The TFWA World Exhibition & Conference 2026 took place in Cannes, France, from September 27 to October 1, with leading global luxury brands Hermès, Chanel, Estée Lauder, Moët Hennessy, and Zegna confirming their participation as exhibitors, according to Global Travel Retail Magazine.
Delegate and Industry Participation
Pre-registered delegates included CEOs, heads of category, buyers, and senior decision-makers from major travel retailers such as Avolta, Aer Rianta, China Duty Free Group, Dubai Duty Free, Duty Free Americas, and Lagardère Travel Retail. Airport representatives came from Fraport (Germany), Heathrow Airport (UK), Changi Airport Group (Singapore), and Istanbul Airport (Turkey). Additional registrants represented airlines, cruise and ferry
companies, and global and regional distributors.
Conference and Workshop Schedule
The TFWA World Conference took place on Monday, September 28, 2026, from 09:00 to 11:45. Workshops were held on September 29 from 08:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 18:00, and on September 30 from 10:00 to 11:00 and 15:00 to 16:00 at the Palais des Festivals’ Auditorium Jean Mineur, focusing on key sector issues and opportunities.
Networking Events and Social Programming
The Opening Cocktail event was held on Sunday, September 27, at 19:00 on Carlton Beach, Cannes. The TFWA Lounge hosted after-work sessions Monday through Wednesday from 18:30 to 21:00, with late-night gatherings on Monday and Tuesday from 22:00
to 01:00 and on Wednesday from 22:00 to 02:00, offering extended networking opportunities.
Partners and Event Support
Qatar Duty Free was the Main Partner of the TFWA Lounge. Product contributors included Santa Margherita, Wonderful Pistachios, Pringles, Haribo, Liviko Crafter’s, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail with the Drink More Water campaign, Storck, and Seeberger.
Returning and new exhibitors also included Fauchon, Pierre Fabre, Crocs, and Molinari Italia. Their participation underscored the breadth of the event’s industry influence.
TFWA President Sarah Branquinho stated, “TFWA World Exhibition & Conference continues to bring together the full breadth of the global duty free and travel retail industry in Cannes.
It is a privilege — and a mark of the importance of duty free and travel retail — to welcome many CEOs and senior leaders both from the brand and retail communities. The strong level of early exhibitor and delegate engagement, despite the many challenges of the last 12 months, reflects both the resilience of the sector and the importance of coming together to exchange ideas, build partnerships and shape future growth. We look forward to welcoming the industry once again for a week of meaningful business and dialogue.”
