Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2023

POST-CONFERENCE ISSUE 2023 / V21 N246

F U L L C O V E R A G E O F AXC 2023!

Something

About halfway down Concourse B at Indianapolis International Airport (winner of AXN’s 2023 Airpo Medium/Small Airports Division Award), SSP America is giving passengers something to talk abou stocking the shelves with foods and products which celebrate Indiana’s rich agricultural landscape. concept built in partnership with the Indianapolis Airport Authority, a state initiative called Indiana homegrown experience which captures the spirit of the region and ensures passengers depart with

Ahmad Almasri-Regional Vice President SSP America, Danielle Taylor-Principle SBC Global, Jason Paltzer-Concessions Operations Manager IAA, Holli Harrington Mario Rodriguez-Executive Director IAA, Sco…Humphreys-Partner Erin Clark + Co, Marsha (Stone) Wurster-Senior Director of Commercial Enterprise IAA, Michae

SSP_GATE_AXNPostCon_2303.indd 1

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g to Talk About

ort with the Highest Regard for Customer Service– ut. We’re serving up big plates of Hoosier pride and . The Farmers’ Market featuring Indiana Grown is a a Grown and our joint venture partners. The result is a h a taste of place in their hearts.

Finalist in 11 categories

n-Senior Director of Supplier Diversity &Diversity Officer IAA, Bob Stanton-Vice President of Business Development SSP America, el Sledge-Regional Support Chef SSP America, David Shaw-Director of Concessions & Airport Experience IAA

3/28/23 1:26 PM

Craving a new experience?

Welcome to Beercode! Now open in SAT and ATL, Beercode Kitchen & Bar is our new and attractive casual dining restaurant that entices guests with curated selections of locally brewed craft beers and all-day culinary delights from our Pub Breakfast to the Seared Salmon or our irresistible desserts. Oering a full wine and cocktail menu and wrapped in our cozy gastro-pub atmosphere, Beercode delivers an incredibly relaxing, friendly, and flavorful experience before your flight.

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6 The Roundtable In a private meeting at the AX Conference, AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes and Editor in-Chief Carol Ward met with five senior executives from North America’s leading concessionaires. Check out what they have to say about the future of the industry. 12 The Year’s Best The AX Awards returned to full force in 2023. A panel of industry judges voted on the best of-the-best in airport properties management and airport concessions. Winners took home their trophies from the annual Awards Gala that closed the AX Conference. 22 Directors On Stage Four airport directors shared their challenges and vision for the future in the annual Directors session. 24 Women In The Spotlight For the third year in a row, the AX Conference kicked off with a Women in Leadership breakfast and panel discussion. This sold out event once again served as a catalyst for ongoing change in the airports and concessions industries. 28 Zimmern On Food Waste Celebrity chef and entrepreneur Andrew Zimmern joined the AX Conference this year, delivering a keynote speech and moderating a panel on combatting food waste. 32 Concessions Evolution A series of panels was devoted to the ongoing evolution of airport concessions and the challenges and opportunities in a post pandemic environment.

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38 Industry Trends New opportunities, new players and new predictions were all given voice at the AX Conference in a series of panels designed to show attendees a glimpse of what’s to come in the industry. 42 DE&I Spotlight Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts continue to expand at many airports and concessions companies. Four speakers shared their strategies to ensure a level playing field for all. 44 Airport Opportunities The airport concessions industry is all about opportunities, and in this session, nine airport representatives shared their concessions program plans, giving operators a glimpse of what they might be bidding on in the future.

46 Schmooze Fest The annual schmooze session – a speed dating-like event pairing airports with concessionaires for quick one-on-one meetings – was a conference highlight with a record 40 airports represented. 48 Opening Night Opening Night in the Experience Hall was a blast! Event sponsor Jackmont Hospitality brought surprise guest Ludacris to pump up the crowd, and Paradies Lagardère continued the fun with a first-ever in-hall after party.

4 Letter From The Publisher 5 Letter From The Editor 52 Advertising Index

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TEAM

Desiree Hanson Executive Vice President Melissa Montes Vice President/Publisher Carol Ward Editor-in-Chief Jean Claude Chaouloff Business Development Manager

Andrew Tellijohn Senior Reporter Sally Kral Contributing Writer David Ward Contributing Writer

Barbara McCarter Portfolio Manager Chad Wimmer Senior Editorial Art Director Rae Lynn Cooper Production Manager Amanda Gochee Vice President, Marketing Strategy Paige Heady Senior Marketing Manager Meghan Tooth Senior Marketing Coordinator Tristan Lueck Marketing Coordinator

Airport Experience ® News Is a Division of CLARION Events 6421 Congress Ave., Suite 107 Boca Raton, FL 33487 Phone 561.257.1026 Fax 561.228.0882 To subscribe visit https://airportxnews.com/subscribe/ ISSN: 1948-4445 Russell Wilcox Executive Chairman Lisa Hannant Chief Executive Officer, Clarion Events Greg Topalian President and Chief Executive Officer Clarion Events North America Copyright © 2023 Airport Experience ® News, all rights reserved. Any reproduction of this magazine is strictly forbidden without prior permission from Airport Experience ® News.

