The TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2026 brought 8,011 attendees from 185 countries to Cannes, France, between September 27 and October 1, setting a new attendance record for the second year in a row. Sixty-five percent of visitors were duty-free and travel retail operators, agents, and distributors. Visitor origins included 56% from Europe, 17% from Asia-Oceania, 12% from the Middle East, 11% from the Americas, and 4% from Africa.
The exhibition hosted 482 companies over 26,266 square meters of space, welcoming 54 new exhibitors debuting at the event. The ONE2ONE meeting platform facilitated nearly 2,000 business meetings between exhibitors and
industry professionals throughout the week, supporting significant networking momentum within the travel retail sector.
Conference, Workshops and Start-Up Day
The opening session of the TFWA World Conference assembled 1,517 professionals, featuring industry insights and a keynote address from TFWA President Sarah Branquinho. Four workshops attracted 278 attendees, focusing on current challenges and opportunities within travel retail. Charlène Tourneaux, TFWA Managing Director, moderated the workshops and emphasized the value of knowledge exchange among delegates.
Start-Up Day, supported by Mondelēz, spotlighted 10 emerging companies aiming to innovate the travel retail experience. Sales Director at Levita Magic, Stéphanie Hourlay, noted strong interest from the community and promising conversations
about creativity and innovation.
New TFWA Leadership and Networking Events
The TFWA elected a new Management Committee and Board for the 2026–2028 term, representing 40 companies. The Board includes Vice-President Finance Jean-Pierre Bombet, Vice-President Corporate Priscilla Haibe de Walque, Vice-President Commercial Irene Giatra, Vice-President Marketing Alessio Crivelli, and Vice-President Conference & Research Sam Gerber. Irene Giatra highlighted the significance of informal networking for nurturing industry relationships and generating new business ideas.
Networking functions drew high participation, with more than 3,000 guests attending the Opening Cocktail at Carlton Beach and over 2,700 visiting the TFWA Lounge on the final evening. Qatar Duty Free was the main partner
of the Lounge, supported by sponsors such as Haribo, Heineken, Lakrids by Bülow, Liviko Crafter’s, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, Pringles, Santa Margherita, Seeberger, Storck, Walker’s Shortbread, and Wonderful Pistachios.
Social Initiatives and Cannes Partnership Extension
The fourth ‘Yes We Cannes!’ Handisport event promoted inclusion and accessibility through adaptive sports, organized in partnership with Stade Toulousain Handisport and m1nd-set. The #KickCancerThon initiative, launched by The Moodie Davitt Report, engaged delegates to cycle 1,502 kilometers on stationary bikes, generating €15,022 for cancer research at The Royal Marsden Hospital. The distance cycled approximated the route from Cannes to Lisbon.
TFWA renewed its partnership agreement with SEMEC to maintain
Cannes as the host city of the World Exhibition & Conference through at least 2030. The next conference is scheduled for October 3-7, 2027, continuing the event’s role as a cornerstone for global travel retail networking and business development.
