CEETRA
& Friends
2026
10–12 | June | 2026
Slovenia | Julian Alps | Kranjska Gora
Meet the leaders shaping the future of airports and travel retail in the Julian Alps.
Three days of strategic insight and shared experience in one of Europe’s most inspiring Alpine destinations.
Connect with airport executives, travel retail and F&B leaders, airlines, consultants and industry organisations in a highly curated setting.
Return from Slovenia with fresh perspectives, new partnerships, and conversations that turn into long-term cooperation.
Partners:
It’s where you will:
-
Explore the key shifts shaping airports, travel retail and passenger experience.
-
Take part in open, high-level discussions based on real case studies and industry data.
-
Build meaningful relationships in a curated setting — from conference debates to shared Alpine activities and evening gatherings.
It is not a traditional conference, but a platform for dialogue, cooperation and forward-looking thinking among those who shape the future of airports, travel retail and mobility.
CEETRA & Friends Slovenia 2026 is a boutique international gathering where strategic industry content meets networking through experience — set in the heart of the Julian Alps.
Who Should Attend?
The event is designed for:
-
Airport decision-makers and senior leaders — from large, regional and smaller airports
-
Travel retail and Food & Beverage professionals developing commercial strategies
-
Airlines and mobility stakeholders influencing passenger journeys
-
Consultants and experts in commercial planning, revenue optimisation and passenger experience
-
Brands active in travel retail, or planning to expand into the airport environment
If you are looking for more than another industry event — and want a trusted space for real exchange and long-term partnerships — CEETRA & Friends is for you.
The number of places is limited.
Don’t wait until the last minute.
Participation Fee
Non-CEETRA Participant: 490 EUR per person
CEETRA Member: Free of charge
The participation fee includes: full access to the conference programme, participation in all networking activities, and group transfers on the route Ljubljana Airport – Kranjska Gora – Ljubljana Airport (at designated times).
Accommodation is not included.
Kranjska Gora | 10–12 | June | 2026
Agenda
Day 1 — 10 June 2026
- Arrival of participants / hotel check-in
- 15:00–18:00 — Alpine hike from the centre of Kranjska Gora to the triple border point: Slovenia – Italy – Austria
- 19:00–22:00 — Welcome reception in an open-air Alpine setting
Day 2 — 11 June 2026
- 07:00–08:00 — Morning run or yoga
- 09:00–14:00 — Conference sessions and moderated debates
- 14:00–15:00 — Lunch
- 15:30–18:30 — Afternoon activities (choice of):
- E-bike tour to the Planica Nordic Centre
- Via ferrata climbing experience
- 19:30 — Dinner in a unique scenic setting
Day 3 — 12 June 2026
- 09:00–11:00 — Conference wrap-up, conclusions and next steps
Venue
Kranjska Gora, Slovenia — Julian Alps
A distinctive Alpine destination offering an inspiring setting for strategic discussions, high-level networking and shared outdoor experiences.
Transfers will be provided on the route Ljubljana Airport – Kranjska Gora – Ljubljana Airport (at designated times).
Accomodation
Accommodation is not included in the participation fee.
Below you can find the link to our recommended hotel in Kranjska Gora.
Participants of Ceetra & Friends Slovenia 2026 can book their stay at a special rate of 110 EUR per night (BB) + tourist tax.
To receive this rate, please use the promo code: Ceetra26 when making your reservation.
Please note that the number of rooms is limited, so we recommend booking your stay as soon as possible.
Conference Programme
During CEETRA & Friends Slovenia 2026 (10–12 June 2026), invited experts, airport leaders, travel retail and F&B professionals will explore the key challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the airport commercial ecosystem.
More programme details will be announced soon.
Airport Commercial Ecosystem – F&B & Travel Retail
Partner: m1nd-set
- Synergies between Food & Beverage and Travel Retail, understanding the according behavior and decision-making processes, and implications for commercial space planning and revenue optimization
- Airport commercial environments are evolving rapidly, with Food & Beverage and Retail increasingly seen as interconnected components of the passenger experience rather than isolated revenue streams. While airports are experimenting with different concepts and layouts, there is limited empirical understanding of how passengers move between F&B and Retail, the factors driving these behaviors, and the potential implications for commercial planning and revenue maximization. m1nd-set has conducted a pioneering and comprehensive survey on this subject and will present key insights.
