Travel retail’s annual shindig in Cannes is an excuse to
party. My favourite evening events this year were:
Davidoff – CEO Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard and his wonderful
team know how to throw a party, or Premium Gourmet Evening, as it’s known. Alongside
the huge selection of cigars – including the new Davidoff Nicaragua range – several
partner brands were present for the delectation of the many guests, namely
Valrhona chocolates, Rougié foie gras, Petrossian caviar and Taittinger
Champagne. The great and the good of the travel retail world were there, including
Gebr Heinemann’s Harry Diehl, Valrhona’s travel retail consultant Stuart Bull
and many other customers and friends.
Furla held a Special Cocktail Event co-hosted by CEO Eraldo
Poletto and the brand’s indefatigable travel retail dynamo Gerry Munday, who
was greeting her legions of customers like old friends. Michelin-starred chef Carlo Cracco was serving up his out-of-this-world delicacies for the guests, who admired the new accessories collection, each bag presented on individual glorifiers.
My most convivial dinner award goes to Pernod Ricard’s
annual dinner at the Carlton, co-hosted by company chief Alexandre Ricard and Thierry
Billot, managing director of brands.
During the evening I heard all about Absolut’s
ground-breaking new monobrand area in Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s
fashion and lifestyle zone. The detailed planning and store design is
impressive (more about this pioneering initiative in a future blog post).
Thanks to you all for your warm hospitality and see you
next year!
