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TURKEY. In big breaking news, Istanbul Airport is to host the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards on 23-24 June 2020. The event will be a celebration not only of the best in international airport dining but also of Turkish cuisine and culture. The event will be supported strongly by Tum & Ictur, the concessionaire managing 34,000sq m of food & beverage space at Istanbul Airport.

FAB 2020 will also be a showcase for the magnificent new Istanbul hub, which opened in April 2019.

FAB, conceived, owned and organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, is the only event dedicated to the burgeoning airport food & beverage business. Since its launch in 2011, FAB has flourished and become the key global gathering for a constantly evolving sector, serving as a litmus test of its challenges, opportunities and quality aspirations.

FAB 2020 will be a showcase for Turkish culture and cuisine, with guests having the opportunity to sample the many delights of Istanbul

FAB 2020 will bring together senior executives from airports and food & beverage concessionaires worldwide as well as varied industry partners, including design agencies, research companies and technology providers.

Click here to read a special edition of the FAB eZine dedicated to the FAB conference and awards held in Dallas in June 2019

The conference programme will showcase the latest F&B developments, innovations and trends at major airports, featuring presentations by some of the world’s leading airport commercial directors, concessionaires, chefs, key industry opinion leaders and analysts.

The FAB Awards, evaluated by an independent panel of judges, represent the pinnacle of airport food & beverage excellence. The 2020 categories and nominations procedure will be announced very soon.

The spectacular new airport houses an eclectic dining offer run by partners Tum & Ictur and BTA; below, İGA Business Development Director Fırat Ocak looks forward to a ‘FAB-ulous event’

Istanbul Airport is run by the İGA consortium under a 25-year contract. İGA Business Development Director Fırat Ocak said: “We are very honoured and excited to welcome the 2020 Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards to Istanbul. With the world’s largest dining area under one roof, Istanbul Airport is a great and convenient place to host the only event for the fast-growing airport food & beverage business.

“Providing first-class customer experience is a key part of our daily work at Turkey’s new hub for the world. We are really looking forward to the exchange with international executives from the airport food & beverage industry as well as various industry partners and will offer them a unique platform in a truly inspiring and welcoming atmosphere. Let’s have a FAB-ulous event!”

FAB Founder and Chairman of The Moodie Davitt Report Martin Moodie commented: “We are so excited to bring FAB to Turkey, which is home to some of the most diverse and richly varied cuisine in the world. That diversity is on full show at the magnificent new Istanbul Airport, which features the best of Turkish food and drink blended with international flavours, and a breadth of offer that befits Istanbul’s fast-growing status as a leading hub.

“Guests at FAB 2020 will experience this extraordinary state-of-the-art airport environment, alongside the delights of the great east-west crossroads city of Istanbul, in June next year.”

[Click on the icon to view the highlights of FAB 20219 in Dallas and Fort Worth]

A FAB-ulous lineup of winners at the glittering awards ceremony in Dallas, Texas

Istanbul Airport lies 35km north of Istanbul with construction occurring across four phases. The first was finalised when two runways and a terminal with a passenger capacity of 90 million were commissioned and opened in April. Once complete, the airport will host flights to more than 300 destinations and have an annual capacity of 200 million passengers.

For speaking opportunities, please reach out to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com. For commercial and sponsorship opportunities please contact FAB Publisher Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

SCENES FROM FAB 2019

Auckland Airport Retail Commercial Manager – Leasing Kelly Hodder accepts the Airport Food & Beverage Offer of the Year award from The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt

It was a big night for HWH Investments in Dubai, which snapped up a flurry of awards, including the Airport F&B Offer Best Reflecting Sense of Place for S34 at DXB (Dubai International). Here Mustafa and Talha Al Hashimi collect the award from The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt

Ruth Simon and Sandra Wong of Changi Airport Group accept the FAB Marketing & Promotions Campaign of the Year for the exuberantly brilliant ‘Discover the Fun Side of Changi with Sesame Street’ campaign