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AMarket Filled With Pride

Just northwestof Indy,Tulip TreeCreamery iscoagulating, cu ing, cooking, andaging anaward-winningselection of cheeses. Ownerand cheesemakerFonsSmits is oneof 1,800 IndianaGrown members, astate initiative ensuringthe localityof homegrown Indianaproducts. Membersbrandthemselves IndianaGrownsofolksknow what’s trulyHoosier. SSP America isstockingand restockingtheshelvesofThe Farmers’Market featuring IndianaGrownwith60 local products, andwhatbe er placetogivetheworldataste of Indianathanthe Indianapolis International Airport.

POST-CONFERENCE ISSUE 2023

LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dear Valued Readers,

It’s hard to believe it has already been a month since we were all together in Denver for AXC 2023. We are so excited to recap the event with you in this Post Conference Issue. In these pages you will re-live the vibrancy from the AX Conference with highlights from our largest attended event yet. From a fun and informative airport tour to an amazing grand opening event with special guests and an afterparty, to our first awards gala since 2020, the AX Conference delivered exciting and memorable events. This year we also introduced new awards acknowledging OutstandingWomen in Leadership and a DE&I Trailblazer. AXN Editor Carol Ward moderated a private roundtable discussion that gathered leaders from five of the industry’s largest concessions players – check out the conversation in this issue! On behalf of the entire AXN team I want to take this opportunity to again express gratitude to all our sponsors, exhibitors, airport partners and attendees for your continued support of Airport Experience News and the AX Conference. We look forward to seeing you next year in Dallas for our 20 th Anniversary!

Cheers,

Melissa K. Montes Vice President & Publisher Airport Experience News mel@airportxnews.com

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AIRPORT EXPERIENCE NEWS

Dear Readers,

We experienced it once just a few short weeks ago, but now is the time to relive the 2023 Airport Experience Conference. This issue of AXN is jam-packed with coverage and photos from the late February/earlyMarch event. Check out the following pages to read about any sessions you didn’t see firsthand, to delve more deeply into educational topics and to capture the fun and excitement of the AXConference through images. As AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes mentioned in her remarks at the Awards Gala, the 2023 attendance numbers exceeded those of 2020, which means we, like so many in our industry, are BACK! It was thrilling to see all the familiar faces returning to this year’s event and, equally as important, meet the many attendees who experienced the AX Conference for the first time. Once we have a minute to catch our breath, the AX Team will begin planning for 2024. Next year will mark the 20 th Anniversary of the AX Conference, and we’ll be pulling out all the stops to make sure the event is bigger and better than ever! We welcome input from each of you as we move forward on this next phase of the AXN journey. Please feel free to reach out to me or any member of the AX Team with suggestions and guidance on building a bigger, better conference.

Sincerely,

Carol Ward Editor-in-Chief

Airport Experience News carol@airportxnews.com

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LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS Senior Concessions Executives Share Successes, Challenges

and Outlook BY MEL I SSA K . MONTES AND C AROL WARD

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Editor’s Note: Each year, as the airport concessions industry gathers at the annual Airport Experience Conference, the AX Team turns to North America’s leading concessions operators to get an update on the state of the industry. This year, in the midst of the 2023 AXConference, five leaders convened for a private “roundtable” discussion. Included in the discussion were Steve Johnson, president and CEO, HMSHost ; Gregg Paradies, president and CEO, Paradies Lagardère ; Michael Svagdis, CEO, SSP America ; James Wilson, vice president, Delaware North ; and Roddy McOwan, chief development officer, Marshall Retail Group . Melissa K. Montes, AXN publisher, and Carol Ward, editor-in-chief, jointly interviewed the men about the way forward for the industry.

MONTES: It’s been three years almost to the day since the pandemic hit. Have we come full circle? How are your companies positioned now compared to 2020 when we were all just viewing COVID as a vague threat - something that we might have to deal with? PARADIES: Have we come full circle? I wouldn’t say full circle, but I would say we’ve come a long way. The business has changed dramatically, from the cost of [capital expenditures] to the cost of payroll, the cost of goods…. It’s not just normal, natural inflation. I think at Paradies, we’re positioned well. Like a lot of these guys around the table, we’ve gone through a business transformation project to really build a stronger, more efficient, more agile company with fewer layers so we can move faster and we’ve also invested a lot on infrastructure, particularly technology. JOHNSON: I go back to the time [three years ago at the 2020 AX Conference] when we were talking about, this COVID thing and how bad is it going to be. We were looking at 20 - 30% down. I think I said 60%. Little did we know it would drop 98%. But I’ll echo what Gregg said. I think it’s made us stronger. Overall, I like our company better today. We’re not as fat, we’re not as slow, we’re much more agile, much quicker. There are some blessings that came out of the pandemic. It taught us to work differently. These are all solvable problems that we face today. As these challenges are hitting us, we’re finding solutions. With our partners, with the airports, with our brands, with our people, I’m happy where we are today.

