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INTERNATIONAL. The Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference & Awards are set to take place virtually on 12-13 September, with an exciting, diverse line-up of speakers representing the world of travel dining.

Registration for the event, organised by The Moodie Davitt Report, is free and can be made at this link. The pillar themes are: People, Planet, Partnership and Progress, with sponsorship support from leading industry concessionaires Areas, Autogrill/HMSHost and SSP.

The two-day event will feature a mix of live sessions and filmed interviews (full agenda here).

Day One: Key Sessions

Highlights of day one will include a discussion of how F&B is trending at Heathrow Airport with Retail Director Fraser Brown. Representing Norwegian airports group Avinor, Commercial Director Terminal Areas Iskra Skram will talk about the latest and forthcoming round of tenders for dining contracts at key locations.

Areas, Autogrill/HMSHost and SSP will each host sessions in which they deliver their insights into the themes that will drive the recovery and next wave of market growth.

Speakers across these separate sessions include Areas Chief Corporate Officer Montse Adán, SSP Group CEO Patrick Coveney (and many of the group’s major partners), plus Autogrill Group CEO Europe Andrea Cipolloni and HMSHost International CEO Walter Seib.

Day one will also feature the return of FAB Women, where we will hear the voices of leading women in F&B about their experiences in the sector. Speakers include Ann Elliott Hospitality Consultancy Owner Ann Elliott, The Restaurant Group People Director Jacqui McManus and Chef Lorena Garcia.

Diversity & inclusion is also on the agenda, with a case study from Los Angeles International Airport on how to involve minority-owned concessionaires in the airport business. Los Angeles World AirportsDeputy Executive Director Commercial Development Dave Jones, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Executive Vice President and Group Director Mike Salzman and Concord Collective CEO Greg Plummer take part.

Day Two Highlights

‘What sustainability means in food service’ will lead day two, where guests will hear from Lagardère Travel Retail Group EVP Foodservice & CSR Mélanie Guilldou. Travel Food Services Executive Director Varun Kapur will talk about the company’s strategy and the new Indian consumer. Senior executives from Bangalore International Airport Limited will address the new ‘terminal in a garden’ concept and how the dining offer has taken shape.

The role of sustainability in F&B outlet design and how it feeds into the wider consumer experience will be discussed by Smart Design CEO Nick Baker and Interior Designer & Project Manager Jill Danis.

In a special session co-organised by The Moodie Davitt Report and the Airport Restaurant & Retail Association, leading airports and concessionaires discuss the challenges of labour, debt and revenue, and what ‘recovery’ looks like to each of them. Speakers include Crews Hospitality Managing Partner & CEO Nicholas Crews, SSP America Deputy CEO Pat Murray, Salt Lake City Corporation Director of Airports Bill Wyatt and Port of Seattle Acting Aviation Chief Operating Officer Dawn Hunter.

Chef, mixologist and pioneer Kathy Casey will explore current and emerging trends in F&B and how these translate into the world of airports and travel retail locations.

The event conclude with the eagerly anticipated FAB ESG & Superstars Awards, which shine a light on teams and individuals that have gone above and beyond the call of duty in the past difficult year for the sector.

Click here for registration and more details about the event.

INTERNATIONAL. With the 1 July deadline nearing for submissions for the FAB Superstars and FAB ESG Awards, today we feature a video interview with the judging panel about their expectations for this year’s entries.

As reported, the awards will be the culmination of the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) Conference, which takes place as a virtual event and is under three months away (12-13 September).

FAB Superstars are now in their second year after their successful introduction in 2021. The awards will once again shine the spotlight on the thousands of front-of-house and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep the food & beverage community within our industry going throughout the challenges of the last year.

In addition, this year’s awards include an important new category, the FAB ESG Awards, which have been introduced to celebrate, recognise and reward those people and initiatives that have made a positive impact in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Hosted by The Moodie Davitt Report, an advisory committee of travel food & beverage specialists are judging the awards. These include industry consultants Nick Inkster, who spent 25 years in senior roles with SSP and Kevin Zajax, Director at Ground Control Global and formerly Chief Operating Officer for Dubai-based Emirates Leisure Retail. They are joined by a new judge, Ann Elliott, Owner of Ann Elliott Hospitality Consultancy, an experienced figure in the food and hospitality world.

In the video (click for access) we introduce the judges, and hear how the 2022 award submissions are likely to be even more meaningful in this recovery phase.

Highlighting excellence and achievement: FAB Superstars judges (from left) Kevin Zajax, Ann Elliott and Nick Inkster

Ann Elliott said: “These awards are going to mean an awful lot to a lot of people, given how difficult the past two years have been. I’m looking for optimism but we still need resilience in the year ahead; colleagues have to cope with a lot of pressure and customers with high expectations.”

Nick Inkster said: “2022 will be a next step. The industry has changed. What was broadly shut and driving certain behaviours is now broadly open and driving other behaviours. But it still comes down to what teams and individuals contribute. We know already that the entries will be extraordinary.”

Kevin Zajax added: “The 2021 awards were about resilience and provided us with a unique opportunity to thank our colleagues for their hard work during the pandemic. That continues but what I’m hoping to see is a little more optimism as travel returns. The stories shared from those locations that have returned should inspire the rest of the industry.”

Click on the link to access our dedicated awards website and to make a nomination. There is a nominal administration fee of €30 per submission, payable through the online portal.

As reported, registration for the virtual FAB Conference is open and can be made via this link through organiser The Moodie Davitt Report.

