Day 01: Road to Recovery

Virtual Summit of the Americas Summary

For a comprehensive recap of the Virtual Summit of the Americas, grab a coffee and a comfy chair and get ready to scroll in every direction. Here are some of our favourite sessions that speak to the most salient points around the recovery and that overlap with our service offerings.

To begin, start here: https://ezine.moodiedavittreport.com/the-moodie-davitt-ezine-294/introduction/ 

Day 01: Road to Recovery

  • Road to Recovery: Retailer Perspective” – 3Sixty,  Dufry and Motta International shine a spotlight on the most pressing items for the recovery.  The panellists highlighted the need to reinvent the traveller experience and to make it more meaningful by creating better experiences.  An example of this might be awakening the magic of travel and offering more travel exclusives. The panel also highlighted the need to collaborate as stakeholders because all the rules have changed’. There is a need for partnerships, relationships, and collaboration.  Brands will play a key role in the recovery and the retailer panel asked for brands to be there, to partner with them and to support. Brands have benefited from the local market and from digital channels and travel retailers have not had this opportunity, therefore brand support and collaboration will be key.   

Day 01: Driving a bright future for brands in the channel

  • Driving a bright future for brands in the channel” – Bacardi, Essence Corp and Hershey representatives discuss the future opportunities for these categories and collectively align the key areas to support the recovery.  Brands are committed to invest and support retailers while recognizing that the shared investment will allow stakeholders to jointly benefit. Among the priorities will be an adapted customer experience, the need to adapt to remain relevant and the call to embrace the change and redesign our future services and offerings.   

 

IN SUMMARY: 

Many questions loom.  How do we begin to rebuild? Where do we start? What are the immediate priorities in the absence of a clear roadmap and in the middle of this fog?  How can we be most resourceful? What are the labour market dynamics that will affect the future of the channel?  How can we attractretain and promote the right talent? 

It is our genuine desire to help solve some of these questions with you.  Our focus and our future rest on combining great HR with great sales and customer service disciplines.  The desire to offer relevance, effectiveness and efficiency is at the heart of everything we do.  We are confident that with the right alignment we can play a vital role in the recovery.  Therefore, we are inviting conversations with brands and with retailers that desire a collaborative, professional and accountable partnership that rests on the strengths of each contributor.   

Please put us to the test and ask us your hardest questions, we believe that committed partnerships will outpace the recovery trend. We also believe the recovery will reward those who have planned well.  

The new Brand Partner Program is designed to best serve the sales and promotional priorities in the next years.  It is a large undertaking and a big vision. We welcome brands and retailers to provide input and to help shape the future.  Our sales and promotional support not only desires to encourage the most professional standards, but also the most accountable processes that best define our shared success.   

The retailer and the brand discussion panels at the Virtual Summit of the Americas confirm this approach and we are prepared to align in a meaningful way.  Wherever possible we want to include ROI and offer appropriate guarantees. 

Please contact us at [email protected], we really hope to speak with you soon.  Now is the time to develop the plan and to understand the budget.  Whether in big ways or in small ways, we hope to support and come alongside in a meaningful way.  

  • CleanCo Promotion

CleanCo Campaign Success

March 17th, 2022|Featured, Heidi Van Roon|

Great coverage by Mark Lane of the Moodie Davitt Report about our participation in a campaign for emerging UK no/lo spirit brand CleanCo in United Airlines Club lounges across four US airports. What an amazing team. It was an

  • The SPARK Team

Fragrance Beauty Advisor – English / Mandarin PT

March 14th, 2022|Featured|

We always enjoy recruiting through our network. Perhaps you or someone you know is interested in a temporary fragrance Beauty Advisor position at WDF YVR from April 3rd to June 7th. This opportunity is suited for someone with beauty/fragrance

  • Summit of the Americas 2022

2022 Summit of the Americas

March 11th, 2022|Event|

Join SPARK at the 2022 Summit of the Americas. The Summit of the Americas is the International Association of Airport and Duty Free Stores annual show and will return as an in-person event! The International Association of Airport Duty

Recent Posts

  • DFNI article

Alignment between industry and community in HR

June 21st, 2023|

Last month, SPARK was featured in Duty Free News International discussing the current state of affairs of the travel retail industry and our goals to put ESG priorities first. Please check out the article

