FAB 2024
Outstanding Ontario International Airport hosts a memorable FAB+ 2024
One of the most memorable editions of the Airport Food & Beverage + Hospitality (FAB) Conference & Awards took place on 25-26 June in Ontario, California, as the event made a welcome return to the USA.
Organised by The Moodie Davitt Report and hosted with style, verve and the warmest of hospitality by Ontario International Airport, the event highlighted many of the key themes facing the travel dining community and confronted some of its stiffest challenges.
These ranged from sustainability, digitalisation, premiumisation and localisation to how we remain relevant in design, offer and service to a fast-changing consumer audience, alongside the challenge of profitability for concessions in an age of high labour and product costs plus a demanding business model.
Opening the event after a vibrant video showcasing the best of global travel F&B (above), The Moodie Davitt Report Chairman Martin Moodie said: “Since we began in 2011, this event has changed a lot – as has the world.
“Digitalisation and sustainability are now top of everyone’s agenda, and were not even part of the conversation when this event began.
“Back in 2011, chef-driven restaurants were in their infancy and while the concepts of food provenance and sense of place were well-established, they have picked up extraordinary momentum since.
Assessing the talking points: The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie (left) and President Dermot Davitt opened this year's Airport Food & Beverage + Hospitality Conference & Awards in Ontario, California
“Our sector has gone through a qualitative revolution in those 13 years – at every level. Great new airports have been opened, extraordinary amphitheatres in which hospitality services such as F&B and lounges have been taken to previously unimaginable heights.
“And with that revolution has come opportunity. Consolidation plays from some of the biggest companies in our wider industry have underlined F&B’s significance and driven the convergence of the F&B and retail channels – a critically important dynamic.
“In a changing marketplace, FAB represents a space in which we can talk about where we’re good; where we’re not so good; what consumers are saying; how they’re behaving and what factors will drive our collective future.
“And, of course, FAB is an opportunity to showcase the best of the best at the FAB Awards, where we aim to champion the excellent and to showcase the success stories of F&B – a channel that has become centre stage in the airport world in the years since we created this event.”
Martin Moodie (left): “Since FAB began in 2011… our sector has gone through a qualitative revolution at every level”
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August 2024
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