TFWA world exhibition and conference information board
sponsored by the TR Go for Gold Awards
The Tax Free World Association (www.TFWA.com) World Exhibition and Conference due to be held in Cannes, France 1st - 5th October 2023 will, once again, be the flagship exhibition for our industry. The show is must for anyone involved in the global travel retail sector !
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To download a map of the exhibition area click here.
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Pre show
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1st October 2023 : 09.00 hrs - 18.00 hrs - Registration Gare Maritime (next to the Palais / Casino so a 1 minute walk from the show location. This where you will collect your pre registration ticket.
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Show opening times
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2nd October : 12.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs
3rd October : 09.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs
4th October : 09.00 hrs - 18.30 hrs
5th October : 09.00 hrs - 17.00 hrs
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Google maps : Link for Cannes and the surrounding area
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Over the next 3 months we will be providing free independent / unaffliated advice via our team of TFWA show veterans who have attended a combination of 70+ shows in Cannes over various roles.
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Direct questions that are not answered on this page can be emailed in confidence to info@jes-travelretail.com or via the contact form below and we will try and help where possible.
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This page will be updated on a regular basis so please return to find out the latest nugget of advice, details of social events, conferences, restaurant tips and information on how to get the most of the show.
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When does the pre show work begin ... Pre Registration is now open, visit the TFWA website as a visitor here. Pre registration is highly recommended as whilst tickets can be purchased on site day rates are extremely high compared to the pre registration levels.
If you are a first time attendee then you will need to contact TFWA to register an account after which you will be able to register for tickets - note that this can take a few weeks and evidence of travel retail involvement is required so we recommend you begin the process as soon as registration opens.. Any issues you can contact the TFWA organisation via the following email addresses : visitors@tfwa.com or registration@tfwa.com .
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Note : TFWA is a French registered company and therefore under French tax law all invoices will include French VAT for tickets (10%). We can unfortunately not advise on local VAT reimbursement procedures however in our home country of German we can confirm that reimbursement is possible via the Elster portal.
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Where is Cannes ... Google maps link for Cannes and the surrounding area
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What can we do now ... we recommend you book accommodation as quickly as possible and sites like www.booking.com are useful as they still have a number of hotels and private rentals that offer free cancellation up to 30 days before the show.
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Are there discounts for travelling to the show ... TFWA normally negotiate discounts including with Air France, KLM, the details of which we will share when the information is made public.
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Courtesy of the www.tfwa.com website here are the details :
Name of the event: TFWA World Exhibition and Conference 2023
Event ID code: 40255AF
Travel dates validity: from 24/09/2023 to 12/10/2023
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The TFWA website also has additional information about travelling options including the TFWA partner for helicopter transfers Azur Hélicoptère.
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Where is Cannes airport ... nowhere, Cannes doesn't have an airport so you will need to fly into Nice. The TFWA provide on the days prior to the show beginning and the Monday in addition to the final day a free shuttle bus service for show ticket holders which departs from Nice airport and stops at all the major hotels plus the Palais des Festivals. The multilingual TFWA staff are located in the arrivals hall, land side terminal areas and in the outside areas so they are easy to find.
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The details for the shuttle services including returning to Nice airport will be published nearer the time including a detailed list of drop off and pick up points.
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If you are not able to use the TFWA shuttle service then there are regular bus options (Bus 81 fromerly referred to as Express Bus 210) leave from terminal 1 in the high season and which runs every 45 minutes with the journey taking 45 minutes.
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Download the Bus 81 information sheet here.
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Click here to visit the Nice fancile website page regarding the bus options.
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Helicopter and limousine options are also available for those who want that little extra luxury.
Suntransfers give online quotations for private transfers without initially having to give personal details or flight details.
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There is now a Nice Saint-Augustin railway station with a link to from Nice Airport and Cannes. You have a short 10 minutes walk from T1, or catch a tram from T1 or T2. This line will run up to three trains per hour and the journey only takes 22 minutes!
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Here is a link from Nice airport : Click here
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Taxis from the centre of Cannes to Nice and vice versa cost approximately Euro 90 each way with Uber costing approximately Euro 65,00 (2022 rates).
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Where should we stay ... a classic mistake is to misjudge the length of the famous Bouvelard de La Croisette (Croisette) along the sea front as whilst the walk is scenic take into account that temperatures will be high even at the beginning of October, you will be wearing trade fair clothes and more than likely be loaded down with samples and catalogues. A walk along the Croisette in the morning is nice, returning after the show to get changed is tiring, walking back to have dinner/drinks is hard work and the the walk back again to sleep is foot based torture.
When looking at accommodation outside of Cannes take into account taxi fares as 4 trips a day will, over the course of the show, be considerable.