Travel Retail Beyond Airports – The Maritime Perspective
Case study: Tallink Duty Free
- Specific characteristics of maritime travel retail
- Passenger behaviour on ferries versus airports
- Learnings transferable to the airport environment
Regional & Smaller Airports: From Challenge to Opportunity
- Cooperation versus competition between airports
- Realistic growth models beyond major hubs
- The potential role of CEETRA as a platform supporting this airport segment
The Generational Shift – The Passenger of the Future
Moderated intergenerational debate (Gen Z & Millennials)
- Expectations and values of younger generations
- Purchasing behaviour and attitudes towards brands
- Implications for airport and travel retail strategies
The programme will be further expanded with additional exciting topics to be announced in the coming weeks.
The organisers reserve the right to amend the programme.
The Travel Retail Forum offers practical insights, inspiring case studies, and networking with key decision-makers from across the CEE region.
Speakers
(soon)
Andrzej Miłaszewicz
Central and East European Travel Retail Association. (CEETRA)
Andrzej Miłaszewicz- Managing Director Operations & Development , Chairman of Central and East European Travel Retail Association. (CEETRA)
30 years’ experience in Retail, 15 years in Lagardere Travel Retail Poland. Managing operations and development of all formats of stores at the Airports, Railways, Metro, Malls and City.
Before for 14 years CEO Lagardere Duty Free in Poland. As a Board Member and now since 2 years as a Chairman of CEETRA, takes an active role in supporting travel retail industry in the Region, by enhancing its share of voice on the relevant forums.
He started his professional career in FMCG in big distribution, being the part of the management team in Carrefour Poland.
Education: master degree of Warsaw School of Economy (SGH)
Zoltán Keresztessy – CEO of Klikkmánia
Zoltán Keresztessy – CEO of Klikkmánia, a digital and performance marketing agency – has over 18 years of experience in marketing, digital communication, and business development.
Throughout his career, he has led and contributed to the marketing activities of numerous international and Hungarian companies, including Unilever, NNG, and PFR Group. He spent more than five years driving the retail marketing success of Budapest Airport, and through Lapker Zrt., managed the Costa Coffee and Relay travel retail operations.
Zoltán has extensive expertise in integrating the latest digital channels – particularly social media, AI-powered tools, and influencer marketing – into brand communication strategies. His professional focus centers on content-driven marketing, the role of artificial intelligence in marketing automation, and its impact on consumer behavior and commercial performance.
Bianka Pivarcsi – Head of Marketing at Budapest Airport
I have nearly 20 years of experience in marketing, and I have already spent more than 10 years in aviation and the travel retail industry. I joined Budapest Airport in 2015 as event and PR manager. From 2021, I was responsible for retail marketing and since 2023, I became head of marketing at BUD.
Together with my team we are responsible for destination, airline, tourism, and cargo marketing, we are supporting the Mobility and Airport Development areas with different marketing tools and we are taking care of the passenger experience as well. In 2022, BUD’s retail marketing team won the Frontier Award in the category of Campaign of the Year, with the “Live consciously. Think Green” campaign and in 2024, we won the Best Marketing Award at Routes Europe and became the overall winner at Routes.
Wassim Saadé – Founder & CEO, Vasco Tax Free
Wassim Saadé is a tech entrepreneur and specialist in travel retail innovation. As founder and former CEO of Inflyter, he pioneered the digital duty-free model, introducing mobile pre-ordering and seamless product collection for travelers across major international airports. Under his leadership, Inflyter partnered with global operators, brands, and airports to modernize the traveler experience and bridge the gap between digital engagement and physical retail.
Building on this foundation, Wassim now leads Vasco tax Free, a fintech platform redefining the VAT-refund ecosystem through open, API-based infrastructure. By enabling merchants, payment providers, and airports to offer compliant, transparent, and frictionless VAT-free shopping, Vasco is helping reshape how travelers shop across borders.
Wassim holds a Master’s degree in Engineering and Computing from Imperial College London. He combines deep technical expertise with hands-on industry experience to turn regulation into opportunity and promote more connected, data-driven, and traveler-centric commerce worldwide.
