MEADFA Conference 2026

The MEADFA Conference is the yearly gathering of the Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association, bringing together airport retailers, airport operators, airlines, brands and suppliers who make up the region's duty free and travel retail channel. The 2026 edition marks the association's 25th anniversary and is the first time the conference is held in Morocco, with two days of conference content wrapped in a networking and social programme at the Four Seasons Hotel Rabat at Kasr Al Bahr.

Who attends

Senior executives from across aviation, travel retail, tourism, technology and consumer industries. The 2025 edition in Dubai drew 736 industry executives from the Middle East, Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, and the organizer reported more than 300 delegates registered for 2026 by the end of September.

• Duty free and travel retail operators
• Airport authorities and concession managers
• Airlines and travel technology providers
• Brand owners, suppliers and industry associations

Conference programme

Day one (15 November) is for registration and the Welcome Cocktail. The two conference days then cover the forces shaping travel retail in the region: geopolitics and air traffic, a CEO panel on leading the channel under pressure, Morocco's tourism and aviation growth, regulatory advocacy, sport-driven travel, Africa's visitor economy, the challenge from malls and digital-first brands, sustainability and practical AI.

• MEA at a crossroads: navigating a new global reality
• Growth under pressure: Leading travel retail across MEA (CEO panel)
• Morocco's moment
• Protecting the channel (advocacy update)
• MEA air traffic outlook
• Game Changers: sport, tourism and retail
• Africa in focus
• Do malls do it better?
• From commitment to action (sustainability)
• AI: buzzword to business tool

Networking and awards

Registration covers both conference days, the Welcome Cocktail on 15 November and the Gala Dinner on 16 November, where the MEADFA Awards are presented. Delegates are also entered into the MEADFA Grand Raffle, and Avolta is the Official Host of the 2026 conference, with Heinemann Middle East Africa sponsoring the Welcome Cocktail.

Tickets & passes

• MEADFA & TFWA members — EUR 720: Two-day conference, Opening Cocktail and Gala Dinner
• Non-members — EUR 820: Two-day conference, Opening Cocktail and Gala Dinner