Speaker Biograghy: Arturs is a Board Member and Director of the Commercial Department at Riga International Airport. He began his aviation career in 2003 when he joined Riga International Airport Operations. In 2005 he was appointed the Non-Aviation Marketing Manager and later the Director of the Marketing Department. He assumed the role of Director of the Commercial Department in 2007, and has been responsible for the airport’s non-aviation commercial activities since then. In September 2017 he joined the Management Board of Riga Airport. He holds a Master's degree in Airport Planning and Management from Cranfield University, and a Master's degree in International Economics from the University of Latvia. He is also a member of the ACI Europe Commercial Forum, where he heads an airport city/real estate task force. He is a Lecturer in Aviation Management at the Transport and Telecommunication Institute in Riga.


Day 2 - 21 March
Session: Commercial Development, Retail & Concessions

09:35 - 10:05 - Adapting commercial strategy to the challenges of a hub operation
Synopsis: Becoming a hub airport not only creates operational challenges but also brings the necessity to review the existing commercial strategy of an airport's concession plan, retail, F&B and service offer. These must be adapted to the new realities of the changing passenger flows, passenger profile and expectations while at the same time maintaining a high level of service quality and passenger satisfaction, thus being able to compete with other hub airports in the region.

Audience will learn:

• The main commercial challenges of becoming a hub airport
• How to adapt the concession plan and commercial offer to the changing passenger flows and profile
• The competition among the hub airports and the importance of services and innovations
• The case of Riga Airport's development and its future plans