Innovative Innovation Lab

The TFWA (Tax-free World Association) said yesterday that it had launched a new concept called the TFWA Innovation Lab that would replace its Digital Village at the 2019 TFWA World Exhibition & Conference.

‘The TFWA Innovation Lab will provide exhibitors with the opportunity to showcase new ideas and fresh thinking to an audience of duty free and travel retail professionals,’ The Association said in a press note.

‘It will run from Tuesday 1st October until Friday 4th October 2019 alongside the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference.’

The Innovation Lab is due to be held in a dedicated tented exhibition area facing the Majestic Beach at Cannes, France, a location different to that used previously for the Digital Village.

‘In another new development, the TFWA Innovation Lab will be curated into different categories,’ the note said. ‘Exhibitors will be grouped within the sectors of digital solutions and mobile technology; sustainability and CSR; services to travellers; instore design and research.’

“One of TFWA’s primary goals is to inspire our business and help create an ‘engine of innovation’,” TFWA president Alain Maingreaud was quoted as saying. “The TFWA Innovation Lab will help our industry to shape the future of duty free and travel retail and better meet the changing needs of the international traveller.

“With 32 exhibitors and 1,349 visiting delegates last year, the TFWA Digital Village was a significant first step, and we plan to build on this success with a fresh new concept in a new location. We look forward to providing visitors to TFWA World Exhibition & Conference with a new perspective on how our industry will develop in the coming years.”