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Evidence of an industry making its way back to financial health was found in many corners at this year’s International Travel Catering Association Conference March 7-9 in Cologne, Germany. The conference hall in the Congress Centre hummed with activity through much of the three-day event. In 2002, the city hosted a the same conference that, in the wake of 9/11, found an industry still reeling from uncertainty and business woes that have plagued it to this day. This year’s sold out trade floor was home to nearly 140 stands and through the event, more than 1,700 attended the conference an trade fair, both records for the Association. Delegate totals were pegged at 370. “It is a small industry, and this was a great show with a positive feel,” said the group’s new president, David Young, from Qantas Airways. This year, talk on the trade floor was of a successful previous year. Gate Gourmet, the world’s second largest airline caterer reported that is now owned by approximately 100 investors who are helping to take it into the future. Through the three days, the caterer and its CEO David Siegel stressed in events and on the trade floor that that the time had come for Gate Gourmet to turn away from its financial restructuring and labor issues to focus its full attention on customer service and product development. LSG Sky Chefs, the world’s largest caterer also announced higher than expected profits of ˆ50 million (US$66 million), said the caterer’s chief executive, Walter Gehl. There was also evidence that ITCA and its U.S. counterpart, the International Flight Services Association were moving closer to a single event in Asia for 2008. This year’s conference was also a coup for Qantas Airways. In addition to claming this year’s Mercury Award for a training and communications concept called In the Zone, Young, the general manager of inflight service was elected president of the association for the next three years. Young tells PAX International that some of his goals for the next three years is to “re-engage” with the group’s membership. He also plans to tackle the issue of climate change and the Association’s role in protecting the environment, from handling waste to encouraging the development of new products with a green basis. His other task – which he said has come loud and clear from the association’s membership – is to reunite with IFSA on a single yearly event in Asia. By the June IFSA event in Phuket Island, Thailand, he said he hopes the two groups would have prepared a joint announcement on an Asia conference for 2008. In the conference hall, speakers talked of food, from hands-on sampling of olive oils and chocolates, to the latest in trends and consumer demand. As airlines have heard for years, people are in search of healthy food when they are on the move. At this year’s conference, Clare Nuttall, partner and client director of a UK research company called Dragon said now, more than ever, a consumer’s conscience for not only healthy food, but food that is consistent with issues of environmental sustainability and ethics “helps get them to a place that they want to be.” Raw foods, super foods, food endorsed by high profile chefs and celebrities all have “got a place in the consumer hearts and minds,” says Nuttall. She encouraged the audience to help “join up the dots for consumers” and “make it easy for them to eat healthy on the move.” David Stanton, inflight services development manager at Virgin Atlantic Airways urged the audience of suppliers not to “feel restrained and show us what you have got” as a way to earn business. He also gave the group a glimpse of what the airline plans in the way of amenties on the A380. Would anyone be surprised that Virgin Atlantic plans to board a hot tub? Stanton also reiterated an ongoing theme through the conference stating that all potential suppliers will need to show the airline “what you are doing to be lean and green” in order to earn business. Look for additional reports from ITCA in the next edition of the PAX International e-newsletter |