SVAGDIS: Emotionally, I feel more connected to this industry and my team because we went through so much for three years. I had a lot of calls with everybody at this table, which was fantastic. What comes out of that strength is newways of doing business. I think nowwe can do anything as an industry - what other challenge could be worse than what’s happened the last three years? MCOWAN: WHSmith acquired us in December 2019, which was excellent timing from our perspective. We had some massive commitments out there, not the least of which LaGuardia [Airport]. If it hadn’t been for WHSmith acquiring us, I can’t really imagine what that would have looked like for us. In terms of full circle, we were all crazy busy. Capital costs were rising. Labor rates and prevailing wage rates were increasing as well. But sales were there. I mean, the growth was phenomenal in 2019, and I think that’s now come back full circle. I think every single one of us is not only trying to grow and get open again all of the existing business, but all of us have a really healthy pipeline of things that are in front of us. WILSON: Our company has bounced back. We’ve learned to be thinner, more mobile, understand how to jump on opportunities

Left: This year’s Leadership Roundtable included (L-R) Steve Johnson, president and CEO, HMSHost; Gregg Paradies, president and CEO, Paradies Lagardère; Roddy McOwan, chief development officer, Marshall Retail Group; Melissa K. Montes, publisher, Airport Experience News; Michael Svagdis, CEO, SSP America; and James Wilson, vice president, Delaware North.

Right: Amidst serious talk about the challenges facing the airport concessions industry, the group had a few lighthearted moments.

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all have is the airlines have changed a lot of their banking flights. Our valleys and peaks of sales have changed a lot. The peaks are higher and tighter. What do we need to do operationally to be ready for that? JOHNSON: All those pro-formas that we put together back in 2016, ‘17, ‘18 and ‘19 that showed growth are off. We’re all dealing with that in different ways. For the summer, I’m cautiously optimistic depending on the airport. There are still some that are struggling. MCOWAN: Especially with the lack of the Asian passengers, for example, on the coasts. It’s a big issue. JOHNSON: And business travel – some of the business hubs just aren’t back yet because there’s not as much business travel. Conventions are back to normal but the business travel that’s missing today and probably will never come back is business to-business travel, meaning internal company travel. It used to be if you had an office in Chicago and an office in L.A., people would go to each other’s offices and spend time with each other. That travel is probably gone for good. MCOWAN: We talk about the airlines and the pressure that that will put on us, in terms of capacity in the market. But the flip side of that is, as we’ve come out of COVID, that the consumer habits have changed. The integration of things like self-checkout has been a massive positive - look at the amount of automated retail this year. Investment and all of these things that we’re all doing from a retail perspective, all of that is helping to drive sales and customer satisfaction, even though the customer is a much more fractious individual at the moment because the stress of actually traveling is much worse. WARD: Several of you have mentioned airline actions. Last year when we did this roundtable, we talked a bit about data sharing. Has there been any progress on that front? PARADIES: I heard from one airport that they’re taking it into their own hands. They’re putting technology on the loading bridges to get the information directly since they can’t get it from the airlines, which I thought was very interesting, very proactive indeed. It’s not about every store being open to midnight, it’s about how many people are going through [each area of the terminal]. It’s a pretty predictable business but the lack of data really makes it hard to step appropriately and efficiently.

WARD: There’s been a lot of discussion in recent years about the need for a change in airport-operator relationships. Are you seeing any progress on that front? SVAGDIS: The RFPs haven’t changed but there is an understanding now. Everybody learned fromCOVID. Everybody ultimately rallied around and did the right thing to keep the ecosystem alive. There are definitely airports that are more reasonable [now]. We’re not being asked to keep restaurants open at midnight when there’s no one there. I definitely see the mindset changing and [airports and operators] working collaboratively. The biggest challenge … is our cost. In every facet of our business, costs are up anywhere from 20 to 30%. We have to see some kind of change in [lease] terms or something like. WILSON: For RFPs that have recently been released, there’s been no change. But the relationships that we have with the airports on existing contracts seem to be a whole lot better, more collaborative. With those contracts that got awarded in late 2019 to 2020 that we’re now building out, there’s an understanding that our costs have gone up 30 to 40% and we need to have a conversation about changes. MCOWAN: I think some things have changed from a retail perspective. I think the RFPs have come out with a little bit longer terms.