Wojciech Czernek – CEO of Baltona S.A.
An accomplished retail leader with over 25 years of experience in managing and growing retail chains. Since 2021 he has served as President of the Management Board of PHZ Baltona S.A., focusing on business transformation and expansion, as well as creating modern shopping experiences for customers.
Throughout his extensive career he has successfully led companies such as TOYS’R’US Poland, served as CEO of BILLA Ukraine, and held roles with Ahold Polska, NOMI S.A., and Makro Cash and Carry Poland.
He holds an Executive MBA from the French Institute of Management in Warsaw. Known for
his strategic mindset, team leadership, and ability to drive change, he combines passion with
precision in developing innovative retail solutions.
Paweł Zagrajek – Commercial Deputy Director at CPK
Paweł Zagrajek is the Commercial Deputy Director at CPK and also teaches as an assistant professor at the Warsaw School of Economics. With over 20 years of experience in the air transport industry, he’s built expertise in both passenger and cargo traffic. Over the years, Paweł has worked with airlines, ground handling companies, the Polish Civil Aviation Authority, and the European Commission. He’s also served as an alternate representative to the ICAO Council and contributed to the Air Transport Regulation Panel, along with several other international aviation bodies.
Paweł has published widely on air transport topics and is passionate about shaping the future of aviation.
At CPK, he’s in charge of airport commercialization, including the passenger terminal.
Dr. Peter Mohn – CEO of M1nd-set
Dr. Peter Mohn is the Founder and CEO of m1nd-set, a leading Swiss-based travel retail and travel market research agency. With a PhD in Business Psychology from the University of Göttingen and more than 25 years of experience in international market research, he has built a distinguished career focused on understanding global consumer behavior. Before founding m1nd-set in 2007, he worked with several international research firms, developing deep expertise in brand and customer insights.
Under his leadership, m1nd-set has become a trusted global consultancy, working with more than 25 airlines, various aircraft manufacturers, 100 international brands, and many of the world’s leading travel retail operators. The company also serves as the official research partner of most major travel retail associations. Dr. Mohn continues to shape the industry through data-driven insights and a deep understanding of the psychology behind traveler behavior.
Dr. Patrick Bohl – Director of Business Development at EVIA AERO
Dr. Patrick Bohl is the Director of Business Development at EVIA AERO, a German company pioneering sustainable regional air transport through electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft.
Dr. Bohl has held positions at British Airways and at Malév Hungarian Airlines where he led operational and commercial departments. Mr. Bohl was the Head of Retail and Property Management at Budapest Airport, where he managed commercial development, retail partnerships, and the airport’s real estate business unit.
He holds a doctorate in business administration and serves as a professor in Marketing Management at Corvinus University of Budapest.
At EVIA AERO, Dr. Bohl focuses on developing partnerships with airports for zero-emission flying, aiming to drive the energy transition and strengthen local economies.
Nick Taylor – Director of The Design Solution
Nick is a Company Director at The Design Solution with over 20 years of experience in the design of major retail projects worldwide. He has led projects for some of the largest global retailers such as Aer Rianta, Avolta, CDFG, EverRich and King Power (Thailand).
From working with some of the leading international brands such as Hennessey, Remy and JTI on airport duty free projects, Nick has developed an in-depth understanding of brand requirements, retail strategies, and the latest merchandising concepts.
His extensive experience in designing for the duty-free sector is key to the success of his projects. He is directly responsible for the retail design of each store and is the primary interface with both the client and contractors.
Maciej Adamaszek – Founder / CEO / Sales & Marketing Leader
Maciej began his professional career at the age of 21 while studying at the University School of Physical Education in Wrocław. He built his expertise in sales from the ground up — progressing from sales representative to sales director at leading FMCG corporations including Mars, Cadbury, and Gerber, operating across Poland and Central Europe.
After more than a decade in the corporate world, he became an entrepreneur and investor in the hospitality and food service industry, co-creating and developing several successful ventures in Poland and abroad.
Following two years of intensive research into the European men’s cosmetics market, he launched TRUE men skin care — one of the first premium men’s skincare brands in Poland, dedicated to quality, performance, and authenticity.
Privately, Maciej is a proud father of two daughters, a sports enthusiast, padlist, triathlete, marathon runner, and full-distance IRONMAN finisher.
