Airport Experience® News - ACDBE & Small Business Issue 2024

DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

As part of the concessions program, we have a BBQ competition annually. The 2024 competition is scheduled for September, [hosted by] our concessions partner OHM. They will open up the competition [to BBQ experts] within a 60 mile radius of Kansas City International Airport. The winner of this competition will receive $25,000, a licensing agreement and the rights to [operate in] the terminal starting March of 2025 for 12 months. [The winner has] a first hand opportunity to learn how to run a business within the airport. It’s been a great experience. It’s fun for our travelers to experience this fine food choice and really fall in love with it, and they’re sometimes sad when their favorite menu items [are replaced with the advent of] new operators.

Right: New shopping and dining options in the new terminal have helped to boost revenues significantly, as travelers have much easier access to a broad range of concessions. Below: Passenger traffic is growing at Kansas City International Airport, exceeding 2019 levels and challenging the records set around the turn of the century.

WARD: Are there other changes or initiatives that you’d like to share? Cooper: We have less than two years to prepare for FIFA World Cup coming to Kansas City, and that is a significant event. We’re going to have six games in Kansas City, so that’s like six Super Bowls in a two-month period. We’re really focusing our efforts on preparing the airfield, preparing our terminal, preparing our transit system, preparing our concession program. We’re going to have international travelers and people coming to Kansas City for the first time, and we’re the smallest host city. We also continue to look for development opportunities on our airport property, both at the Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport, as well as Kansas City International.

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AX NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2024