Above: Steve Johnson of HMSHost says HMSHost is “not as fat, we’re not as slow, we’re much more agile, much quicker” than before the pandemic.

a lot faster. And I think out of all of that [happened during the pandemic], we do have probably a better company now than we had four years ago. MONTES: Airports and operators are ramping up for spring and summer travel season. What is your level of optimism for passenger numbers, spending and the ability for you to create a positive customer experience? JOHNSON: I think it’s in the NorthAmerican DNA to travel across the world. People love to explore, and they’re going to continue to explore and travel this summer. It’s the airlines that are restricting our growth, not the demand from passengers (referencing a recent American Airlines route cut). I shudder to see what the price of tickets is going to be this summer – they’re going to price some people out of the market. But the flights will all be full and we’ll all be staffing our locations. Retail is back almost 100% or over 100% [of 2019 levels]. Food and beverage – at least ours - is sitting at around 88%. And if you look at the fact that we should have grown 2 to 4% per year, we’re really closer to 20% off of where we should be. SVAGDIS: It’s not just American, Southwest [is also cutting flights]. They still haven’t put a new scheduling system in yet, but from everything I’m reading, they’ve kind of pared back their summer schedule as well. [SSP America is] probably just shy of 10% of 2019, but it’s by airport. There are places we’re still 20 to 30% down and then other places, believe it or not, [where we’re] 20% over. It’s because of what the airlines are doing. And I think the biggest challenge we

Above: Roddy McOwan of Marshall Retail Group says integration of technologies such as self-checkout have been “a massive positive” for the industry in meeting the needs of the next generation of travelers.

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Right: An ongoing focus on DE&I initiatives and policies is crucial in retaining strong talent, says Gregg Paradies of Paradies Lagardère.

up. We’re having to do bonuses just to [get our team members to] show up on a weekend, even though they’re now making $25 an hour. MCOWAN: The company culture is really important. Think about how many people were furloughed, and then how slowly people came back. As a tranche of new people [are hired], we have no history with them with our culture. How do you create the culture when half of your team is on Teams? There’s no personal touch going on at the unit level. It is harder to deliver what that culture is because culture changes whether people leave or join an organization. SVAGDIS: To piggyback on what Gregg said, the Super Bowl was just in Phoenix. Call outs on weekends are really bad now and we tolerate those call outs more now too. We incentivized employees with $1,000 each day on top of their regular pay to [work their shifts]. And people still called out sick. JOHNSON: In 2022 our mantra internally was hire, train and retain, and we hired about 24,000 associates in the year of 2022 alone.

I think there’s some shift in MAG, where new stores maybe just don’t have a MAG for the first year…. There will still be a MAG, but at least that gives us a little bit more freedom. I think the education piece is still largely missing. I think industry consultants have a role to play in that. I think we have a role to play in that. I think ARRA (Airport Restaurant & Retail Association) has a role to play in that. I thinkACI (Airports Council International-North America) has a role to play in that to make people understand what the business model looks like. PARADIES: I would agree with Roddy on a couple of points there. As far as evolution of RFPs, there’s been some movement. Has it been material? I can’t say material in all cases, but [airports are] listening, they’re understanding that especially retail is not what it used to be and it’s evolving. JOHNSON: I think there’s been a general curiosity about our business and about really the whole ecosystem through COVID. I think that our airport partners have gotten smarter, more educated…. We all got smarter about our businesses because when you strip it down to nothing and have to build it back, you know everything that goes into building it back. And I think that the airports were all along that ride with us. MONTES: Moving to a key challenge you all have faced for the past few years, which is labor: Are your restaurants and stores fully staffed and how are you addressing any shortfalls? WILSON: Labor is still an issue. There’s no question about it. And it’s not just in our business. It’s all across the country. And I submit to you that this is probably a bigger issue than many people think. Part of this is an immigration issue. We closed our borders for five years - not totally closed, but we closed out that lower rung of people that would come to theis country and work their way up. Until we build that back properly, we’re going to have these shortages. Everybody is looking at how to use technology to help address it. But the passenger ordering his coffee wants to talk to his barista…. They don’t want just a machine. In retail, sometimes it’s easier to grab what you want off the shelf and

walk out the door. But in the food and beverage side of the world, I think we still need people. SVAGDIS: Immigration’s a good one, but the other one is the number of females in the workforce has changed dramatically. Every year we do an engagement survey…. It’s great to see the different needs of each employee based on generation. Our workforce actually got older after COVID. I’m convinced that the younger generation [realized] this is a hard industry to work in and saw an opportunity…, and they retooled themselves and got into different industries. Another thing, when we talked to a lot of our female employees, [the reason they didn’t come back] was the cost of childcare. How do you retool? We got smarter on how we can use fewer people in the back of the kitchen. A lot of it is driven by our menus. You can’t have 50 items on a menu anymore because you just don’t have cooks. It’s the number one position we have a shortage in. MCOWAN: I want to take it just a slightly different angle. We work in a fantastic industry, right? You could almost have any career in aviation. We don’t do enough as an airport and as an individual city to actually market the airport as an opportunity. Nobody actually thinks about going to work in an airport and it being a potential career. PARADIES: Canadian airports do a better job of building communities where people are proud to work in the airport. That’s an opportunity that these major airports have. Atlanta with 50,000 employees - they have the scale to do something really special and invest in a big way, so we’re not all individually doing our own thing. The other big challenge, of course, is that recruiting is one thing but we all know retention is harder than ever. Fortunately, I think our culture has helped us bring back people and keep people. But [weekends are challenging with people] just not showing

Above: Michael Svagdis of SSP America says labor remains a key challenge for concessionaires, with young people turning to other employment options and women, in particular, opting to find alternatives or simply exit the workforce to focus on family.