  • CleanCo Promotion

CleanCo Campaign Success

March 17th, 2022|

Great coverage by Mark Lane of the Moodie Davitt Report about our participation in a campaign for emerging UK no/lo spirit brand CleanCo in United Airlines Club lounges across four US airports. What an

  • The SPARK Team

Fragrance Beauty Advisor – English / Mandarin PT

March 14th, 2022|

We always enjoy recruiting through our network. Perhaps you or someone you know is interested in a temporary fragrance Beauty Advisor position at WDF YVR from April 3rd to June 7th. This opportunity is

  • Summit of the Americas 2022

2022 Summit of the Americas

March 11th, 2022|

Join SPARK at the 2022 Summit of the Americas. The Summit of the Americas is the International Association of Airport and Duty Free Stores annual show and will return as an in-person event! The

  • SPARK Staff

Ready for a Sales & Marketing challenge in US airports?

November 11th, 2021|

New Opportunities in Travel Retail! Are you ready for a Sales & Marketing challenge in US airports?  SPARK is pleased to promote these exciting positions in Travel Retail at the following locations: Sales Promoter

  • Virtual Travel Retail Expo

Join SPARK at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo October 11-15

September 20th, 2021|

The Virtual Travel Retail Expo is a pioneering virtual trade show and symposium designed to both mirror and enhance a real conference and exhibition. Entering its second year, the expo has already established itself

  • Day 01: Road to Recovery

Virtual Summit of the Americas Summary

May 6th, 2021|

Virtual Summit of the Americas Summary For a comprehensive recap of the Virtual Summit of the Americas, grab a coffee and a comfy chair and get ready to scroll in every direction. Here are some of our favourite sessions that

  • DFNI Americas Awards

SPARK at the Virtual Summit of Americas

May 6th, 2021|

SPARK at the Virtual SUMMIT OF AMERICAS While our current team of staff is the smallest it has been in nine years, we are hugely encouraged by the industry recognition in the past year.  Among

Turning a Page in the History Books

April 2nd, 2021|

“Turning a page in the history books” – Heidi Van Roon on elevating the sales profession to a new level By Colleen Morgan [email protected] Source: ©The Moodie Davitt Report 30 March 2021 “The time

  • SPARK Team

The New Brand Partner Program

March 31st, 2021|

Brand Partner Program We are pleased to introduce the Brand Partner Program which is quickly gaining attention on social media and in the Travel Retail publications serving North America. This program essentially morphs the typical Brand

  • Summit of the Americas

Virtual Summit of the Americas

March 31st, 2021|

How can the Travel Retail Industry begin to recover from the most complex crisis in history? These and many other questions will be covered at the upcoming Virtual Summit of the Americas from April 5-9, 2021.

Stars of 2020

December 31st, 2020|

Coverage from the Moodie Davitt Report: Stars of 2020: Heidi Van Roon’s retail heroines Spark hope amid the gloom of COVID-19: Continuing our Stars of 2020 series, we see how the brand ambassadors trained for airport retail by the SPARK Group of Companies and their leader have kept smiling behind the mask, in this most challenging of years.

Adapting The Front Line Team for the Retail Revolution

September 14th, 2020|

The roles of all customer-facing staff have become more important than ever. Market shifts that once spanned a decade have happened in six short months. The retail industry, and particularly luxury travel retail is undergoing an unprecedented revolution and we are at the very beginning of it. It is a time for retailers and brands to adapt to every customer-facing function. With retailers restructuring, the onus will be on brands to ensure a people-positive experience for their customers.

Future Airports: From Here to Where?

September 4th, 2020|

Portland Design, together with the influential travel retail blog trunblocked.com are launching a webinar series – Future Airports: From Here to Where? – to be staged on the 16th September 2020. This event will bring together a remarkable

Purple Cow: Remarkable Brand Power

August 26th, 2020|

This month, our very own Heidi Van Roon, Founder & President, the SPARK Group of Companies, is featured on Trunblocked, talking Brand Empowerment.

  • Airport update

Airport Update – August 2020

August 26th, 2020|

Airport Update – August 2020 Capital investments and airport infrastructure improvements provide vital context for the development of the Travel Retail industry. Airports have come to depend on non-aeronautical revenues and in many cases,

August 2020 Travel Retail Market Update

August 12th, 2020|

It is a pleasure to bring you a collection of Canada and USA Travel Retail insights. As our precious industry deals with this unprecedented crisis, we hope the collection informs some of the recovery

June 2020 Travel Retail Market Update

June 25th, 2020|

Among the silver linings throughout this industry crisis is the proliferation of excellent publications, it is encouraging to see information sharing from the experts. While aviation has dropped to historically low levels, the industry pulse among passionate leaders continues strong and healthy.

