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TFWA has revealed further details ahead of its Asian in-person networking event, which will take place from 9th to 11th May in Singapore.

TFWA Asia Pacific Live, which will take place at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre, will provide the duty free and travel retail industry across the region with the opportunity to gather and hold business meetings, both formally and informally.

With a strong focus on networking, TFWA Asia Pacific Live will present a number of opportunities for delegates and participants to meet and connect with one another throughout the duration of the event. The TFWA ONE2ONE meeting service will provide a platform for formal meetings with onsite business meeting facilities available from 10.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm on Tuesday, 10th May and from 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm on Wednesday, 11th May. In addition, a dedicated area of the venue’s foyer on Level 5 of the MBS complex will be specifically configured for more informal discussions.

Six workshops which delegates can choose to attend ‘a la carte’ will also take place over the course of the event. The opening session will run from 9am until 10.30am and include addresses from TFWA President Erik Juul-Mortensen and keynote speaker Dr Ayesha Khanna, an expert on big data and the application of AI in retail and other sectors. The workshop programme will also include a session on digital transformation in Asia, led by the authors of a recent report on the subject by Meta and Bain & Company. In addition, TFWA has joined forces with the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) to bring APTRA Exchange to the event. Taking place on 10th May at 4 – 6pm, the session will focus on a range of key topics of key interest to the industry in the region.

Singapore has opened a number of new Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) over the past month alongside relaxing their restrictions on arrival tests for VTL travellers, with those arriving from locations with low infection rates only required to take an unsupervised self-swab antigen rapid test (ART) within 24 hours of entering the country. These new measures will allow delegates to have simple, efficient and uncomplicated journeys both to and from Singapore, with restrictions also loosening across the Asia-Pacific region - including most recently in South Korea. TFWA will work closely with local authorities in Singapore to ensure smooth travels for all attending delegates and participants.

Online registration will open shortly, via email to visitors@tfwa.com. The registration desk will be open on Level 5 of the MBS Expo Centre from the afternoon of Monday, 9th May for delegates to collect their badges. The TFWA Asia Pacific Lounge will open to badge holders from 6pm until 9pm that evening, with the same hours being kept the following night.

Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA President, said: “The TFWA Asia Pacific Live networking event will provide the industry with the opportunity for in-person networking that it has been calling out for over the past two years. We understand that there is a huge need to build and maintain relationships in-person and we want to make sure there are ample facilities in which essential business-building conversations can take place. Our ONE2ONE service will ensure that people are able to physically meet with selected contacts in dedicated meeting rooms.

“We also recognise the importance of offering strong learning elements to attendees, providing a foundation for a strong understanding of the changing dynamics of the market and how these will benefit, as well as challenge, our industry going forward. We feel confident that the à la carte workshops held over the course of the event will allow us to achieve this. Our thanks to our friends and partners in Singapore for helping us to bring our industry together once more.”