Tampa International Airport Hosts Concessions Workshop Aimed to Help Attract Women- and Minority-owned Businesses

Jan. 14, 2014
The workshop series is part of a series of events to provide information on the airport’s concessions redevelopment program, which will allow multiple business operators to bid on a variety of concessions packages later this year.

Tampa International Airport will host a “Concessions 102” workshop this Thursday, Jan. 16, with a strong focus on attracting women- and minority-owned businesses to the airport’s array of shops and restaurants. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at the Tampa Airport Marriott.

The workshop series is part of a series of events to provide information on the airport’s concessions redevelopment program, which will allow multiple business operators to bid on a variety of concessions packages later this year. The entire package is worth about $1.3 billion in gross sales over 10 years.

Two Concessions 101 workshops focusing on the basics of operating in an airport environment were held last year, drawing a mix of interested local and national/international businesses.

Concessions 102 is aimed at educating women- and minority- owned business owners about the Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) certification process and connecting business owners with prime concessionaires, architects, store designers and other resources to assist in opening a business at TPA.

“If someone is new to the airport industry, this is a great workshop to come and meet prime concessionaires and learn more from experienced vendors,” said Irene Pierpont, Manager of Airport Concessions at TPA. “People can also learn the most updated information on where we are in the planning process.”

A third workshop will be held later this year to review the solicitation and procurement process.

The contract with the airport’s existing concessionaire, which dates back to the opening of the terminal in 1971, expires in 2015. Airport visitors could begin to see new storefronts and restaurants opening up at Tampa International Airport by the end of that year.

The concessions workshops are open to the public and media. To learn more about the program, go to www.tampaairport.com/concessions.