Speaker Biograghy: Stuart is a Director at Direct Infrastructure Partners Ltd and runs his own aviation consultancy. He is also a Board Member of Shoreham Port and chairs its pension fund, as well as being a trustee at Cranfield Trust, which provides management advice to small charities. Stuart spent most of his working life with BAA, latterly as Planning Director and Director of Economics and Regulation. He also held roles as Chairman of BAA’s £2bn pension fund, Director of Heathrow Express Operating Company, and a Board member of SESAR, a Brussels-based airspace R&D group. Prior to this he was a Non-Executive Director of companies running Perth and Northern Territories Airports in Australia. Personal fact: Stuart is also Head Coach at a local running club and a regional councillor for England Athletics.


Day 1 - 25 March
Session: Commercial Development, Retail & Media

14:40 - 15:00 - The new airport investors and what they want
Synopsis: There is a new breed of airport investor – those wanting long-term stable returns to match their own liabilities. They might be pension funds, or sovereign wealth funds or insurance company funds. How and why are they different to infrastructure fund investors, and what do they want? They look for low-risk businesses together with high-quality and predictable earnings. What kinds of airports do they want and how might they manage their investments? Examples will be provided.

Audience will learn:

• Who the new breed of airport investors are
• What they are seeking
• The kinds of airport assets they want
• How they will manage their new investments

Day 1 - 25 March
Session: Commercial Development, Retail & Media

15:20 - 15:45 - Panel Discussion: Growth-focused contract models
Synopsis: Contract models aim to balance risk and reward in the airport's favour – does the standard concession contract always create optimal commercial value? Airports traditionally want low-risk, high-return commercial terms, and standard concession contracts have long been the preferred safe structure for achieving this. But with consumer behaviour changing fast, technology disrupting the traditional retail model and the airport journey constantly evolving, what real options exist for driving incremental revenue growth through different contract models? - Are JVs just a way for operators to transfer risk? - Do 'innovative' contract models actually work? - Partnering for constant evolution - Structuring contracts to deal with uncertainty and change (case studies)

Audience will learn:

• The different viewpoints and strategies that today’s airport investors bring to the table
• Aligning contracts with strategy
• How the right commercial model can incentivise growth
• The influence of technology and the evolving retail market on contract models
• Dealing with the certainty of uncertainty