Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2024

Left: Panelist Deanna Zachrisson of San Diego International Airport (SAN), moderator Philippe Guertin of Plaza Premium Group, panelist Sammy Patel of Vantage Airport Group and panelist Ibrahim Ibrahim of Portland Design discussed the changing face of airport concessions.

As the 2024 AX Conference Keynote Speaker, Portland Design’s Ibrahim Ibrahim took to the stage on the final day of programming to discuss how businesses can embrace future-ready approaches to retail to stay on top of rapid changes in consumer purchasing behaviors and demands. “Benjamin Franklin famously said that there are two certains in life: death and taxes,” Ibrahim began. “I would like to add one more to that list, and that is change. We are experiencing tectonic shifts at warp speed in retail, in consumerism and in place—and there’s no exception for that in airports.” Despite this constant change, which is spurred primarily by tech and the internet, Ibrahim asserted that the internet will not kill shops, but liberate them. The key to this liberation is a four-pillar approach, which Ibrahim believes represents “all the things that airports and retailers and brands must do to be future-proof, or future-ready.” The first pillar is fast —that is, delivering fast, convenient, frictionless, easy, simple, automated experiences. The second pillar is, interestingly, slow , which is about creating experiential, personalized services where shopping is more of a social and interactive experience. The third pillar, acccording to Ibrahim, is local , which entails offering products that are locally made by unique, sustainable, independent brands that deliver true authenticity. Finally, the fourth pillar is belong —“This is about ethical consumption and a sense of belonging and community around brands that have purpose at their hearts, brands that go beyond product, brands that give experiences beyond just transaction and

that drive brand communities,” Ibrahim explained. “And what I mean by brand communities is communities of interest based on a brand’s values, not just value.” Ibrahim stressed that consumers are turning away from cookie-cutter retail. “We have to shift away from this idea of retail just being about a transactional relationship to instead ask, how do we create an airport brand that is about the ritual of the brand?”

Below: Deanna Zachrisson, director of revenue generation and partnership development at San Diego International Airport, says store within-store concepts are allowing operators to mold and change their offerings over time to suit passenger trends.

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AX NEWS APRIL/MAY 2024