Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2025

FINALIST SPOTLIGHT Culled From Hundreds Of Submissions, These Finalists Hit The Mark

BY CAROL WARD

Over eight weeks last fall, members of the AX community put forth the concepts, teams and individuals that they believe embody excellence in airport concessions. Several hundred nominations were submitted in a broad range of categories. The AX Team culled a list of finalists, which was then turned over to the AX Awards Committee for voting. The

committee, which changes annually, is comprised of 12 airport representatives and 12 concessions/brand representatives. Below, check out the concepts and individuals that caught the eyes of the AXN Team. The Awards Committee has made its selections, and the winners will be revealed at the 2025 Airport Experience Conference.

The Concept Awards The individual concept awards were highly competitive again this cycle, with many categories garnering more than 25 nominations each. Nominations were evaluated on everything from concept relevance to menu or selection to “curb appeal.” For most concept award categories, AXN added a requirement that the concept be new to the industry, opening between January 1, 2023 – July 1, 2024 in order to qualify.

Best Bar Experience – Large Airports

Embarque Whiskey Grill by Bambuza Hospitality at Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Elway’s Taproom and Grill by Skyport Hospitality at Denver International Airport

Boston Harbor Distillery by SSP America at Boston Logan International Airport

Fat Bottom Brewing by Paradies Lagardère at Nashville International Airport

Nowitzki by D&B Mitchell Group at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Victory Grille by OTG Management at Newark Liberty International Airport

Smashville by Newslink at Nashville International Airport

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2025