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We have pockets of labor issues right now but as a general rule, I would say we’re fully staffed. If we can get them to stay for 90 days, they stay for four years. It’s the first 90 days [that are challenging]. We have plenty of employees. We have a lot of people who won’t work 40 hours - we give a bonus to work 37 and a half. Many of them, because the pay is so high, they’ll work 25 hours, 27 hours and that’s enough. They might call out on their Friday or Sunday shift because those are the two big call out days. They’ll have a side hustle. They’ll be on Instagram. They’ll [drive for] Uber. That fills in the gap of the 40-hour workweek for them. WARD: I want to shift to technology. Can each of you talk about what excites you right now and what you’re adopting to help your company appeal to the more tech-savvy travelers? JOHNSON: I’m on the board of the National Restaurant Association. We did a great survey in 2022 about what a consumer expects when they walk into a restaurant. Only 25% of baby boomers want technology. The rest of us want someone coming up to our table and talking to us. When you start going down the generations - Generation Y, Millennials, Generation X - over 65% of them want technology and don’t want somebody at their table. We are not building restaurants for us anymore. Our QR code technology today is in 210 restaurants. It did about $340 million in sales in 2022. This year, it’s going to probably do closer to $450 million as we’re adding more restaurant locations. If you look at labor productivity, we’re still operating at the same labor productivity that we operated in the 1950s. If you look at hotels, at rental cars, at banks, at airlines, their labor productivity has doubled and tripled and even quadrupled in some cases. So our job, this community’s job, is to figure that [technology] piece out because the consumer wants it. PARADIES: Self-checkout has been much more successful than I ever imagined. They’re very user friendly - the joke in my company is even Gregg Paradies can use it. But what’s the next thing? We don’t know but I think the industry needs to focus on what’s going to really make a difference versus what is it really a good press release. This technology takes a lot of resources to incorporate - it isn’t just flipping a switch - and it’s accelerating faster than ever. I’m

also very excited about what we’re doing back in the house to help our people be more productive. SVAGDIS: Right now we all have similar technology and the adoption rate continues to increase. The biggest challenge, quite frankly, [is getting] unions to be accepting of it, which they’ve gotten better, and then the employee to embrace it, which has come with time as well. During COVID we rolled out a lot of automation in the back of the house … because we couldn’t find enough managers. We had to be more efficient. So that kind of technology - we know it’s not consumer facing so we don’t talk about it. But we’re all doing that and it’s super critical for us to be successful. WILSON: You mentioned unions, we actually have a union group that finally accepted using a robot to help them bus the tables. It saves them steps, gives them more time to interface with customers. MONTES: All companies are increasingly under scrutiny for DE&I right now. Can you point to one highlight or one achievement in your commitment to DE&I? SVAGDIS: We’re using a third-party company called Inclusion Inc . We train the top 40% of our people. The first step in my mind is about awareness and about unconscious bias, and we’ve done a lot of training on that. But at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. What’s the achievement? For me, it’s the fact that every year I look at my employee base and I look at the middle management and then the VP and senior manager level, and our diversity, along with females at every level, has grown ten years in a row. We as an executive team have to own it. We have to drive it through the organization. And quite frankly, compensation is tied to it in our organization as well, which gets people’s attention real quick. MCOWAN: We are adopting a lot of the WHSmith global initiatives and there is still a lot of work to do on it. From a personal point of view, our business development team sits [with 18 people] and 13 of the 18 are female. That’s just a fundamental change. WILSON: Working for a family-owned business, it took them a while but they’ve embraced the idea of DE&I because they understand how it filters to the bottom line of the business at the end of the day. The conversation that we had over a period of almost 18 months was whether

Above: Delaware North’s James Wilson says his company’s approach to DE&I initiatives has advanced “leaps and bounds” in recent years. .

to put somebody in charge of this, and the brothers (owners) decided that, no, we all need to own this and we will have a steering committee. I think we’re advancing leaps and bounds in understanding the importance of DE&I within our company. JOHNSON: When I took over as CEO, it was there wasn’t any diversity on my leadership team. Today it’s 60%. In the middle of the pandemic we put a DE&I committee together for two reasons. First, to make a statement publicly about who we are. Second, to make a difference in an organization like ours. It came down to who we’re going to hire. Every single job for us has to have a diverse panel of people who have an opportunity to get the job. Once they have the opportunity, we find the talent. PARADIES: We started a diversity inclusion council July 2020, right in the heart of the pandemic, and we started an influencer committee underneath them. The transparency conversation with my leadership team and below just blew me away. What I’m most proud of is just how this has energized our team. We talk about retention of young talent. It’s amazing how complicated people’s lives are. But the transparency with our organization has really helped as we talk about hooking the heart of something bigger than just our companies. If you look back ten years ago, there was no diversity on our leadership teams, but it’s coming. It’s a journey and we have a long way to go but this will continue to be critically important to retain strong talent.

