Membership
The International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) is an international trade association that is made up of operators of airport and off-airport duty free stores and suppliers of products to these stores. Criteria for membership in the IAADFS have been established in the IAADFS by-laws to ensure that only authorized duty free companies participate in and benefit from the Association's programs. Qualifications for each type of membership are described below.
Membership in IAADFS conveys many benefits to the member company, and these benefits are detailed in the 'membership benefits' portion of this site. Membership dues are billed annually for the period of July 1 - June 30, and annual membership dues are currently $450.00 per year per company.
If you wish to see what types of companies are already members of IAADFS, simply use the membership directory search function on this page, which will allow you to search for IAADFS member companies by name, country location, or product type.
Concessionaire Membership
Those who qualify for concessionaire membership are individuals, corporations, or other entities which, for a period of at least six months, have been engaged in the ownership or operation of a duty free store in any airport having regularly scheduled international flights. Applicants for concessionaire membership are required to submit a completed membership application and either a copy of their airport concession contract or a letter from the airport authority or other appropriate governing body confirming the company's status as an operator of an airport duty free store and the duration of their contract to operate the store.
Associate Buyer Membership
Associate buyer membership is open to those individuals, corporations or other entities which, for a period of at least six months, have been engaged in the business of ownership or operation of duty free stores outside of airports, or ownership or operation of another travel retail business, and which have received references from two IAADFS airport concessionaire members, and approval by the IAADFS Board of Directors of the quality and suitability of their products and businesses for their inclusion as members. Applicants for associate buyer membership are required to submit a completed membership application, letters of reference from two IAADFS airport concessionaire members, and either a copy of their duty free concession contract or some other type of government-issued document confirming the applicant’s status as an operator of a duty free store and the duration of their contract to operate the store.
Associate (Supplier) Membership
Supplier membership is limited to those individuals, corporations, or other entities engaged in the business of manufacturing or selling products which are to be sold to airport duty free stores for retail sale in those stores. Applicants for supplier membership must be presently selling products to an IAADFS concessionaire member or provide an innovative or new product or line of duty free merchandise. Applicants must submit a completed membership application, letter(s) of reference from an IAADFS concessionaire member confirming that the applicant's products are being sold in the member's airport duty free store, and information about the applicant's products, such as catalogs or brochures.
Membership Processing
Submitted applications must be complete and must include all required materials before they will be reviewed. Membership reviews are held by a buyer review committee made up of representatives from the IAADFS board member companies. Applications must be complete and include all required materials before being submitted to the IAADFS for review. Once the review committee has approved an application for membership, the applicant company then is eligible to participate in association activities, such as the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas, during which time the concessionaire members will ratify the applicant members for full membership in the association. Membership reviews are typically held 3-4 times each year so please contact the IAADFS office to confirm the deadline for submitting the membership application and other required materials for the next membership review.
Membership Updates
The IAADFS regularly solicits updates from the members in order to keep the association’s membership database current and ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the IAADFS Membership and Exhibitor Guide. This publication contains a list of all current IAADFS members including contact information for each company and a list of the company’s main contacts. This publication also features detailed information about the brands and services represented by the supplier members for the duty free market worldwide. The IAADFS Membership and Exhibitor Guide is distributed to thousands of industry representatives, including all registered attendees at the IAADFS Duty Free Show of the Americas.
How To Obtain an Application
Please call, fax, or email the IAADFS office with your name, company name, complete mailing address, phone, and fax number, and a brief description of your company's activities in the duty free market, and we will forward the appropriate application form to you by mail or email.
