The TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2026 took place in Cannes from September 27 to October 1, drawing a record attendance of 8,011 visitors representing 185 countries, according to www.gtrmag.com. Sixty-five percent of attendees were duty-free and travel retail operators, agents, and distributors. The visitor base was geographically diverse, with 56% from Europe, 17% from Asia-Oceania, 12% from the Middle East, 11% from the Americas, and 4% from Africa.
Exhibition Scale and Business Meetings
The event hosted 482 exhibiting companies across 26,266 square meters of exhibition space. Among these were 54 first-time exhibitors. Business interactions were facilitated by the ONE2ONE meeting service, which arranged nearly
2,000 meetings between exhibitors and industry professionals over the course of the event.
Conference Attendance and Industry Forums
The opening TFWA World Conference attracted 1,517 attendees. Four workshops supplemented the conference program, collectively drawing 278 participants. TFWA Managing Director Charlène Tourneaux moderated the workshops and highlighted the quality of speakers and the importance of knowledge sharing. TFWA’s Start-Up Day, supported by Mondelēz, featured 10 emerging businesses to spotlight innovation in the market.
New Management Committee and Networking Events
TFWA elected a new Management Committee and Board for the 2026–2028 term representing 40 companies. Board members include Jean-Pierre Bombet (Spa Development / Be Relax) as Vice-President Finance; Priscilla Haibe de Walque (Payot)
as Vice-President Corporate; Irene Giatra (Estée Lauder Companies) as Vice-President Commercial; Alessio Crivelli (EssilorLuxottica) as Vice-President Marketing; and Sam Gerber (WorldConnect) as Vice-President Conference & Research.
Networking opportunities included an Opening Cocktail attended by over 3,000 guests and the TFWA Lounge hosted by Qatar Duty Free with over 2,700 visitors on the final evening. The lounge experience was 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. Irene Giatra emphasized networking as fundamental to relationship-building and idea generation in the industry. Greg
Ford, General Manager Travel Retail Americas at Pernod Ricard and new TFWA Board member, noted the quality of meetings for shaping priorities.
Social Initiatives and Future Events
Social impact initiatives included the fourth ‘Yes We Cannes!’ Handisport event promoting inclusion through adaptive sport. The #KickCancerThon cycling fundraiser covered 1,502 kilometers, raising €15,022 for cancer research at The Royal Marsden Hospital, with TFWA donating €10 per kilometer cycled.
TFWA renewed its partnership agreement with SEMEC, securing Cannes as the event venue until at least 2030. The next TFWA World Exhibition & Conference is scheduled for October 3 to 7, 2027, again in Cannes.
