How a ‘Crazy. Bold. Ambitious’ formula is paying rich dividends for Malaysia Airports

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

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

‘Crazy. Bold. Ambitious.’ So ran the most appropriate of taglines for the exuberant, spectacular, thrillingly colourful Malaysia Airports Concessionaires Awards held on Friday night at the Sama-Sama Hotel Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

And indeed it was all those things in equal measure, by some distance the most thrilling and sheer fun awards night I can recall attending over my four decades in the business.

I was privileged not only to attend this brilliant evening but also to deliver a presentation at the Malaysia Airports Concessionaires Conference earlier in the day.

I’ve had the welcome opportunity over the past two days to meet many of the airport company’s business partners and members of the fantastic MAHB team led by the ebullient, charismatic and far-sighted Hani Ezra Hussin, Senior General Manager – Commercial Services.

Hani is a human dynamo who has played a critical role in the impressive upgrading of MAHB’s commercial offer – particularly at Kuala Lumpur International Airport – in recent years.

Hani Ezra Hussin: The human dynamo who is driving commercial transformation across the Malaysia Airports estate
Keeping things fun – a word not heard enough in travel retail – is integral to the Malaysia Airports consumer messaging

I shared the stage with Hani – who was also a star of The Trinity Forum in Ho Chi Minh City a few days earlier – along with Dato’ Mohd Izani Ghani, the company’s recently appointed MD; General Manager of Commercial Services Zulhikam Ahmad; and Khair Mirza, a super-smart fellow who is Head of airportIR & Industry Research at Modalis Infrastructure Partners.

Dato’ Mohd Izani Ghani, Malaysia Airports’ recently appointed Managing Director, brings a wealth of business experience to the role
Malaysia Airports General Manager of Commercial Services Zulhikam Ahmad delivered an outstanding speech, outlining the opportunties and challenges facing the company and its business partners
Khair Mirza presented some compelling findings from the well-regarded strategic investment advisory company Modalis Infrastructure Partners

A lovely photo with the brilliant Malaysia Airports commercial team after the Concessionaires Conference

The conference, titled ‘Navigating the Future: Innovation and Sustainability in Travel Retail’, echoed many of the themes from Trinity, none more so than the ‘decorrelation’ between passenger growth and duty-free spending growth in many markets. That is being driven in Malaysia as it is around the travel retail planet by soft Chinese spending, particularly on luxury and beauty.

The Shang Sisters, described as Asia’s leading Chinese female jazz trio, known for their Nanyang Jazz repertoire, had the audience on their feet (and even a certain well-known travel retail publisher dancing) with a mesmerically engaging performance at the Gala Dinner

Look out for my report on those findings and on the conference and awards on our main website in coming days. But my Blog is all about getting up close and personal with the people, the products and the passion that underpin our amazing global industry. I hope the images on this page (with many more to follow in coming days) capture some of that great collective dynamic. ✈

A celebratory shot with Hani Ezra Hussin as a wonderful evening draws to a close
What an entranceway to the Gala Dinner, all lit up in beautiful digital technicolour

EARLIER

My Kuala Lumpur experience started with a warm welcome to the impressive new Eraman stores in the Terminal 1 Contact Pier
Note the expansive, open-space design, copious natural light and well-ranged stores 

A red-hot promotion for a red-hot brand extension, Dewar’s Stone Toasted
Charlotte Tilbury has made its Malaysian debut with Eraman and is flying off the shelves

The Singleton is probably the most promoted brand in global travel retail at present and in this case delightfully so
And another high-profile promotion, this time for Versace Eros Energy