Embracing The Challenge Against The Odds

June 15th, 2020|

Here we are, amid an industry crisis that is encountering unprecedented headwinds. In a few short months, the industry has experienced a setback that could not have been anticipated in degree and in kind. Metaphorically speaking, the headwinds are so strong, we need to pedal downhill just to stay on the bike and in the game. Physically, emotionally, socially, and professionally seemingly unsurmountable challenges loom large. Exhaustion, hunger, pain and delays will take their toll.

The Road to Recovery – Virtual Travel Retail Expo

June 9th, 2020|

Throughout the live 5-day Virtual Travel Retail Expo 2020, the Symposium Hall and Workshop Rooms will host industry dialogue around the theme ‘Road to Recovery’, exploring how the travel retail channel will (or should) look in the future. The powerful line-up of speakers includes our very own Heidi Van Roon.

  • Airport update

Airport Update – June 2020

June 1st, 2020|

Airport Update - June 2020 For an interactive Coronavirus Travel Restrictions Map – bookmark this amazing IATA link to see the country by country travel restrictions:   In our March Market Update, we included a

How can we accelerate Travel Retail’s recovery?

May 29th, 2020|

The rebound of the travel retail industry will need to quickly embrace the increased customer expectation of a seamless, omnichannel experience where the customer determines how they interact with the brand.

SPARK Careers in Travel Retail Virtual Information Session

May 23rd, 2020|

Travel Retail offers diverse and dynamic career paths in the duty-free areas of airport terminals, cruise ships and international border shops where global retailers and global brands depend on aspiring professionals. SPARK is committed to

Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo

May 21st, 2020|

Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo We are happy to announce our participation at the inaugural Moodie Davitt Virtual Travel Retail Expo. The Expo – which takes the form of a ‘live’ 5-day event followed

  • Airport update

Airport Update – May 2020

May 9th, 2020|

Airport Update - May 2020 With substantial support from the government, most Canadians whose employment is affected by COVID-19 are supported through various initiatives for a lay-off period of up to 16 weeks. We are

Post COVID-19: The Trinity Initiative

May 7th, 2020|

A great example of bright minds and voices converging preparing for the post-COVID-19 recovery is the Trinity Initiative. This collaboration is an invitation for airports, retailers and brands to join in a conversation about the new commercial model.

Post COVID-19: The Rebound 

May 7th, 2020|

On the demand side, the rebound will depend on the economy and customer confidence. Like a drastic plot change, the commercial model is shifting overnight. We are on that first page of a new chapter. What an amazing opportunity that history would award this writing to the members of the industry today.

Post COVID-19: Staff Fundamentals

May 7th, 2020|

Investments supporting the people's assets of an organization are the surest guarantee of continued innovation, creativity and newfound success.

Post COVID-19 Consumer Behaviour

May 7th, 2020|

To address the topic of post-pandemic consumer behaviour it is imperative to understand the last connecting point so that the line from A to B has purpose and context regardless of industry

May 2020 Travel Retail Market Update

May 6th, 2020|

May 2020 Travel Retail Market Update Amid the current COVID-19 crisis we are all the more committed to standing with our peers and advocating for our workplaces by sharing another collection of Market insights. With

Travel Retail Voices – Heidi Van Roon

April 29th, 2020|

In Crisis - Travel Retail Voices is a podcast series by The Moodie Davitt Report, one of the UK’s most successful multi-media business-to-business publishers and an indispensable source of reliable and real-time business intelligence on

COVID-19 Summary of Support from the Canadian Government

April 6th, 2020|

In light of the current pandemic, I thought to sketch a basic overview of the Government of Canada initiatives for Employees and Employers that are in non-unionized settings.  I have also calculated a basic comparison

March 2020 Travel Retail Market Update

March 1st, 2020|

March 2020 Travel Retail Market Update We stand with you as our industry is brought to its knees. Who could have anticipated the extent of our global crisis and the extenuating impact on travel retail?

  • Heidi Van Roon

A Word from Our Founder and President

March 17th, 2019|

There’s one thing you need to know about me: I love sales and I love people. What motivates me—what motivates everybody at SPARK —is discovering how an exceptional sales organization can create win-win-win outcomes for staff, retailers, brands and customers.