INTERNATIONAL/THAILAND. The Moodie Davitt Report is pleased to announce three more high-calibre speakers to our high-quality line-up for the upcoming Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference and Awards 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand (12-13 September).

Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR) & MMI Group CEO Tyrone Reid, HMSHost International Regional Managing Director David Mackay and DreamFolks Services Chief Business Officer Sandeep Sonawane have joined the stellar cast of industry experts who will be on stage at the event.

ELR – a Platinum Partner for the event – is one of the world’s leading travel-related F&B providers. It owns and operates over 300 restaurants, cafés and bars, including more than 90 outlets at 21 domestic and international airports across multiple regions.

CEO Reid – who has extensive experience spanning over two decades across the F&B, hospitality, retail, travel retail and drinks retail sectors worldwide – will participate in a one-to-one session moderated by our President Dermot Davitt titled ‘How Food and Hospitality Anchor the Customer Journey’.

Our latest confirmed speakers (left to right) are Tyrone Reid, David Mackay and Sandeep Sonawane

David Mackay, meanwhile, will take part in ‘The Great Vietnam F&B and Travel Opportunity’ discussion, alongside Phillip Nguyen, CEO of IPP Travel Retail & Vice President – Business Development of Imex Pan Pacific Group, and Vietcetera Media CEO Hao Tran.

The much-respected Mackay has 31 years of development and operational experience, working for various leading international F&B and retail organisations.

The FAB + Hospitality Conference and Awards 2023 will climax with a glittering Gala Dinner on 13 September, hosted by our sponsor Airports of Thailand (AoT). We are pleased to share this message from AoT President Kirati Kitmanawat (pictured) to our guests: “It is a great pleasure for AOT to welcome all FAB 2023 participants to Thailand, and to be part of this prestigious event here in Bangkok. We hope that everyone will have a joyful and remarkable experience throughout your stay in our country.”

Leading entries into new markets has been an integal part of his experience at HMSHost. Mackay has led projects at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and more recently market forays into India, Vietnam, China and Indonesia.

Sandeep Sonawane will participate in ‘The Evolving Role of Airport Lounges in the Customer Experience’ panel session. With over two decades of experience in business leadership and management, he currently heads the business development strategy at DreamFolks, which has signed up as a Silver Partner for the event.

Before joining DreamFolks, Sandeep held pivotal roles in high-profile organisations such as Adani Airport Holdings, Pernod Ricard and Pepsico.

View the full conference agenda here.

We are also pleased to announce BAL as a new Exhibition Partner for the event. The Blackball-owned brand produces a variety of bursting boba and fruit and tea dry toppings, including a series of uniquely Taiwanese products. These are made using molecular gastronomy techniques to present a wide range of fruit and food flavours in innovative ways.

Discover more about the FAB + Hospitality Conference and Awards 2023 at our dedicated website here.

For programme and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jeannie Wong at jeannie@moodiedavittrport.com. ✈

FAB EZINE SET TO RETURN

The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to announce the return of the FAB eZine, a standalone digital magazine dedicated to airport and other travel-related food & beverage views, news, trends, tastes, people, product and principles.

Initially quarterly, beginning in Q4 2023, The FAB eZine will devote year-round coverage to the burgeoning airport food & beverage sector, including broader hospitality services such as hotels and lounges.

The FAB eZine will continue to explore the evolution of the travel-related F&B sector worldwide as we did back in 2019 in this on location report from Houston, Texas. Click on the image to read.

The FAB eZine will complement the annual Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards and our already extensive F&B and hospitality coverage on The Moodie Davitt Report.com and in The FAB Newsletter.

Elişa pictured with Jamie Oliver

Elişa Roche has been appointed Editor-in-Chief, bringing a rare combination of culinary and journalistic excellence and experience to the role. Elişa trained as a chef as part of ‘Jamie’s Kitchen’, a British TV show watched by millions and fronted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. She went on to work as Chef de Partie at some of London’s top Michelin-starred kitchens, e.g. Fino (now Barrafina), The Ivy and Bambou.

Cooking later turned to food writing and presenting, most recently as overseeing editorial partnerships at Food Matters Live. Elişa was also Host and Producer of award-winning B2B podcast ‘Career Conversations’, encouraging young people into the food & drinks industry.

*For editorial enquiries please contact Elişa Roche at Elisa@MoodieDavittReport.com. For advertising please reach out to Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com