media awards and workshop – together with a dedicated digital, communications and advertising workshop. The Moodies this year will be extended to cover the whole travel ecosystem.
In addition, the first-ever Travel Retail Superstars Awards & Knowledge Programme will place the spotlight on the thousands of frontline and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep a stricken sector going throughout the pandemic.
The event, combining an awards ceremony and a people-centric Knowledge Hub programme focused on the vital role of staff, will be a core element at the event. Categories and nomination procedure will be revealed later this month.
The inaugural Virtual Travel Retail Expo was the key trade event of the 2020 travel retail calendar, attracting over 4,370 unique visitors, who paid over 20,000 visits to the platform. 124 exhibition stands received more than 183,600 impressions and generated 179,700 content clicks.
The conference and workshop agenda was packed with 42 sessions and received over 30,000 session views. Elsewhere in the event, the Experience Hub hosted 41 sessions, hosted by exhibitors themselves, with 9,140 views.
The Moodie Davitt Report and FILTR.QINGWA delivered on their commitments to corporate social responsibility at the 2020 event. Proceeds funded 112 cleft operations through cleft charity The Smile Train; saw 4,250 trees planted via The Trinity Forest Project; and donated US$16,000 to ImpactHK, the 2020 designated charity year for Women in Travel Retail. CSR will again be a major focus of the 2021 event, with details to be announced soon.
