2025 AXC AGENDA
We’re looking forward to welcoming you back! Please check this page frequently as events, information and details will be updated regularly leading up to the event.
All events are open to badge holders unless otherwise noted.
*Dates and time are subject to change.
Confirmation required. You must add this event to your registration. ID submission and approval required before final confirmation. Buses will begin loading at 12:15 p.m. and will depart promptly at 12:30 p.m. The Tour begins at Washington Dulles Airport, then will proceed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport before returning to the hotel.
Tours Sponsored by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Sponsored by: The Grove, Inc.
Coffee Sponsored by: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Join us for the 5th Annual Women in Leadership breakfast event, celebrating the women who power the airports and concessions industries.
Note: This is a ticketed event. Please purchase a ticket when registering for the AX Conference.
Welcome Address:
Jaimini Erskine, Vice President, Marketing & Concessions, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Session 1: Women In Leadership Panel
Moderator:
Melissa K. Montes, Vice President and Publisher, Airport Experience News
Panelists:
Karen Ellis, Assistant Airport General Manager – Chief Customer Experience Officer, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Johanne Gallant, CEO, Fredericton International Airport
Nikki Harland, Chief Operating Officer, Paradies Lagardère
Kathleen Schafer, Vice President, Mission Yogurt
Title Sponsor: SSP America
Event Sponsors: Be Relax, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Half Moon Empanadas, Strategy Maven, Tandem Creative
Outstanding Woman In Leadership Awards Sponsored by: Minute Suites
Melissa K. Montes, Vice President and Publisher, Airport Experience News
Scott Gladstone, Chief Development Officer and President International, Dine Brands Global
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
There’s never a perfect contract or a perfectly balanced relationship between an airport and a concessionaire. But changing market dynamics have put pressure on the contract models that were once the standard. Hear airport executives share their strategies for structuring airport-concessionaire contracts and the changes they’ve made or considered in recent years. Then hear from concessions professionals about what terms they need to ensure ongoing profitability. This session will culminate in a head-to-head discussion of the best way forward.
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Part 1: The Airport Perspective
Moderator:
Michael Mullaney, Associate Vice President, Concessions and Non-Aeronautical Revenue, Landrum & Brown
Panelists:
Pamela DeChant, Senior Vice President, Concessions, Denver International Airport
Andrew Durkee, Manager, Airport Concessions, Sacramento County Department of Airports
Scott Knight, Senior Director, Concessions, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Part 2: The Operator Perspective
Moderator:
Michael Mullaney, Associate Vice President, Concessions and Non-Aeronautical Revenue, Landrum & Brown
Panelists:
David Bisset, Chief Development Officer, Paradies Lagardère
Pat Murray, CEO, SSP America
Andrew Weddig, Executive Director, Airport Restaurant & Retail Association
11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Conclusion
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Note: Airport personnel only.
Sponsored by: HMSHost / Hudson
Back by popular demand, the Trends Mixer session offers the stage to subject-matter experts who share their thoughts on everything from strategies for revenue generation to new growth sectors to data sharing and more. This session celebrates innovation and its ongoing role in improving the traveler experience.
Presenters:
Suzy Badaracco, President, Culinary Tides, Inc.
Culinary Horizons: Decoding Flavor Patterns for Tomorrow’s Airport Menus
Dr. Alvin Brown, President, Gideon Toal Management Services
Social Entrepreneurship and Its Impact on Communities: Exploring How Innovative Approaches to Social Issues Can Lead to Positive Change
Chris Gwilliam, Vice President, Global Business Development, Airport Dimensions
Global Travel Research Survey Results 2025: The Evolution Of Tomorrow’s Traveler
Deb Ward, Managing Director of Business Development for Travel, Parks & Resorts and Australia, Delaware North
Beyond Trends: Using Data to Deliver Effective Hospitality
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Witness a handful of creative entrepreneurs pitch their concept to a panel of experienced airport and concessions operators, who will then provide feedback on the viability of those ideas in the airport environment.
Presenting Companies:
D&V Pro Cleaning Services
Dave’s Hot Chicken
Expressions Card Kiosks
Olhso
Patrick King Woollen Company
Judges:
Catalina “Kika” Collazo, Vice President of Operations & Business Development, Newslink Group
Pete Fullerton, Deputy Director, Properties & Commercial Development, Kansas City International Airport
Simon Lorady, Vice President, Business Development & Brands, Jackmont Hospitality
Cristen Mosley, Concessions Manager, Airport Concessions, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Session Sponsored by: Mission Yogurt
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Sponsored by: Delaware North
Title Sponsor: Jackmont Hospitality
Experiential Sponsors: Inspire Brands, Red Bull North America
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
After Hours In The Experience Hall Sponsored by: Paradies Lagardère
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Coffee Sponsored by: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Get a jump on the 2026 AX Conference. Meet with the AX Business Development Team to select your 2026 exhibit space.