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Above, Right: AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes opens the AX Awards Gala with a toast. Gala sponsors Michael Levine, co-founder of Tastes on the Fly; and Huy Pham, founder, Innovative Retail Group, get in the spirit with red attire to match Montes’ signature look.

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AND

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WINNER The 19 th annual Airport Experience Conference marked the return of the AX Awards Gala, featuring a full slate of airport and concessions awards in a variety of categories. The popular awards program had been pared down considerably the previous two years due to the impact of the pandemic. This year, the AX Team sought to bring more clarity and transparency to the awards process with a new approach that will continue in the coming years. In Autumn 2022, the AX Team opened a nomination process whereby subscribers could nominate industry partners, colleagues or themselves for any awards. When the nomination window closed two months later, the AX team selected up to six finalists in each category. Then, the industry again had its say. A group of 22 industry executives agreed to serve on the AX Awards Committee. A group of 11 individuals - a mix of airport and consultancy representatives - were tapped to vote on the concept and concessions awards, while a separate group of 11 concessions and consultancy representatives agreed to vote on the airport awards. For a few select awards, such as sustainability and technology, members of both groups were asked to cast their votes. After receiving votes from each AX Awards Committee member, the AX Team tallied the results. (For a list of all finalists, please see page ??.) Winners were revealed at the Awards Gala, an event that capped the 2023 AX Conference. At the Gala, AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes noted the industry’s remarkable resiliency over the past three years. “Tonight, we celebrate not only having something to celebrate but our common vision for delivering excellent experiences to the traveling public,” Montes said in her opening remarks at the Gala. “As a result of your collective efforts, North American Airports are some of the very best in the World. In addition to the award winners announced at the Gala, the event also put a spotlight on previously announced winners in select categories: the 2022 Airport Directors of the Year and the 2023 PropertyManager of the Year and AX Icon. Also, AXN’s awards for Women in Leadership were announced during theWomen in Leadership Breakfast, while the DE&I Trailblazer nod was given during the DE&I session during the AX Conference.

IS…

AX Awards Gala Celebrates Excellence In Airport Concessions

BY C AROL WARD

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AIRPORTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Airport properties departments play a key role in creating an outstanding passenger experience for travelers. The AX Awards highlight some of the best programs in the industry as well as the airport teams that partner with operators to meet and exceed traveler expectations. The winners of the AX airport awards are: Airport With The Best Program Design – Large Airports Division: LaGuardia Airport Airport With The Best Program Design – Medium/Small Airports Division: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Airport With the Best Overall Concessions Program – Large: Salt Lake City International Airport Airport WithThe Best Overall Concessions Program – Medium/Small Airports Division: Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Airport With The Best Commercial Management Team – Large Airports Division: Salt Lake City International Airport Airport With The Best Commercial Management Team – Medium/Small Airports Division: Edmonton International Airport Airport With The Highest Regard for Customer Service – Large Airports Division: Dallas/FortWorth International Airport Airport With The Highest Regard for Customer Service – Medium/Small Airports Division: Indianapolis International Airport Best Sustainability Initiative In Airports: Dallas/FortWorth International Airport OPERATOR EXCELLENCE It’s been a trying couple of years, but concessions operators in North America have weathered the myriad challenges and come back stronger than ever. The winners of the AX operator awards are: Best ACDBE Operator: Crews Hospitality, LLC

Best Overall Retailer – Large Companies Division: Paradies Lagardère Best Overall Retailer – Small Companies Division: Newslink Group Best Overall Restaurateur – Large Companies Division: SSP America Best Overall Restaurateur – Small Companies Division: High Flying Foods

Restaurateur With The Highest Regard For Customer Service – Large Companies Division: Tastes on the Fly Restaurateur With The Highest Regard For Customer Service – Small Companies Division: High Flying Foods Retailer With The Highest Regard for Customer Service – Large Companies Division: Paradies Lagardère Retailer With The Highest Regard for Customer Service – Small Companies Division: Johnston & Murphy Best Technology Initiative: Amazon JustWalk Out/Amazon One used by Hudson

Below: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s Pam Housley and Cristen Mosley, both concessions managers, accept the award for Best Sustainability Initiative from presenter Pauline Armbrust of Areas USA and AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes.

Above: LaGuardia Airport’s Suzette Bather Taylor, senior program director aviation business diversity and Julia Rozendent, aviation concessions manager planning, both of PANYNJ, accept the award from presenters Michael Levine of Tastes on the Fly and Huy Pham of Innovative Retail Group. Also pictured (left) is AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes.

Above: In his unique style, Marshall Retail Group’s Roddy McOwan joined AXN Publisher Melissa K. Montes in presenting an award to the Salt Lake City International Airport team. Pictured from the airport are Brad Wolfe, commercial manager, Mike Rawson, business development manager, and Kylie Bouley, commercial program coordinator.

