Former New Zealand PM to speak at TFWA Asia Pacific

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Tax Free World Association has announced that the Rt Hon Mike Moore, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and until August director-general of the World Trade Organisation, will be the keynote speaker at the TFWA Asia Pacific conference on Tuesday May 20 in Singapore

He will address the issue: The Asian Future. This will include an examination of China's role in Asia's future and its importance to the travel-retail industry.

TFWA ceo Andrew Ford said: "Trade conferences have to hit hard. They have to provide actionable insights and independent information for business development as well as new ideas to challenge old ways of thinking. We are delighted that a man of such pre-eminence on the world stage as Mike Moore has agreed to speak to the industry. I am sure it will be a fascinating speech."

TFWA president Erik Juul-Mortensen will open the plenary session with an overview of the state of the travel-retail industry and the moments and issues that will define its future.

'Asia-Pacific's Travelling Consumer', the final plenary session, will present highlights from TFWA's 2003 study of ten Asia-Pacific nationalities with specific insights into their consumer expectations and shopping behaviour.

Three workshops will enable delegates to pursue their chosen subjects in greater detail.

The first is 'Japan's Travelling Consumer Today'. This will examine key factors in culture, economy and the local retail market that impact on Japanese spending led by Kumi Sato, President of Cosmo Public Relations, a leading Japanese strategic business communications and marketing consulting firm, and Masato Takamatsu, Vice President of the Japan Tourism Marketing Co (JTM), drawing on the all-new 2003 JTM-TFWA Japanese Traveller Study.

The second is 'Duty-Free in Asia-Pacific: why market share in branded and luxury goods retailing is shifting'. Senior vice-president of Retail Forward Ira Kalish looks at how domestic retail in Asia is interacting with consumer expectations on price and what share of the branded goods market duty-free controls today.

The third session is 'Designs of the Future: Merging Consumer Insights with Airport Reality'.