Best locations are the old town, Bd. Carnot or the streets parallel to the Croisette although if arriving by car take into account that parking options in Cannes are very limited within walking distance of these area although if you can find parking then rates are "standard" for such a location at approximately Euro 24,00 per day.
For those looking at attending with a larger number of staff there are options to rent out villas in the surrounding area and these not only prove to be more cost effective but also gives staff a superb opportunity to enjoy the down time in amazing surroundings.
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TFWA had an official partner for hotel accommodation in 2022, we will be confirming that this remains valid 2023 in the next weeks :
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bnetwork – official housing bureau
1 rue raphaël / 06400 Cannes / France
Tel. +33 493 687 600
hotel.tfwa@bnetwork.com
Project Manager
Valérie Spano
valerie.spano@bnetwork.com
Director
Abdelkrim Rguib
abdelkrim.rguib@bnetwork.com
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How many staff should we bring .... the million dollar question but here we can assist with staff from our partner offices - contact info@jes-travelretail.com to request more details. Our regional offices offer a number of representatives for your booth including English, German, Spanish, Dutch, Hindi and French native speakers. Rates are available at info@jes-travelretail.com with agreements beginning at 1 day subject to availability.
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Apartment shows , good or bad idea ? ... Yes on paper the costs are less than exhibiting and the apartment can also sleep members of staff but we can simply say that excluding very rare occasions apartment shows simply do not work. The reasons why apartment shows are not advisable are in principle weather related :
Nice weather : Clients and prospects dont want to walk to your apartment and stay in the vicinity of the Palais where they can enjoy walking the harbour and probably are enjoying an extended lunch.
Bad weather : Clients and prospects will not want to walk to your apartment and get soaked
Additionally apartment shows exclude all "walk by" business which at the show is a huge source of networking and unscheduled business opportunities.
We fully appreciate that if you dont have a booth then an apartment as a booth in lieu seems like a workable alternative but spend the budget more effectively with a table reserved at one of the cafes nearby where you can hold meetings and clients are by far more likely to turn up.
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Is it just a trade show ? ... No the week is a combination of a classic trade fair format but also conferences held by the TFWA office, details are as follows although look at the www.tfwa.com website for more details on the impressive array of speakers :
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Mon. 2nd October 09.00 - 11.45 hrs : TFWA World conference
Location : Grand Auditorium, Palais des Festivals
To learn more about the conference including the speakers click here.
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Tues. 3rd October 08.00 - 09.00 hrs : TFWA Airport Forum
Location : Majestic Hotel, salon Croisette
To learn more about the Airport forum click here
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Thurs. 4th October 08.00 - 09.00 hrs : Duty Free : Trusted, Transparent, Secure workshop
Location : Majestic Hotel, salon Croisette
To learn more about the Airport forum click here
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Planning meetings .... We are are now 3 months from the show and it is now that contacts should be informed of your attendance with meeting scheduling taking place 8 - 4 weeks before the show. Meetings planned 4 weeks before the show will be possible but with limited success with key players having meeting calendars nearly fully booked by the beginning of September this year.
Meeting red flags ... beware of the unknown contact that requests a meeting and do your background checks to find if the person/organisation have a genuine interest in travel retail - TFWA have a superb registration that "weeds out" those not genuine visitors but unfortunately some get through the filter. There are always cases of unscrupulous people that request meetings during the show so that they can justify in their company travelling to Cannes based on a calendar full of meetings ... they simply don't turn up on your booth and enjoy a week in the south of France. These "contacts" block valuable windows in your schedule that can be used for more productive contacts.
A simple Linkedin "similar contacts" check can highlight those people that are not genuinely active in our sector ... contact us and we will be happy to cross reference any suspicious contacts against our extensive travel retail contact network.
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Service provider red flags .... as with any major international trade fair they are a number of service providers (rental accommodation, logistics, warehousing in Cannes, demonstrators etc. etc.) that claim to be TFWA show experts or TFWA authorised and whilst there are many that are there are also many that are not. We would always recommend checking credentials of service providers and if in doubt contact the TFWA offices to check whether claims of affiliation are genuine.
As a sign of the importance that the organisers place on caution TFWA have previously run a web page dedicated to the subject - we will be providing a link in the next weeks.
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What were the 2022 COVID rules and restrictions and are they still valid ... The TFWA website (www.tfwa.com) had a superb overview of the rules in 2022.
Visitors were confident that all measures had been taken to ensure that the exhibition and conference was actively enforcing COVID measures with the Palais GBAC Star Facility registered and a 24 hour medical concierge service. JES Travel Retail also attended the show in 2021 are can confirm that visitors have no reason for concern with both TFWA and the Palais taking every precaution.
We will be providing details of any COVID related measure during the coming months.
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Additional highlights ... up to the time of the show we will be providing details of any special events. If your organisation wishes to promote an event then please contact is at info@jes-travelretail.com.