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©Creative Sources Photography / Rion Rizzo

Experience award-winning customer service, dining and shopping during your travel through MSY. NewOrleans Airport is the Gateway to a Good Time.

www.flymsy.com

Above: The High Flying Foods team of Glenn Meyers, CEO; Colton Meyers, real estate and restaurant development; Zac Meyers, associate director of real estate and construction; and Kevin Westlye, president, accept the award for Restaurateur with the Highest Regard for Customer Service. Also pictured (left) are Jamie Rhee, commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation; and Melissa K. Montes, publisher of Airport Experience News.

Above: Megan Horne, manager, concessions development; and Daphne Shelton director, concessions development at Edmonton International Airport, after accepting the award for Airport with the Best Commercial Management Team.

Above: SSP America’s Patrick Murray (left), deputy CEO; and Michael Svagdis, CEO, approach the stage to accept the award for Best Overall Restaurateur in the large companies division.

Above: Nick Crews (left) and Rob Crews make their way to the stage to accept the Best ACDBE Operator award.

Above: HMSHost’s Tyler Pitman, VP (left) and Steve Johnson, president and CEO (right); and FLL’s Bethany Schwerstein (center) accept the award for Best Casual Dining Concept.

Above: Gameway founders Jordan Walbridge and Emma Walbridge won in the Best Passenger Service category.

Above: The Best Bar Experience award went to SSP America. Accepting were Michael Svagdis: CEO and Dawn Hunter, vice president business development; and Sebastiaan Rotteveel, vice president marketing, innovation and concept development. Flanking the SSP team are Melissa K. Montes, publisher of AXN (left) and Penny May, chief commercial officer, Denver International Airport.

Above: Pauline Armbrust, vice president of marketing and communications for Areas USA, makes her way to the stage to accept the award for Best Local Inspired Restaurant.

DYNAMIC & ENGAGING CONCEPTS Each year, the industry ups the bar with new and innovative concepts and services that wow travelers. These hotly contested awards celebrate the offerings that have truly connected to travelers in airports throughout North America. The winners of the AX concept awards are: Best Passenger Service: Gameway Best Bar Experience – Large Airport Division: VyneWashingtonTasting Room by SSP America at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Best Bar Experience – Medium/Small Airport Division: The Canadian Brewhouse by ECGVentures Ltd at Edmonton International Airport Best Casual Dining Concept: Rocco’sTacos &Tequila Bar by HMSHost at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Best Quick Serve Restaurant Concept: Settebello Pizzeria byThe Grove, Inc. at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Best Local-Inspired Restaurant – Large Airport Division: The Blue Door Pub by Areas USA at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Best Local-Inspired Restaurant – Medium/Small Airport Division: Emeril’sTable by HMSHost at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Best Local-Inspired Store: Hip & Humble by Paradies Lagardère at Salt Lake City International Airport Best Lounge Experience: The American Express/Centurion Lounge at Denver International Airport

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٢_Airport Guide Cov

Photo courtesy: HOK Architects

WINNER OF FOUR 2023 AIRPORT EXPERIENCE AWARDS AIRPORT WITH THE BEST OVERALL PROGRAM – LARGE AIRPORT WITH THE BEST COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT TEAM – LARGE

BEST LOCAL-INSPIRED STORE – HIP & HUMBLE PROPERTY MANAGER OF THE YEAR – BRAD WOLFE

MORE ADDITIONS ARRIVING 2023-2024

Since the first flights departed The New Salt Lake International Airport, millions of travelers have experienced its stunning architecture, tech-friendly amenities, and thoughtfully curated dining and shopping options.

22 ADDITIONAL GATES

But we’re just getting started.

19 NEW SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS

As Phase 2 is finished in 2023, you can expect 22 additional gates and 19 new shops and restaurants, including more local favorites. And in 2024, Phase 3 will bring even more places to eat, drink, shop, and relax—plus a new central tunnel that significantly shortens the walk to Concourse B gates.

CENTRAL TUNNEL TO CONCOURSE B

MORE FLIGHTS TO MORE DESTINATIONS

See what’s next for your new SLC at slcairport.com

MOVERS AND SHAKERS This year, three new awards were added to the roster. In recognition of ongoing efforts to enhance and celebrate diversity in the industry, the AX Awards program included awards for women showing extraordinary leadership and for an individual making an impact on diversity, equity and inclusion issues. In addition, the Gala celebrated five previously announced awards, celebrating AXN’s three directors of the year, its property manager of the year and the AX Icon. Winners in these categories were: Outstanding Woman In Leadership – Airports: Zenola Campbell, Vice President of Concessions, Dallas/FortWorth International Airport Outstanding Woman in Leadership – Operators: Maritza Haller, Vice President of Culture, High Flying Foods DE& I Trailblazer: Andrea Albo, Deputy Chief of Staff, Denver International Airport Property Manager of the Year: BradWolfe, Commercial Manager, Salt Lake City Department of Airports AX Icon: Ron Gomes, Vice President, Strategic Alliances, HMSHost Director of the Year (2022), Small Airports Division: Gregory Kelly, Executive Director, Savannah Airport Commission Director of the Year (2022), Medium Airports Division: Scott Brockman, President and CEO, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority Director of the Year (2022), Large Airports Division: Jamie Rhee, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Aviation

Above: Greg Kelly of Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport was AXN Director of the Year, small airports division.

