Entering the conference theatre of the absurd

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

Tell me please that this in some way makes sense…

Chinese company GIS Events and Ink of the UK announce the first ‘China Travel Retail Event’ to take place in Shanghai on 24-25 July, 2012, and thereafter annually. 

Days later (though, to be fair, after “around ten years” in development) TFWA announces the association’s first China conference, to be held in Beijing on 5 to 7 March 2013, in association with the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA).

So that’s two conferences dedicated to the same subject matter held in the same country within five months next year. Fair enough, it’s a free market and the industry will vote, as always, with its feet. 

But wait, there’s more. The Trinity Forum, organised by The Moodie Report and Airports Council International – and, by common acclaim not ours, the industry’s leading airport commercial revenues conference – is scheduled for its traditional time slot (February or March) and region (Asia), just weeks (at most) apart from the new TFWA event, possibly in the same country (the host airport is still the subject of discussion with several parties).  And then there’s TFWA’s own Gate One2One conference in Singapore in May…

As I said, tell me that this makes sense. You can’t? No, nor can I.

  • Hi Martin

    No sense at all except they make money for the organisers and it is us the delegates that fund them.

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