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All work and no play ... Certainly not and the TFWA social/networking is as legendary as the show itself whether its the iconic Camel club back in the 90s to the more recent Scene. In 2022 the Scene was re-named to the "TFWA Lounge" and was located on the beach if front of the Carlton hotel - it is highly recommended !
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The TFWA Lounge entry was in 2022 included in the ticket price which gave an approximate discount of 20% to previous years. In former years tickets for the Scene could be bought at the venue - although a significantly higher price than when pre booked - so it is unsure whether TFWA Lounge tickets will be able to be bought at the new location in 2023.
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The TFWA lounge is open from 2nd - 5th October in 2 formats with live music on the final night :
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18.30 hrs - 21.00 hrs : After work session
22.00 hrs - 01.00 hrs : Night time session
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There are also a number of bars and clubs that the trade show visitors frequent with the Irish bar Morrison's (10 Rue Teisseire, 06400 Cannes) being extremely popular with its 2 bars and outside drinking area.
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Wheelchair rugby tournament
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Coordinated by M1nd-set and supported by Puressentiel, the City of Cannes, TFWA and media partners TRBusiness and DFNI
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08.30 - 09.00: Welcome breakfast courtesy of Puressentiel
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09.00 - 11.00: Adaptive sports activities – wheelchair rugby and blind football
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11.00 - 12.15: Wheelchair rugby tournament
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12.15 - 13.00: Lunch courtesy of Puressentiel
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Click here for registration at TFWA
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Gala events ... There are 2 gala events during the exhibition week and these are TRBusiness on the 3rd October 2023 at the Hôtel Martinez and on 4th October the DFNI Frontier awards at the Carlton. Both the gala events will be highlighting the organisation's 2023 travel retail awards. Both events are superb networking opportunities and for those interested in attending it is recommended to purchase tickets early. More details on the tickets , venues below :
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TRB Awards : The 2023 Travel Retail Awards Ceremony | The Travel Retail Awards
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Frontier awards : Frontier Awards 2023 - Book Now (dfnievents.com)
Note : The organisers of gala events may be registered as a French company and therefore under French tax law all invoices will include French VAT (20%). We can unfortunately not advise on local VAT reimbursement procedures however in our home country of German we can confirm that reimbursement is possible via the Finanzamt's Elster portal.
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Cafes and restaurants ... the list of cafes and restaurants around Cannes is as you can imagine extensive but for a coffee and excellent networking potential Cafe Roma opposite the Palais is always a good starting point - not the cheapest by far but worth the investment. As with any major town the restaurants are not cheap although with some shopping around you can find menu offers - Euro 35,00 for 3 courses last year was possible - although for any of the restaurants close to the Palais it is recommended to book in advance. We noticed in recent years a new trend of sitting at a table in Cafe Roma with a signing saying for example "Distributor looking for new brands" ... we strongly advise against such blatant marketing in the same way that we advise against approaching red badge holders (indicating a buyer) when they are outside of the halls.
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Visiting outside of Cannes ... The south of France is a stunning coast line and there are a number of places that we recommend visiting if you have time before or after the show, here are just a few that we know of :
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Monte Carlo, naturally this home to the rich and famous is worth a visit as is a trying your luck in the famous casinos.
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Antibes, offers old town enclosed by 16th-century ramparts with the star-shaped Fort Carré that overlooks luxury yachts moored at the Port Vauban marina. The forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula, dotted with grand villas, separates Antibes from Juan-les-Pins and is a stunning drive into the city.
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Gasse, the home of perfume and featured in the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind's the town is worth visiting and we highly recommend the museum (image below) in the old town where you can view the history of perfume.
Nice, where you probably have flown into, was founded by the Greeks and later a retreat for 19th-century European elite with the city having a long tradition of attracting artists. The harbour of Nice is worth a visit as is the nearby market area.
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Saint Tropez, if you have any money left after Monte Carlo then visit St Tropez to continue watching the rich and famous, the cafes around St. Tropez provide superb "people watching" potential.
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Saint Jean Cap Ferrat is lesser known but equally exclusive as Monte Carlo having in 2012 been named the second most expensive residential location in the world after its more famous neighbour. We can highly recommend the harbour area and path along the coast.
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If you wish to use a more organised excursion the link below will be of assistance :
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The ultimate guide to visiting Cannes : Click here
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JES Travel Retail receives no financial payment for recommendations within this page unless clearly shown within the text. Whilst every effort is made to provide accurate information with changing circumstances in the travel retail sector and aspects surrounding the city of Cannes no guarantee is given to the information provided.
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Do you have any tips for the show that you would like us to share with the wider travel retail sector, then contact us and help us make the 2023 another fantastic TFWA World Exhibition and Conference.
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Many thanks to the TR Go for Gold Awards for supporting this page, for more details visit www.trgoforgoldawards.com.
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