Last Updated: 21 may 2025,
The event, titled Explore New Horizons, will once again take place at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, from 28 September to 2 October
Pre-registration is now officially open for the 2025 TFWA World Exhibition & Conference.
The event, titled Explore New Horizons, will once again take place at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, from 28 September to 2 October.
Those wanting to secure their entry for the event can do so at this link. Registration will remain open until 4 September.
TFWA World Exhibition & Conference offers an opportunity to engage with leading brands, retailers, buyers, operators, landlords, airports, airlines, cruise lines, and agents from across the duty free and travel retail business.
A networking agenda will enable connections with industry peers, while delegates will be able to explore the trends that are shaping the future in a programme of formal conference and workshop sessions.
The line-up at this year’s conference includes several speakers. It will be opened by TFWA President, Philippe Margueritte, who will deliver a welcome address offering his perspective on the future of duty free and travel retail in an evolving global context. He will outline the key priorities for the association and the broader industry as it adapts to new challenges and opportunities.
Rudolph Lohmeyer, Partner at Kearney and head of its National Transformations Institute, will set the stage with an assessment of the global forces reshaping trade, investment, and strategic alignment. Lohmeyer has advised governments and boardrooms on how to navigate long-cycle disruptions. In a world where economic policy is increasingly entangled with geopolitics, he will explore the implications of rising fragmentation, shifting alliances, and the recalibration of global supply chains. For industries tied to cross-border movement and global commerce, understanding these shifts is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative.
Gloria Guevara Manzo, Chief Special Advisor to the Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and former President & CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council will examine how the sector can serve as a catalyst for economic growth and innovation. Drawing on her extensive public and private sector experience, she will explore how cross-border collaboration and shifting traveller demographics can create new opportunities for duty free and travel retail in a market defined by shifting alliances, evolving consumer flows, and heightened competition.
Bobby Jones, best-selling author and co-founder of brand consultancy Conspiracy of Love, will then explore how modern consumers are increasingly guided by values as much as price. With examples from leading global brands, he will highlight how businesses that embrace purpose, sustainability and authenticity can forge stronger connections with today’s travellers and succeed in a rapidly evolving retail landscape.
Stephen Sackur, journalist and BBC HardTalk presenter will return as conference moderator.
Further details on the line-up of the conference will be announced in due time.
TFWA President, Philippe Margueritte said: “At TFWA, enhancing the benefits we deliver to our members and taking our events to new levels of excellence are among our top priorities.
“I and the TFWA team are currently working hard to ensure that attending our conferences as a member will be even more worthwhile, and we’re planning a number of exciting innovations that will make time spent at TFWA World Exhibition & Conference more inspiring than ever.
“A visit to Cannes has long been an essential diary date – this year there will be even more reasons to join us on the French Riviera in September.”
For the full event programme, click here.
For advertising and sponsorship opportunities, contact i.regnier@tfwa.com.
For any other enquiries, contact helpdesk@tfwa.com.
