TFWA and APTRA are delighted to announce a distinguished line-up of speakers and exciting content for the Industry Conference on China which they will stage jointly in Beijing from 5th to 7th March 2013.
The conference entitled ‘China’s Century: The Fast Pace of Change in China Duty Free & Travel Retail’ will take a bullish approach to issues that affect future development of the trade.
Luxury retailing in China and the Chinese luxury consumer will be a prevalent theme throughout the two day conference. A dedicated session on luxury will feature both international and local experts such as Oettinger Davidoff’s CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, Christian Blanckaert, Professor of Management, ESCP Business School, Paris and author of “Luxe Trotter” and Christie’s Head of Wine for China, Simon Tam.
On the first morning DFS Group Chairman and CEO, Philippe Schaus, will share his views on the future of luxury retailing in a world where the Chinese consumer’s preferences will be a priority for the luxury industry. Further insights on luxury brands’ experience with China and the Chinese consumer will be discussed in a session with senior executives from Godiva, Puig and Luxottica.
James Kynge, Editor, China Confidential, Financial Times and author of a highly comprehensive book on all aspects of the country, ‘China shakes the world’, will comment on the rapid growth of the Chinese economy in the last 20 years, the emergence of a wealthy middle class and the Chinese consumer’s appetite for foreign travel, tourism and international brands.
Expert analysis on duty free and travel retail from industry experts will also be a key feature in the conference programme. Mark Riches, former CEO World Duty Free, will present his formula for ‘Excellence in Duty Free’. A retailers’ panel discussion on the Chinese travelling consumer will see contributions from Lagardere Services Asia Pacific, King Power Group Hong Kong and AerRianta International.
A session featuring market analysts such as Forrester Research and WE Marketing Group Chairman & CEO Viveca Chan, recently named one of the “100 most influential women in advertising” by Advertising Age, will unpeel some of the layers of Chinese society and provide insights to Chinese consumer behaviour in ‘Market Insights – Chinese Consumers at Home, Away and Online’.
The conference will also feature a presentation on recent and future developments in the country by Beijing Capital International Airport and the broader aviation landscape in China will come under review in a session led by aviation analyst Peter Harbison, CAPA, with case studies presented by the management of major Chinese airports.
The announcement of the outline programme for the Industry Conference on China is the latest initiative in TFWA’s strategy to support the development of the duty free and travel retail industry in China. In addition to dedicated workshops on China at recent and forthcoming TFWA events, TFWA has, on behalf of its members, sponsored the extensive research by Counter Intelligence Retail into the shopping behaviour of the Chinese consumer, which has recently been published for TFWA members on the association’s website.
The Industry Conference on China will bring together senior executives from premium and luxury international brands, decision makers from Chinese and international airports and airlines as well as the management of airport retailers worldwide. With networking being a key element of this conference, there will be organised networking sessions with pre-scheduled One2One meetings on both days of the conference.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
