Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2023

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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.

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AX Awards Gala Celebrates Excellence In Airport Concessions

BY C AROL WARD

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