Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2026

Right, Above: Atousa Ghoreichi of Avolta (right) and Jeff Livney of Airport Dimensions (above) shared their perspectives on the digital journey.

principal at AirProjects, Inc. , moderated the conversation. Sheridan Mordue, owner of Hip & Humble , had built a reputation as a go-to gift boutique in Salt Lake City before customers and colleagues nudged her toward an RFP at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). She partnered with Paradies Lagardère , opened in 2020 and didn’t fully grasp what she had until the concept expanded to Fort Lauderdale (FLL). “This idea, we can take it across the country,” she said. Pilar Guzman, owner and CEO of Half Moon Empanadas , had a less gradual realization. She launched in South Beach in 2008 and nearly went bankrupt. When Miami International Airport (MIA) issued an empanada RFP, she was down to her last pennies. She got the contract. Today Half Moon Empanadas has 26 locations, 14 in airports across 10 states and 200 employees. Ryan Black, co-founder and CEO of SAMBAZON , spotted a post-pandemic gap in healthy airport options and focused resources there rather than on street retail. After two decades building the brand, the timing felt right. “Airports are one of the premier stages to ever put your brand,” he said. For Mordue, growing the brand without losing the boutique feel meant seeking out a local artist to paint something on the wall at each location. “They have the heart of the city,” she said. “They know what the vibe is.” Guzman’s solution was simpler. “It’s really about having the right team in place to oversee the product quality.” Black invested in a dispensing system that could deliver quality quickly without blenders or baristas. “We invested in technology that quickly

Above: Lynnwood Bibbens of ReachTV makes a point while moderator Isabella Rhawie of Metropolitan Airports Commission looks on.

and consistently could deliver quality at a fast pace,” he said. The panelists also tacked what it takes to scale a business. Financing came up repeatedly. Guzman pointed to local banks as an underused resource. “Even if they’re more expensive, in my experience they’re more open and more creative. That’s how we have grown.” Black kept coming back to relationships. “Labor is expensive, space is expensive, you have to show up and you gain trust.” When Ferraguto asked what one thing businesses need to know to scale, Mordue’s answer applied to all three. “You really need to know your business inside and out. Once you know that, you can execute better.” “You can either be big or you can be easy. We want to be easy. And we think that will give us scale,” Black said. Guzman had her sights set further out. “Scaling means Half Moon Empanadas is leading the empanada category in America. We’re starting with airports. We want to be in every corner of America.” Digital Evolution Airport businesses are turning to digital solutions to personalize the passenger journey and drive revenue. At AXC 2026, a panel of digital innovators explored how airports and

concessionaires are meeting that demand and turning it into revenue. Isabella Rhawie, vice president and commercial revenue officer for Metropolitan Airports Commission , moderated the discussion. “Passengers want personalization,” she said. “Data is king, we all know that.” Guilt and stress are the two dominant emotional data points in traveler behavior, according to Lynnwood Bibbens, CEO and founder of ReachTV , a travel entertainment company operating across airports and hotels. “All the data focused on those two points,” Bibbens said. “ ReachTV wanted to destress them.” Ninety-four percent of travelers say they want a relationship with their airport. That number comes from Airport Dimensions , where vice president of business development Jeff Livney has spent considerable time thinking about what that relationship looks like. “What I do and spend in an airport is

36

AX NEWS APRIL/MAY 2026