FAB 2019 hosts Dallas Fort Worth International Airport received The FAB Industry Contribution Award for sustained commitment to innovation and excellence. Here Vice President Concessions Zenola Campbell and Executive Vice President Customer Experience & Revenue Management Kenneth Buchanan accept the award from The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt

Regynald Washington, President, Dining Division at Paradies Lagardère, accepted three awards, including the FAB Airport Food Hall of the Year Award on behalf of Lagardère Travel Retail for its acclaimed The Daily DXB at DXB (Dubai International)

You don’t have to be big to be beautiful. HMSHost President and CEO Steve Johnson accepts the Best F&B Offer in a Small Airport for the outstanding Bia Mara at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Canada

Not one, not two, but three FAB Awards on a huge night for Areas. Here Global Business Development Director Mireia Marti Isern (right) and Mexico Marketing and Procurement Subdirector Christina Gonzalez celebrate the triple success with The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie

Tastes on the Fly’s Antonio Alicea was named FAB Team Member of the Year

The excellent Multi-Functional Family Center at Incheon International Airport was named Airport Family Friendly F&B Concept of the Year

The FAB Instagrammable Experience Award went to OTG’s stunning Yume at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. The award was accepted by Cassandra Bozeman, Eric Brinker and Justin Blatstein.

USA/INTERNATIONAL. Auckland Airport in New Zealand took the top overall award as the best and most innovative concepts in travel-related food & beverage were recognised at the 2019 Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Awards in Dallas on 27 June, with DXB (Dubai International) among the other big winners.

A FAB-ulous lineup of winners at the glittering awards ceremony in Dallas, Texas

This story was updated throughout the two days of FAB 2019, with the latest posts featuring first. All times are Central Daylight Time.

27 June 

17.15 The FAB 2019 conference concluded with a panel discussion on the importance of engaged employees and the impact of a successful employee engagement programme.

Andre Bolduc is Senior Manager – Customer Experience & Strategy at ACI World, who run the airport passenger service and benchmarking programme ASQ (Airport Service Quality). “Customer experience is mainly driven by emotions,” was his mantra. “The power of people is the power of creating emotions.”

INTERNATIONAL. A high-class roll-call of food & beverage operations is today revealed in the short-list for the annual Airport FAB Awards to be named in Dallas next month.

The Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards, organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, will be hosted by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at The Westin Galleria Dallas on 26-27 June.

FAB is owned and organised by The Moodie Davitt Report with sister title The Foodie Report. The only industry event dedicated solely to the airport F&B sector, FAB attracts senior representatives from the world’s leading airports, food & beverage concessionaires and brands.

“This year’s FAB Awards attracted a record 302 entries, 18% up on last year’s record level. But it was the diversity and quality of entries in FAB 2019 that really impressed.”

As announced, HMSHost/Autogrill and SSP Group are Platinum Partners for FAB 2019. Other confirmed sponsors so far include Areas (Gold) Lagardère Travel Retail (Silver) and HWH Hospitality Investments (Bronze).

Chick-fil-A is lunch partner; while other partners include Booster Juice, Crews, Grab, High Flying Foods, Jackmont Hospitality, MAG Hospitality, Reco-Air, Robolab (Yanu), Tea Forté, Travel Food Services and TRG Concessions.

The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie said: “This year’s FAB Awards attracted a record 302 entries, 18% up on last year’s record level. But it was the diversity and quality of entries in FAB 2019 that really impressed. To make this shortlist is an achievement in itself and we can promise the FAB audience that the winners, regional winners, Highly Commendeds and special judge’s prizes represent a collective state of excellence within the sector.”

This year’s judging line-up was extended to include more diversity of background, region and gender. Regular judges Martin Moodie; US airport commercial management consultant Alan Gluck; and fomer chef and Copenhagen Airport Food & Beverage Category Manager Anders Barsøe, now CEO for Denmark’s largest sushi chain Letz Sushi, once again played a lead role.

(Above and below) Scenes from FAB 2018 in Helsinki, Finland.