INTERNATIONAL. Leading travel food services company SSP Group has been named as a Platinum Partner for the Airport Food & Beverage Conference & Awards 2022, which will take place virtually on 12 and 13 September (before making a full in-person return in mid-2023).

The company is sponsoring the ‘Partnership’ pillar, one of four pillars around which the programme is based: People, Planet, Partnership and Progress.

SSP Group CEO Patrick Coveney said: “We’re delighted to be Platinum sponsors of the 2022 FAB Conference, which will give us and other travel F&B operators the opportunity to share insights, outline our vision for the future of the industry and debate solutions to the key challenges we face.

“Sponsoring the Partnership pillar this year is particularly poignant. Maintaining true partnerships and more collaborative ways of working with our clients and brand partners will be critical to the future success of our sector as we move through the recovery and back into a position of sustained growth post-Covid.

“We also very much look forward to celebrating the amazing achievements of our teams and those across the industry at this year’s FAB Superstars and ESG Awards, and we are proud to be taking part.”

FAB 2022 will be anchored by an extensive Knowledge Hub programme, offering a strong line-up of thought leaders from across the channel.

As reported, registration for the event is now open via this link. 

The event will be rounded off by the people-focused FAB Superstars Awards. There is now under one month until the entry deadline, with the opportunity for companies to make nominations at this link.

INTERNATIONAL. Leading global travel food services provider Autogrill Group has been named as a Platinum Partner for the Airport Food & Beverage Conference & Awards 2022, which will take place virtually on 12 and 13 September (before making a full in-person return in mid-2023).

The F&B powerhouse, parent of HMSHost and HMSHost International, is sponsoring the ‘Progress’ pillar, one of four pillars around which the programme is based: People, Planet, Partnership and Progress. As reported, Areas is sponsor of the ‘People’ pillar. Further sponsors will be announced in coming days.

Autogrill Global Chief Marketing Officer Ezio Balarini said: “We’re very glad to announce our Platinum sponsorship of the 2022 FAB Conference and Awards. FAB is a key global platform for travel F&B leaders to share visions on key industry challenges and related topics.”

He added: “We are going to share our vision on Progress which embeds sustainable practices and commitments to keep on generating value for all our stakeholders. Our new ESG strategy Make it Happen – focused on nurturing our People, offering travellers sustainable food experiences, and taking care of our Planet with measurable actions – is a consistent part of our development path.”

Autogrill is present in 30 countries on four continents, and operates in 829 locations managing around 3,300 points of sale, with more than 34,000 employees.

FAB 2022 will be anchored by an extensive Knowledge Hub programme, offering a strong line-up of thought leaders from across the channel.

As at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo 2021, it will be rounded off by the people-focused FAB Superstars Awards.

The awards, introduced in 2021, will again shine the spotlight on the thousands of front-of-house and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep the food & beverage community within our industry going throughout the challenges of the last year.

In addition, this year’s awards include an important new category, the FAB ESG Awards, which have been introduced to celebrate, recognise and reward those people and initiatives that have made a positive impact in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Click here to access the dedicated website for the awards programme, and to make a nomination.

‘Grand Finals’ day, which closes out the virtual event programme, will also include the Travel Retail Superstars Awards (click here for more), and a much-extended version of The Moodies Travel Journey Awards (click here for more), the industry’s only digital communication and commerce awards platform, now in its ninth year.

SPAIN/INTERNATIONAL. Leading travel services group Areas has been named as a Platinum Partner for the Airport Food & Beverage Conference & Awards 2022, which will take place virtually on 12 and 13 September (before making a full in-person return in mid-2023).

The F&B to retail specialist is sponsoring the ‘People’ pillar, one of four pillars around which the programme is based: People, Planet, Partnership and Progress. Further sponsors will be announced in coming days.

Areas Chief Corporate Officer Montse Adan said: “Our commitment to people is a key pillar in our ESG strategy. We are therefore pleased to partner once more with the annual FAB Conference, this time round by supporting the People section.

“Social responsibility at Areas means a commitment to inclusive economic growth. We care for our people and continuously strive to ensure Areas is a great place to work, while positively impacting our environment and the wider community.

“Initiatives in learning, development, diversity, inclusion, and health and wellbeing are at the heart of our People & Culture strategy.”

Areas is the number three player worldwide in the travel F&B market, serving around 350 million travellers a year across 1,900 restaurants and stores in ten countries.

FAB 2022 will be anchored by an extensive Knowledge Hub programme, offering a strong line-up of thought leaders from across the channel.

As at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo 2021, it will be rounded off by the people-focused FAB Superstars Awards.

The awards, introduced in 2021, will again shine the spotlight on the thousands of front-of-house and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped keep the food & beverage community within our industry going throughout the challenges of the last year.

In addition, this year’s awards include an important new category, the FAB ESG Awards, which have been introduced to celebrate, recognise and reward those people and initiatives that have made a positive impact in the areas of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

Click here to access the dedicated website for the awards programme, and to make a nomination.

‘Grand Finals’ day, which closes out the virtual event programme, will also include the Travel Retail Superstars Awards (click here for more), and a much-extended version of The Moodies Travel Journey Awards (click here for more), the industry’s only digital communication and commerce awards platform, now in its ninth year.

Global reach: Key facts about Areas in the international travel services market; click to enlarge

NOTE: The Moodie Davitt Report has recently relaunched its FAB Newsletter. This regular newsletter features highlights of openings, events and campaigns from around the world of airport and travel dining.

Please email Kristyn@MoodieDavittReport.com to subscribe.