Above: Brad Wolfe, commercial manager for the Salt Lake City Department of Airports, accepts the award for Property Manager of the Year.

Above: Gregg Paradies of Paradies Lagardère (right) congratulates Scott Brockman of the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority, who was recognized as the AXN Director of the Year, medium airports division.

Above, Right: The coveted AX Icon award this year went to Ron Gomes, vice president of strategic alliances for HMSHost, who will retire later this year.

Above: Left: AXN Director of the Year in the large airports division went to Jamie Rhee of Chicago Department of Airports.

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NONSTOP CARING IND IS # 1 IN HIGHEST REGARD FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

IND is celebrating another honor for world-class service. These awards are only possible because of our outstanding employees and our business partners at IND. We congratulate them for their hard work, commitment and dedication to our customers. And while we’re honored to win awards, we know our primary mission is to provide travelers with a “one of a KIND” experience at the Indianapolis International Airport.

Thank you for letting us serve you.

Airport with the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Medium/Small Airports Division

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) has been named Best Airport in North America for an unprecedented 11 years in a row. Humbled by this recognition, we are just getting started. Learn more at IND.com

THE FINALISTS The nomination process for the 2023 Airport Experience Awards brought to the fore some of the most innovative concepts and best performing teams in the airport concessions industry. The finalists, first announced in December, are listed below.

AIRPORT AWARDS: Airport With the Best Program Design – Large Airports Division Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport LaGuardia Airport Salt Lake City International Airport Airport With the Best Program Design – Medium/Small Airports Division Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Edmonton International Airport San Jose Mineta International Airport Airport With the Best Overall Concessions Program – Large Airports Division Boston Logan International Airport Denver International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport LaGuardia Airport Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport Airport With the Best Overall Concessions Program – Medium/Small Airports Division Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Edmonton International Airport Airport With the Best Commercial Management Team – Large Airports Division Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport San Diego International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport Airport With the Best Commercial Management Team – Medium/Small Airports Division Airport With the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Large Airports Division Nashville International Airport Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Philadelphia International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Orlando International Airport Jacksonville International Airport Edmonton International Airport Nashville International Airport Denver International Airport

Airport With the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Medium/Small Airports Division Houston Hobby Airport Indianapolis International Airport OPERATOR AWARDS: Best ACDBE Operator Aero Service Group

Retailer with the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Large Companies Paradies Lagardère Retailers with the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Medium/Small Companies Be Relax NewsLink Skyport Johnston & Murphy CONCEPT AWARDS: Best Passenger Service Gameway Minute Suites SkySquad NaSah Nurture + Nature Best Bar Experience – Large Airports Harpoon by Newslink at Boston Logan International Airport Independence Prime by OTG at Philadelphia International Airport Tennessee BrewWorks by Delaware North at Nashville International Airport Vyne Washington Tasting Room by SSP America at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Wolfgang Puck Bar & Bites by Master ConcessionAir at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Best Bar Experience – Medium/Small Airports The Canadian Brewhouse by ECG Ventures Ltd at Edmonton International Airport. Cure by HMSHost at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Sun King Brewery by SSP America at Indianapolis International Airport Trader Vic’s by HMSHost at San Jose Mineta International Airport Vino Volo by Paradies Lagardère at Oklahoma City International Airport Best Casual Dining Concept Ballard Brew Hall by SSP America at Seattle Tacoma International Airport Pig Star by Delaware North at Nashville International Airport Rocco’s Tacos &Tequila Bar by HMSHost Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Mountain Vista by SSP America at Colorado Springs Airport

Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen Concord Collective Partners Crews Hospitality, LLC Gameway Innovative Retail Group

Best Overall Retailer – Large Companies Paradies Lagardère Hudson Marshall Retail Group Best Overall Retailer – Medium/Small Companies DIA Retail Fashion, LLC / SkyMarket Newslink Group Johnston & Murphy Best Overall Restaurateur – Large Companies Areas USA Delaware North SSP America Paradies Lagardère Tastes on the Fly HMSHost Best Overall Restaurateur – Medium/ Small Companies Aero Service Crews High Flying Foods Outstanding Hospitality Management Restaurateur with the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Large Companies Delaware North Paradies Lagardère SSP America Tastes on the Fly HMSHost Restaurateur with the Highest Regard for Customer Service – Medium/Small Companies Banmore Group High Flying Foods Mission Yogurt Star Concessions Concession Group Star Concessions