Jarosław Bogucki – Director of Integracja LAB
Jarosław Bogucki is an expert in architectural accessibility for people with reduced mobility and the employment of people with disabilities. Director of Business Development at the Integracja Foundation. Graduate of remedial education at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. Since 2016, he has actively implemented Building Without Barriers certifications in the Polish commercial real estate market.
He is a volunteer and organizer of events for people with disabilities and young people. He has implemented professional activation projects carried out by PSONI and the Friends of Integration Association.
He has also led a team of job coaches who support the employment of people with intellectual disabilities and conducted training on savoir-vivre towards people with disabilities, employing people with disabilities, human rights, and diversity management. He is also a happy father of two.
Katarzyna Zubrzycka – Sr. Director, Cross Border & Acceptance, Strategic Initiates, CEE, Visa
She has been working for Visa since 2018. Katarzyna leads Cross Border and Acceptance, both in the area of F2F payments and eCommerce in the region of Central Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia).
She has more than 20 years of professional experience in banking, acquiring, digital payments, loyalty programmes, marketing and FMCG sectors. She has held director positions at Raiffeisen Polbank, Polbank EFG, POLCARD/First Data Polska, Premium Club and AmRest, among others.
She is a graduate of the University of Wrocław in English Philology, Wrocław University of Economics in Economics and Harvard Leadership Academy in Harvard Business School. She holds an MBA from the School of Business – National Louis University.
In 2021-2024, she was listed as one of the 20 most influential women in the payments industry according
to the cashless.pl portal ranking. She actively supports women in business, also by participating in the TOP Women in e-business program organized by the Women in e-business Foundation.
She is actively involved in national and international initiatives in the area of digital payment development, innovation and digitalisation, among many she was involved in driving solutions to improve merchants’ payment acceptance, e.g. by transforming their smartphone into a payment terminal, supported the launch of Visa Mobile on the Polish market – a new standard for card payments online, supported the development of electromobility and Visa’s efforts to implement a standard of seamless and interoperable payments at electric vehicle charging points.
Bence Biró – Managing director Heinemann
Bence Biró managing director of Heinemann Budapest, is an internationally renowned retail manager with extensive experience in food retail, customer services, fashion, and travel retail. Bence has worked in several European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Bulgaria, Poland, and Hungary) as sales & operations director for global brands such as METRO Cash & Carry, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Superdry, and MOL Group. Currently, as managing director of Heinemann (duty-free) Budapest, he is happy to share his experiences and provide insight into the world he has experienced during his nearly 20-year career in commerce.
Csaba Simonidesz
Based at Prague Airport, Simillair also operates at Budapest Airport and all key Polish airports, providing brand activations for all major international brands in Global Travel Retail. At the Perfume&Cosmetics category, they manage activities for Chanel, LVMH, Coty, L’Oreal, Shiseido and many more, with all key LTC brands as Brown-Forman, Bacardi, Pernod Ricard, JTI, Mondelez, Mars etc. also are in their extensive portfolio. Simillair is also managing the Visual Merchandising of adidas in seven CEE countries, starting from Hungary all the way up to the Baltics.
Before dedicating his career entirely to the travel retail sector, until 2014, Csaba was co-owner and Managing Director at Rafinanz Orbico Kft, the appointed corporate distributor of Procter&Gamble products in Hungary, also responsible for distributing Braun, Oral B and Duracell brands in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Organizer
CEETRA — the Central and Eastern European Travel Retail Association — is a regional non-profit platform bringing together airport, duty free, travel retail and industry leaders from across the CEE region.
Through initiatives like CEETRA & Friends, the association creates trusted spaces for dialogue, cooperation and forward-looking development of the travel ecosystem.
Become a Partner / Sponsor
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to position your brand within a highly curated gathering of airport, travel retail and mobility decision-makers.
As a partner of CEETRA & Friends Slovenia 2026, you will benefit from:
-
Maximum brand visibility before, during and after the event
-
Direct access to senior airport executives and commercial leaders
-
Networking in an exclusive setting designed for meaningful, long-term cooperation
-
Association with a boutique format where discussion, experience and trust come first
Strengthen your presence in the travel retail and airport commercial ecosystem — in an inspiring Alpine environment.

