08.00 – 09.00 REFRESHMENTS ON ARRIVAL IN THE EXHIBITION

09.00 – 10.15 WELCOME AND KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

10.15 – 10.45 NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK IN THE EXHIBITION

10.45 – 11.15 SPECIAL PRESENTATION

11.15 – 12.15 SESSION ONE: PRIVATISATION AS A PATH TO UPGRADE INFRASTRUCTURE AND DELIVER A BETTER PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
People expect more from the airports they use as the air transport market evolves. Today air transport is a buoyant and vigorous sector of economic output and value creation for society, and users of airports can fully carry the costs while still allowing dynamic developments. Governments have turned to the private sector to develop maintain and operate airports for a variety of reasons. With a need for large capital expenditure into airports globally, at the same time as travelers expect higher quality services in airports, what benefits can private sector participation bring?

12.15 – 13.30 SESSION TWO: PROTECT OR INNOVATE? OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS TO COMMERCIAL REVENUES
Non-aeronautical revenues are an important component to the airports’ bottom. However, with demographic and technological change, the airport industry continues to experience major business model transformation in a relatively short period of time. Commercial revenue sources such as food and beverage face continued growth, while conventional product categories that are a source of duty-free revenue such as tobacco are under threat by government efforts to restrict their sale. Other exogenous factors relate to the rise of sharing economy platforms in transportation and real estate that have cannibalized traditional sources of revenues in car parking, car rental and hotel revenues. How can the industry protect the commercial revenue base in the context of technological disruption and heightened regulatory oversight? What are some product innovations, new service offerings and pricing strategies that airports could devise to mitigate declines in their commercial revenues in certain areas?

13.30 – 14.30 NETWORKING LUNCH IN THE EXHIBITION

14.30 – 16.00 SESSION THREE: BUILDING AIRPORTS FOR RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY – CLIMATE BONDS AND GREEN FINANCING
Green financing represents an important and viable alternative that aims to align sustainable development solutions with the required financial flows to meet those goals. Can the objectives of private investors be reconciled with the broader environmental concerns that relate to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)? How does green financing strike the balance between environmental accountability and a reasonable rate of return? Panelist will answer these and more questions.

16.00 – 16.30 NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK IN THE EXHIBITION

16.30 – 17.45 SESSION FOUR: ALTERNATIVES TO THE CONVENTION – ISLAMIC FINANCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
The growth of Islamic finance continues to reach double digits year-after-year in terms of the value of underlying assets with sukuk bond issues making up a significant portion of the Islamic banking market. According to Thomson Reuters’ 2018 Islamic Finance Development Report, in 2017 Sharia-compliant assets reached a total value of $2.44 trillion, up from $200bn in 2003. At the same time, the industry has been concentrated in only a handful of markets covering mainly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Iran and Malaysia. What are some advantages of this financing option in the context of airports over other conventional approaches? What are some of the untapped markets for Islamic finance and what are the prospects for airport infrastructure development in the coming years?

19.30 – 22.30 GALA DINNER