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TFWA World Exhibition 2009, Cannes
Paris, 4 November 2009
Dear Mr. Wehring,
Re: TFWA World Exhibition 2009, Cannes
Just Drinks is an authoritative source of information for the international drinks industry and as such a most valuable and important tool for the busy executive. It is therefore with disappointment that we read your coverage of the recent TFWA World Exhibition.
While the preview article by Joe Bates was well-constructed and informative, it was disappointing to note that it lacked specific information about the event. Only one brief quote from Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA President, was extracted from the material requested and supplied. If we had known that one sentence answers would suffice, we would not have gone to so much trouble to provide information.
It is correct that our event is indeed sprinkled with social occasions which launch products, promote brands and provide a much-needed opportunity for delegates to relax. However, to over-emphasise the social aspect is to give an erroneous impression of a serious business event which represents a considerable investment both for exhibitors and visitors. The headline of your article, that this ‘’US$37bn global business has always prided itself on knowing how to throw a good party’’ did little to emphasize the professional and serious commercial nature of the event.
Had the whimsical blog references prior to and during the show been supported by solid reporting, the overall impression would have been considerably more professional. TFWA World Exhibition is the most important forum in the duty free and travel retail calendar, a unique opportunity to network and do business.
The duty free and travel retail market is seen by the spirits and wine producers (and indeed by other product categories) as a crucial marketplace where premium brands meet international consumers in the right mindset and in the right environment. Wines and spirits today represent 17% of global duty free and travel retail sales – a very valuable market which in 2008 was worth US$6.3bn.
It is regrettable that your reporter Chris Mercer missed one of the most stimulating days of TFWA World Exhibition. The Conference on Monday morning was extremely well received with an industry overview by our President and three excellent presentations by an eminent historian and economist, by an industry giant, and by a high profile humanitarian campaigner, all dusted with a little sparkle by the children of the Cannes College of Music to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the event.
That afternoon, far from ‘hearing a pin drop’, the Press Centre was buzzing as journalists got up to speed at the opening press conference and armed themselves with exhibitors’ press packs before venturing forth onto the exhibition floor. It was indeed quieter during the week: the journalists were out working.
In the current business environment we were pleased that so many industry participants chose to congregate in Cannes for their annual gathering. They recognised the immense value of this one-stop shop at a time when the duty free and travel retail industry is summoning all its reserves of innovation to fly out of the current turbulence.
A more perspicacious approach by our media friends - which we consider an integral part of our industry - would prove highly constructive in this process.
Yours sincerely,
Olivier Charriaud
Chief Executive Officer
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16 days ago
by
Olly Wehring
Editor
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RE: TFWA World Exhibition 2009, Cannes
Dear Olivier
Thank you for your letter which I received this morning. We very much value feedback from our readership here at just-drinks, be it either positive or negative.
Firstly, may I congratulate you on an excellent TFWA world exhibition in Cannes last month. We found it an invaluable few days, both editorially and commercially. This year was only our second visit to the event, and I am very keen to continue our attendance in the years to come.
Turning to the specifics of your letter, meanwhile, I do feel that some of your comments require countenance. Firstly, you say that you found the preview piece(http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98762), written by Joe Bates, to be “disappointing” in that it “lacked specific information about the event”. Whilst I agree that more details about the exhibition itself could have been included, I must point out that we tend to limit the length of our features to a maximum of 1,000 words – this is due to the average amount of time our reader tends to have for reading online content. In light of this, I must agree with Joe, when he says that “the eve of the Cannes show is a great opportunity to update (just-drinks' readers) on important market trends” in the travel retail sector.
You then say that “only one brief quote from Erik Juul-Mortensen, TFWA president, was extracted from the material requested (by Joe) and supplied”. Joe has advised me that he submitted three questions to TFWA, requesting “only a few lines for a quote or two” to round out his piece. TFWA's PR firm responded, very kindly, with over 850 words of answers. I refer you, then, to my earlier comment regarding the average length of our features on just-drinks.
