Held annually in early autumn at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, the Tax Free World Congress is a must-attend event for over 3000 internationally recognized brands in the duty-free and travel retail sector. This unique event brings together these industry players to provide brands with an opportunity to create and maintain their business relationships and collaborations, while finding support to increase their sales.
The TFWA is also a showcase for the many participants and a unique event to highlight market innovations and new products, to address all marketing and communication issues on products, and to take stock of trends in the coming years.
Organise private and networking events away from the Palais during Tax Free World Congress
While you can find all the exhibitors' stands inside the Palais, some brands and companies take advantage of this event to organize sideline events of the congress to raise awareness or increase engagement with their customers and partners.
For a week, they have key actors and decision-makers in their industry gathered in the same city, so it's about taking advantage of it and creating unique experiences to attract them and interact with them in a more private and unique setting.
- they organize parties and cocktails for networking in beach clubs and villas on the hills;
- they rent and transform apartments, lofts, and penthouses to host meetings;
- and they organize breakfasts, lunches, and dinners with selected clients in exclusive restaurants.
At Native Spaces, we are used to finding locations in this context, and we help our clients find the perfect places to create the experiences they envision by guiding them through the different places you can find in Cannes. In addition, we have built our own network of trusted service providers; so we can help you find all the additional services you might need.
10 key tips for a successful Tax Free World Congress side event
Organising an event alongside the Tax Free World Congress (TFWA) can be an excellent opportunity to maximise engagement with your customers and partners. Here are some tips to ensure your event is a success:
1. Plan ahead
Start your preparations several months before the TFWA. Book your necessary venues, suppliers and services in advance to avoid any last-minute unavailability. Popular accommodation and venues fill up quickly, especially during major events like the TFWA.
2. Choose an appropriate venue
Select a venue that matches your brand's image and the type of event you want to organise. Whether it's a chic restaurant, an elegant penthouse, a quiet villa in the hills, or a luxurious yacht, make sure the ambience and facilities meet your needs.
3. Personalise the experience
To make your event memorable, add personal touches such as company branding, personalised gifts and interactive activities. Think about decoration, music and lighting to create a unique atmosphere.
4. Offer engaging activities
Offer experiences that will capture your guests' attention. This can include product demonstrations, workshops, conferences with industry experts or team-building activities. Meaningful interactions leave a lasting impression.
5. Optimise logistics
Make sure that all logistical aspects of your event are well organised. This includes guest transport, access to the venue, seating arrangements and availability of audiovisual equipment. Have a plan B for unforeseen events, such as weather conditions or technical breakdowns.
6. Communicate effectively
Send out invitations well in advance and make sure your guests have all the information they need. Use e-mail reminders and notifications to maintain interest. During the event, use clear announcements and signage to guide your guests.
7. Offer quality food and drink
The quality of your food and drink can greatly influence the experience of your guests. Hire reputable caterers and offer a variety of choices to suit all tastes. Also consider dietary restrictions and provide suitable options.
8. Use technology to your advantage
Incorporate technological elements to enhance your guests' experience. This can include applications for registration and invitation management, interactive screens and high-quality sound and lighting systems. Use social media to promote your event and engage your guests online.
9. Engage trusted suppliers
Work with trusted suppliers and services to ensure the quality of your event. At Native Spaces, we have a network of proven providers to help you with all aspects of organising your event.
10. Evaluate and track results
After the event, gather feedback from your guests to assess what went well and what could be improved. Use this information to optimise your future events. Measure the results in terms of new contacts, collaborations and return on investment.
Top 6 places to hold a successful event at Tax Free World
1. A unique restaurant
Restaurants are a great solution to bring together your clients, partners, or teams in a more relaxed environment and share a meal (brunch, lunch, dinner). You can choose to make it more exclusive by privatizing a specific space of the place, so that you can freely exchange during your business discussions. Some restaurants offer the possibility of adding your branding and even changing their facade to make the experience even more unique and immersive.
An example would be the Wall Street Journal during the Cannes Lions, they created their own bistro where people could enjoy a meal in a place fully branded with the WSJ.
Some examples:
- Restaurant in the heart of Cannes
- La Muse Cannes
- Centre Club Cannes
- Bistro near the Palais des Festivals
2.Comfortable apartments, lofts, and penthouses
Native Spaces offers you the option to rent an apartment, loft, or penthouse a few steps from the Palais des Festivals; you can transform and adapt your accommodation as you wish to host your meetings, a few cocktails, or even private dinners.
We also offer you the option to privatize entire buildings to gather your entire team in a central location where you can work. Some properties even benefit from outdoor spaces such as private terraces, patios, or rooftops. However, if your visit only requires a place to stay in the evening after a busy day at the TFWA, we also have what you need!
Some examples:
- Luxurious 3-bedroom apartment facing the Palais des Festivals
- Duplex Penthouse with sea view
- Apartments in luxury villas
- Building with 6 apartments near the Palais des Festivals
- Residence with 6 apartments facing the Palais des Congrès
3.A villa on the hills
In addition, to engage in a pleasant setting and to have a serene stay, why not rent a superb villa on the hills, away from the city noise and in a more intimate atmosphere? A large number of these properties have big rooms with a large capacity, but also all the necessary equipment for a successful stay with your teams! Why not organize a cocktail by the pool to close your stay and celebrate your participation in your last congress?
Some examples:
- Restaurant in the heart of Cannes
- La Muse Cannes
- Centre Club Cannes
- Bistro near the Palais des Festivals
4.Cannes and its beach clubs
Known and recognized for its seafront and its Croisette, choosing a beach club to plan your day at the TFWA is emblematic. It's the perfect place to organize end-of-day cocktails to network in an ideal setting. Moreover, our places are located a few steps from the Palais des Festivals and have high visibility which allows you to develop your relationships and influence.
Some examples:
5.A unique rooftop
Rooftops are ideal places to organize an afterwork following your participation in the various conferences and many workshops organized within the Palais des Festivals. If you want to meet your collaborators around a company cocktail, it's the perfect place as it's a very exclusive and pleasant setting that will surely impress your partners!
Some examples:
6.Boats and yachts
Finally, if Cannes instantly evokes the Croisette for you, you may be seduced by the idea of renting a yacht in the heart of the bay. Original and trendy, this place will surely seduce your team during this stay! Our yachts and boats allow you to host exclusive events such as happy hours or VIP dinners in this absolutely unique setting. During the days, you can also use them to organize your meetings.
Some examples:
Our trusted providers
Once the ideal place is found, you will probably need to call on additional providers such as a chef, a photographer, a company specializing in decorating places for unique events...
At Native Spaces, we make our network available to you so that your event is most successful!
To find out more and discover all our additional services, you can consult the following article: NATIVE SPACES AND ITS TRUSTED PROVIDERS
Client Stories
On this subject, we would like to share a great success story that marked our year 2023 at the last TFWA at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.
Globals Drinks Intel - TFWA
During the year 2023, at Native Spaces, we had a challenge to take up!
Indeed, we received a customer request for the ESG Awards event: Environmental, Social, Governmental in Sustainability, by Global Drinks Intel. The objective was to organize an event to reward the drink brands making the most efforts towards the "sustainability" approach during the event TFWA (Tax Free World Association). The place had to be located in the heart of Cannes, a few steps from the Croisette with bartenders capable of making cocktails dedicated to the alcohols of the mentioned brands.
The event was a great success for both Global Drinks Intel and us! So, if you also want to join us to organize your next visit to Cannes, don't hesitate any longer!
Find all the details of this event on our blog:
Client Stories - Global Drinks Intel