They were joined by Nick Goddard-Palmer, the co-founder of Hunter Palmer – Global Retail Solutions, a UK-based strategic travel retail partnership; author, journalist and luxury cuisine consultant Michele Tchea, based in Melbourne Australia; New York-based wine critic Marisa D’Vari; toxicologist, chef, and dietitian; Suzy Badaracco; and journalist and influencer, Cristina Alcivar, Founder of Vane Airport Media, which publishes news about health and wellness services and amenities in airports globally.

See the list of FAB Awards finalists here.

INTERNATIONAL. Leading travel food & beverage concessionaires will complement a strong presence from senior airport executives from the USA and around the world at the 2019 Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards.

The two-day event, organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, will take place in Dallas this year, hosted by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at The Westin Galleria Dallas on 26-27 June.

In addition to other airport company speakers announced recently, Manchester Airport Head of Retail Mike Ward will also address the conference, while delegates will hear insights fromsenior executives representing the major airport F&B concessionaires.

Among them are Emirates Leisure Retail CEO Andrew Day; HMSHost Corporation President and CEO Steve Johnson and Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer Sarah Naqvi; SSP Group Chief Strategy Officer Jonathan Sharp and SSP North America VP Business Development Pat Murray and OTG Founder and Chief Executive Rick Blatstein.

Also speaking will be HWH Hospitality Investments Co-Founder Mustafa Al Hashimi; Paradies Lagardère President, Dining Division Regynald Washington and Travel Food Services Executive Director Varun Kapur. Plaza Premium Founder and CEO Song Hoi-see will offer the independent lounge operator’s view of the channel.

Other food & beverage experts from diverse sectors will also share insights on a variety of issues facing the business. Speaking on health and wellness will be Rob Laing, CEO and Founder of Farm One, a New York hydroponic farming company. He will be joined by food trends analyst and forecaster Suzy Badaracco.

Redesign Group Managing Director & Owner Jo Pennycuick will share her perspective on the impact of design on the culinary experience at airports.

Crews Managing Partner and President Nicolas Buford and Chick-Fil-A New Restaurant Growth Director Sean Warren will both take part in a session assessing how hospitality is best served up in the USA. Qikserve Founder and President Daniel Rogers and Wow Bao President Geoff Alexander will discuss the impact of technology and innovation on the airport dining and customer experience.

The programme will also feature industry trends analysts who will share customer insights across a number of themes. Kathy Casey, celebrity chef, mixologist and owner of Kathy Casey Food Studios – Liquid Kitchen, will discuss food trends and their impact on airports, with contributions from Menu Matters President Maeve Webster and Vane Airport Media Founder Cristina Alcivar.

M1nd-set Travel Research Director Clara Perez will share a quantitative analysis of consumer insights across global airport F&B outlets. Wally Doolin, Founder and Chairman at TDn2K, will be joined by ACI ASQ Director Dimitri Coll to discuss the importance of employee engagement on the customer experience at airport bars and restaurants.

The conference will open with a welcome address from host airport CEO Sean Donohue. The full agenda is online at the FAB 2019 website.

As announced, HMSHost/Autogrill and SSP Group are Platinum Partners for FAB 2019. Other confirmed sponsors so far include Areas (Gold) Lagardère Travel Retail (Silver) and HWH Hospitality Investments (Bronze). Additional partners include Grab, MAG Hospitality, Reco-Air, Robolab, Tea Forté, Travel Food Services, and TRG Concessions.

For speaker, programme and logistics details please contact Michael Barrett at Michael@MoodieDavittReport.com.

For commercial and sponsorship opportunities please contact Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com or Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

DXB’s consumer-centric vision, and the changing face of F&B at the world’s leading international airport, will be a highlight of FAB 2019.

Other distinguished airport speakers include Gatwick Airport Head of Retail Rachel Bulford and Great Hall Partners, Ferrovial Airports CEO Ignacio Castejón.

They will be joined by a host of top airport executives, including Vancouver Airport Authority Director, Commercial Services – Terminals Mirela Rusu; Vantage Airport Group (Chicago) Management – Midway Partnership CEO,Sammy Patel; and, from the host airport, Dallas Fort Worth Executive Vice President of Customer Experience and Revenue Management Kenneth Buchanan and Vice President Concessions Zenola Campbell.