Conference Welcome:
Melissa K. Montes, Vice President and Publisher, Airport Experience News
Jack Potter, President and CEO, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Keynote Speaker:
Miri Rodriguez, Author, Brand Strategist, Senior Storyteller at Microsoft and CEO of Empressa.ai
Author and brand strategist Miri Rodriguez will explore how airports, operators and brands can tap into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with the timeless art of storytelling, to fuel innovation and reimagine service excellence.
Sponsored by: Mission Yogurt
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Sponsored by: SAMBAZON Acai Bowl
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
The industry’s foremost consultants have an inside track on how airports develop their RFPs. They also are privy to the how operators make assessments on how and which opportunities to bid. This panel will examine some of those insights so each side can better understand the motivations of the other.
Moderator:
Roderick McOwan, Chief Development Officer, WH Smith North America
Panelists:
Ann Ferraguto, Principal, AirProjects, Inc.
Eric Friedman, Airport Planning Consultant, ICF
Kevin Lemmons, Director, Unison Consulting Group
Sue Stiene, President, Optimas Management Group
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Airport terminal construction and renovation is booming, and with the new activity comes a range of new opportunities for concessionaires. In this session airport representatives will discuss their upcoming opportunities in concessions and other revenue-generating areas.
Presenting Airports:
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Harry Reid International Airport
John Glenn Columbus International Airport
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
Norfolk International Airport
Ontario International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Reno-Tahoe International Airport
Sacramento International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
Tampa International Airport
Sponsored by: Mission Yogurt
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Sponsored by: MERA
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Join us for another year of rapid-fire meetings between airport representatives and operators! In this event, airports and concessionaires meet at scheduled times for one-on-one discussions, speed-dating style. No appointment? No problem. Impromptu meetings are arranged on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Please note: You must be registered for the AX Conference by February 26 to gain access to the Schmooze appointment portal. Appointments secure your meetings with representatives from individual airports.
Sponsored by: BurgerFi
Exclusive Airport Hydration Sponsor: FIJI Water
Sponsored by: BurgerFi
Exclusive Airport Hydration Sponsor: FIJI Water
Sponsored by: Peet’s Coffee
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Invitation only
Sponsored by: SSP America
Coffee Sponsored by: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
With a new administration in the White House this year, concerns about the ongoing viability of the ACDBE program have heightened. Looking at past precedent and statements made by administration officials about race-based federal programs, along with current and expected legal challenges, this panel will discuss the landscape and outline plans for the future.
Moderator:
Ricky Smith, Executive Director and CEO, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Chair, Board of Directors, Airport Minority Advisory Council
Panelists:
Denise Bailey, Consultant, Bailey White Solutions
Judith Byrd, President & CEO, Byrd Retail Group, LLC
Goodwille Pierre, Esq., founder, Goodwille Pierre LLC
Greg Plummer, CEO & Managing Partner, Concord Collective / Enjoy Repeat
Sponsored by: Love From USA
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Coffee Sponsored by: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
The extraordinary growth of lounges in North American airports in recent years is no secret. But with more and more travelers diverted from the terminals into lounge spaces, concessionaires are feeling the impact. Are changes needed so lounge operators, restaurateurs and retailers can all benefit from the growing demand for air travel?
Moderator:
Libby Hurley, Director of Concessions, Houston Airport System
Panelists:
Nancy Knipp, President, Airport Dimensions Americas
Richard Schneider, Chief Development Officer, Areas USA
Francisco Alonzo, Director of Customer and Concessions Development, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Airports and concessions operators are tapping technology to enhance the traveler experience. Session speakers will share their experiences with technologies are upending the status quo, and will discuss what to expect as the travel tech evolution continues.
Presenters:
Todd Bouman, CEO, Proto Hologram
Three Ways AI Holograms Elevate the Travel Experience
Atousa Ghoreichi, Senior Vice President Digital, Avolta North America
Digital Advantage: Driving Loyalty & Revenue in a Connected World
Benedict Ma, Director Passenger Retail Experience, Vancouver Airport Authority
Optimizing Airport Commercial Revenue Via Digital Twin Technology
Ana Živanović, Principal, Strategic Initiatives, Chief Digital Transformation Office, San Francisco International Airport
SFO’s Airport Technology Improvement Program
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Media Lab Sponsor: ReachTV
AXC Meeting Zone Sponsored by: Airport Dimensions
Experience Hall Sponsored by: OTG
AXN’s annual panel of airport directors brings together some of the industry’s most dynamic leaders for a discussion on key challenges and opportunities. This year’s group will discuss the latest on pandemic recovery, infrastructure financing, revenue generation, customer service strategies, technology and more.
Moderator:
Kevin Burke, President and CEO, Airports Council International – North America
Panelists:
Kim Becker, President and CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
Atif Elkadi, CEO, Ontario International Airport
John “Jack” Potter, President and CEO, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
Jim Szczesniac, Director of Aviation, Houston Airport System
Sponsored by: HMSHost / Avolta
General Session Room Sponsored by: Dine Brands
Sponsored by: Crews Hospitality
Wine and Opening Toast Sponsored by: Vino Volo
AX Awards Gala Program Sponsored by: Clune Construction
