The 35th TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, which was held in Cannes, France, from September 30 to October 4th, 2019, welcomed a total of 7,531 visitors, an increase of +7% from 2018, announced TFWA President Alain Maingreaud.

The exhibition itself hosted 504 exhibitors on a 23,443m2 floor area, up from 22,759m2 last year.

But the numbers only told half the story. The quality is also rising, and many of the brands, including a number that had taken full advantage of the show’s beach-side location to host meetings in the Cannes sunshine, had clearly invested to up their game,” said the organizers in a release.

With the TFWA Innovation Lab and the TFWA Digital Village, innovation was very much a theme of the week, together with the sustainability issue. From recycling of retail fixtures to creative new ways to reduce plastic packaging, both the exhibition and the concomitant conferences program offered ideas delegates could take away to help reduce the environmental footprint of their own businesses.

Cannes Tax Free World Exhibition by the numbers

 Total visitors: 7,531 vs 7,015 in 2018 (+7%)
including

    • Operators: 2,195 vs 2,182 (+1%)
    • Landlords: 205 vs 224 (-8%)
    • Agents: 2,503 vs 2,425 (+3%)

       504 exhibiting companies across 493 stands
      including
    • 15 official boats in Harbour Village
    • 23,443m2 exhibition space vs 22,759m2 in 2018
    • 65 new or returning exhibitors

Alain Maingreaud also announced that the Association has reached an agreement with the Palais des Festivals to enable TFWA World Exhibition & Conference to stay in Cannes, with show dates secured for the future. The agreement with the City of Cannes means, he said, that TFWA will be able to ensure stability and continuity for the event for the coming years.

Next year’s TFWA World Exhibition & Conference will therefore take place from 27th September to 2nd October 2020 in Cannes.