Dallas Fort Worth Airport Vice President Concessions Zenola Campbell (pictured with Dermot Davitt) will represent the host airport in speaking at the June event.

Experienced airport commercial executive Dan Cappell, now a Director at aviation consultancy Leigh Fisher, will add his insights into the airport F&B business model.

They will be joined by several top names from the concession community (details to be announced next week), design experts, consumer insight specialists, restaurateurs and chefs.

The two-day conference will address the challenges, opportunities and issues facing travel F&B. The event will assess the rise of healthy and eco-friendly eating; the fusion of physical and digital to enhance the consumer experience; and the critical role of Sense of Place in design and cuisine. The programme will also feature specialists from the culinary world who will talk about global foodie trends.

Details of the full programme will be released on the FAB 2019 event website soon. Registrations can be made directly via the site – note that early bird rates for the conference are available until 21 April.

The 2019 FAB Awards are set to be hotly contested, with nominations pouring in since they were announced in January. Details of the awards categories are available on the event website here: airportfab.events/awards. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday 5 April.

FAB, which is owned and organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, is the only event dedicated to the burgeoning airport food & beverage business. Since its launch in 2011, FAB has flourished and become the key global gathering for a constantly evolving sector, serving as a litmus test of its challenges, opportunities and quality aspirations.

For speaker, programme and logistics details please contact Michael Barrett at Michael@MoodieDavittReport.com.

For commercial and sponsorship opportunities please contact Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com or Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

For speaker, programme and logistics details please contact Michael Barrett at Michael@MoodieDavittReport.com.

For commercial and sponsorship opportunities please contact Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com or Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

Nominations are now being accepted for the eagerly awaited 2019 FAB Awards, which celebrate the best in travel dining worldwide. The awards ceremony will take place during the 2019 Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards, to be held at The Westin Galleria Hotel in Dallas on 26-27 June. Hotel bookings and conference registration are also now open via the event website: Airportfab.events.

The event, which as announced is hosted by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, will feature a two-day conference and a glittering awards ceremony that champions best practice across this burgeoning global industry. To view details of the FAB Award categories and/or to nominate entries click here.

This year 17 different categories will be the subject of awards at the Gala Dinner. New awards for 2019 aim to recognise fast-emerging concepts and trends, as well as the critical role of individuals.

These include Airport Smoothie or Juice Bar of the Year and Airport Health-Centred or Vegan Offer of the Year. The much talked-about topic of sustainability will feature in both the conference programme and awards with the Environmental Initiative of the Year award.

In addition to the Team Member of the year award, launched last year, this year we will also recognise Airport Chef of the Year. In recognition of a key aspect of the airport dining market, we also introduce the Family Friendly Food & Beverage Concept of the Year.

The full list appears below. Award nominations close on Friday 5 April.

The Westin Galleria Hotel: High-class venue for this year’s FAB Conference and Awards.

FAB attracts senior representatives from the world’s leading airports, food & beverage concessionaires and brands.

Registration details can also be found on the website, together with information about the conference programme and exciting social calendar.  The conference, Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner will take place inside the Dallas Westin Galleria Hotel, situated next to the prestigious Galleria Dallas Shopping Mall. Preferential room rates for FAB delegates at The Westin Galleria Hotel can be booked via the link on the travel page of the dedicated FAB 2019 website.

The Opening Cocktail will be held at The River Ranch in Fort Worth, where we look forward to welcoming delegates for a spectacular evening of true Texan style culture, culinary specialties and entertainment.

For speaker, programme and logistics details please contact Michael Barrett at Michael@MoodieDavittReport.com.

For commercial and sponsorship opportunities please contact Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com or Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport is to host the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards next year on 26-27 June – the first time the event has come to the USA.

FAB, conceived, owned and organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, is the only event dedicated to the burgeoning airport food & beverage business. Since its launch in 2011, FAB has flourished and become the key global gathering for a constantly evolving sector, serving as a litmus test of its challenges, opportunities and quality aspirations.

