TFWA: From Here To Where? The Questions That Need To Be Asked.
A Head to Head With Sam Gerber.
TFWA: From Here To Where? The Questions That Need To Be Asked.
2 minutes read
Introduction by: Peter Marshall
As many of you know, I have mixed feelings about TFWA and its place in the industry. Its motto: “By The Trade, For The Trade” is a definite maybe in my book. Yes, there are many good things that they do well, but others less so. When I interviewed Sam Gerber in Istanbul about SKROSS for last week’s feature on TRunblocked.com, the following questions were on the list – but we simply didn’t have enough time to cover them. So I caught up with him again after he had just landed in Copenhagen on his travels and here you now have the separate opportunity to consider how he sees the future of the organisation.
Now, Sam is one of a number of candidates to have put his hat in the ring for the Presidency of TFWA. Whoever is appointed (‘The Perils of the Presidency’ is an interview yet to be had with whoever is elected), what we discussed in this interview remains entirely relevant for the future of the organisation and the Travel Retail business it represents.
Here are some of the questions:
* Do you think the current structure is outdated and whether it still conforms to the needs of the TR industry? What needs changing?
* Isn’t the number of members and composition of the Management Committee top heavy?
* Politics seem to be increasingly involved in the election of members to the committee, that there are shoe-ins where they should not be allowed. Comment?
* Isn’t it time to review the covenants of the association and make it a more robust, commercial entity?
* This is a brand association and any elected President should, in this case, come from a brand. With a retailer as President there is, arguably, a conflict of interest. Do you agree?
* TFWA has a strong European history and may lack visibility or tangible impact outside Europe. Should it become more of a lobby association, perhaps taking back some of the functions performed by DFWC and ETRC?
* With all the dramatic events unfolding post Covid, notably the lack of Chinese travellers, what should TFWA be doing?
* What do you see as the key trends that will have an impact on Travel Retail in the next 5 years? Where should TFWA’s priorities lie and how should the association improve its communication on key issues facing the industry?
* If you are elected President, what are the 3 key things you would set out to change in your first year?
As you can imagine, it is a very inclusive and thought-provoking interview. Everyone cares about this industry, and there is a clear groundswell of opinion that change and a new direction is needed from TFWA. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this happens.
