TFWA records 7% rise in attendance to 7.5k visitors

There was a 7% rise in visitors to the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes this year, compared to the 2018 show, with a total of 7,531 attendees.

The conference on Monday also attracted record numbers with 2,000 people filling the auditorium to hear former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair deliver his speech.

This year’s event welcomed 504 exhibitors and had an increased floor space of 23,443m², up from 22,759m² last year.

Themes discussed during the week included innovation, discussed at great length at the TFWA Innovation Lab which provided an insight into what the duty free and travel retail industry might look like in the years to come.

Sustainability was also a key focus with both conferences and workshops devoted to the subject. From recycling of retail fixtures to creative new ways to reduce plastic packaging, there were many ideas to take away from the event.

Over 2,000 people came to Port Canto to enjoy what turned out to be the industry’s biggest ever party on the opening night. Le Premium Evening also proved popular with 800 people in attendance plus a cabaret that spanned jazz classics over dinner to hits from Abba and Queen.

During the conference, TFWA president Alain Maingreaud also announced that the association has reached an agreement with the Palais des Festivals to enable TFWA World Exhibition & Conference to stay in Cannes, with show dates secured for the future. The agreement with the City of Cannes means, he said, that TFWA will be able to ensure stability and continuity for the event for the coming years.