FAB 2019 will bring together senior executives from airports and food & beverage concessionaires worldwide as well as varied industry partners, including design agencies, research companies and technology providers. The conference programme will showcase the latest F&B developments, innovations and trends at major airports, featuring presentations by some of the world’s leading airport commercial directors, concessionaires, chefs, key industry opinion leaders and analysts.

Zenola Campbell (pictured with Dermot Davitt at the 2018 FAB Awards): “We’re looking forward to sharing our hospitality with leaders across the industry and further building the great relationships that have elevated the customer experience over the years.”

The FAB Awards, evaluated by an independent panel of judges, represent the pinnacle of airport food & beverage excellence. The 2019 nominations procedure will be announced soon.

DFW Airport Vice President Concessions Zenola Campbell said: “It’s a great honour to be the first airport in the United States to host FAB. We’re looking forward to sharing our hospitality with leaders across the industry and further building the great relationships that have elevated the customer experience over the years and will continue to innovate the products and facilities that define the future of travel and dining.”

FAB Founder and Chairman of The Moodie Davitt Report Martin Moodie commented: “We are thrilled to bring FAB to the USA for the first time. And what better place than Dallas Fort Worth, the epicentre of American airport food & beverage development? DFW has always been a tremendous supporter of our pan-industry initiatives, including FAB and The Trinity Forum, and their thought leadership and commercial dynamism will bring much to the evolution of this event.

“The Lone Star state is itself a fulcrum of culinary excellence and innovation and we know that delegates from all around the world will love the Texas experience.”

The Moodie Davitt Report Events and CSR Director Michael Barrett added: “We’ve got big plans to improve and extend the FAB format in 2019, including increased branding and showcasing opportunities through an extended exhibition area. We’re going to be simultaneously championing and challenging the airport F&B world during an event that we believe will be absolutely FAB-ulous!!”

Details of the venue and conference agenda will be announced in the coming weeks.

For speaker, programme and logistics details please contact Michael Barrett at Michael@MoodieDavittReport.com.

For commercial and sponsorship opportunities please contact Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com or Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

INTERNATIONAL. Leading travel food services group Autogrill and its food & beverage divisions HMSHost and HMSHost International have been named as Platinum Partners of the seventh annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference and Awards, which take place in Helsinki on 20-21 June.

FAB, which is dedicated to travel-related food & beverage, attracts senior representatives from the world’s leading airports and F&B concessionaires to network with their industry colleagues, share best practice and insights in this fast-growing sector.

Walter Seib: “We look forward to FAB 2018, where relationships are formed and the excellence of the travel F&B industry is celebrated”

The event is organised by The Moodie Davitt Report and sister title The Foodie Report, and hosted this year by Finavia.

HMSHost International CEO Walter Seib said: “Through relationships we create places to be. We’re very proud of our successful partnership with Finavia, host of the FAB Conference & Awards this year. Our cooperation started at the end of 2013. Today we operate 19 exciting food & beverage concepts in the leading airport in Northern Europe.

“We are proud of everything we have accomplished together: the opening of Pier Zero, the FAB ‘Wow’ Factor 2017 and the Best Food & Beverage Partnership of the year 2017 Frontier Award. Proud to be Platinum sponsors, we look forward to FAB 2018, where relationships are formed and the excellence of the travel F&B industry is celebrated.”

Nominations for the annual FAB 2018 awards, a cornerstone of the event, are open with a 28 March deadline. The judging criteria are available at http://airportfab.events/ along with hotel and conference registration, which is also open.

NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report also publishes The Foodie Report, the world’s only media focused on airport (and other travel-related) food & beverage. The Foodie Report e-Newsletter is published every two weeks and The Foodie Report e-Zine every month.

Please send all news of food & beverage outlet openings, together with images, menus, video etc to Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com to ensure unrivalled global exposure.

The company also organises the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards. This year’s FAB will be held in Helsinki on 21-22 June. Click here for details.