Next, you argue that we at just-drinks “over-emphasised the social aspect”(http://www.just-drinks.com/blogdetail.aspx?id=1596) of the exhibition. Again, I agree that we did mention the plethora of events which went on outside of the exhibition itself. But to claim that this overshadowed our coverage of the event, I feel, is unfair. If you are referring to some of the pieces which appeared in the blog section of the site, might I kindly point out that this is the location precisely for pithy, observatory comments of such a kind. Elsewhere on the site there is a wealth of copy which deals with the business end of the show(http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98851&lk=s).
I apologise for the absence of our deputy editor, Chris Mercer, from the opening conference on the Monday morning, something you also point out in your letter. Travel time to Cannes, dictated by the need to remain as fully-staffed as possible at just-drinks, precluded his presence on day one.
You then query Chris' claim that “you could hear a pin drop in the press office”(http://www.just-drinks.com/blogdetail.aspx?id=1594) on the Tuesday afternoon. This was purely an anecdotal observation – again, in the blog section - backed by comments from other executives, one of which told us: “I have been attending Cannes for over a decade and it was one of the quietest years I can remember.” We are more than happy, however, to run a story on the attendance figures for this year's event, Olivier, if you are willing to provide them.
The travel retail sector of the drinks industry has been one that, I admit, has not been afforded the amount of coverage it deserves on just-drinks in recent years. I hope you agree that – if through our attendance this year and last, at least – this is a situation we are doing our utmost to rectify.
Should you have any further suggestions about how we can improve our coverage of the travel retail sector of just-drinks, Olivier, I would be delighted to meet with you personally at your convenience to discuss further.
Thank you again for your comments. They really are much appreciated.
Kindest regards
Olly Wehring
Managing editor
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16 days ago
by Olly Wehring
Editor
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RE: TFWA World Exhibition 2009, Cannes
I'd like to add that, in addition to the blogs etc. We had the best online coverage of the event I can find. Just some of the articles that relate directly to the show include :
http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98851
http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98819
http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98804
http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98820
http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=98762
http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=108464
http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=108459
http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=108456
http://www.just-food.com/article.aspx?id=108444
Alternative industry publications did not have a single story this year or, alternatively, just offered up standard press releases. I was more than happy with both the tone and quality of the coverage especially on just-drinks.
Michael Gove
Publishing Director, Aroq Ltd.
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16 days ago
by
Mike Gove
Site Owner
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RE: TFWA World Exhibition 2009, Cannes
Dear Olly
Thank you for your detailed reply and for your openness to suggestions on how just-drinks could improve its coverage of the travel retail sector. We welcome your enthusiasm to engage with this dynamic sector of the wine and spirits industry.
TFWA is always pleased to assist journalists with their coverage of our events and of the industry as a whole throughout the year whether through personal interview or by written questions and answers co-ordinated by our Press Office.
In addition to press releases and show dossiers, there are press conferences hosted by the TFWA Board and management at the start and on the penultimate day of TFWA World Exhibition which give journalists a chance to update and ask questions.
At our regional event, TFWA Asia Pacific and GATE ONE2ONE in Singapore, the Board and management are available for comment and there is also a closing press conference on the final day. In addition, there is a section on the TFWA website with exhibitors’ press releases for journalists to download. A closing summary is issued to press shortly after each exhibition and conference with final registration figures.
You expressed interest in the attendance figures at this year’s event. We were pleased to report that a total of 5,013 visitors from 2517 companies attended TFWA World Exhibition 2009, that is 13% less individuals than last year, which we consider a satisfactory result in the light of the many challenges facing the industry. Within those figures, the number of duty free and travel retail operating companies was stable compared to last year although they sent fewer representatives (-9%). The number of landlord companies was down 18%.
We look forward to the opportunity to assist you with future coverage of the duty free and travel retail sector and, specifically, the TFWA events.
Kind regards
Olivier
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15 days ago
by Olly C.
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