Happy New Year! Back to work. Tomorrow, I’ll be venturing down to Dallas for DFW’s airport concessions pre-proposal conference. Proposals are due February 2, so if you’re just now getting around to your bidding strategy, there’s still time, but not a lot of it. While all airports are different, and I don’t want to jump on Kalshi quite yet and start betting on the future of the concessions industry based on one RFP, but DFW is a bellwether for the space.

How Big?

• 3rd busiest airport in the galaxy
• 90 Million passengers in 2024
• It’s bigger than Manhattan
• 230 concessions units
• You can fit two DFW’s into a Buc-ee’s

If Hartsfield Jackson is Alabama, then DFW is Ohio State (timing wasn’t great for this analogy given last week’s results, but you get the point. Go Ducks!) So as DFW moves, so do a lot of peer airports. The current RFP may well be a preview of how large hub airports will structure solicitations over the next few years: more emphasis on customer experience and air service growth, tighter expectations around small business/SBEC participation, and a more deliberate, phased approach to construction and delivery.

1. What about ACDBE?

The elephant in the room given last year’s Interim Ruling. All airports are wading through the changes here and it’s yet to be fully fleshed out how all of the will balance the new regulatory framework. Enter SBEC. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Small Business Enterprise Concessions (SBEC) program is designed to create structured, revenue‑generating opportunities for local and small operators within the airport’s broader concessions portfolio, complementing traditional ACDBE participation goals rather than replacing them. SBEC focuses on carving out right‑sized units and program elements where smaller firms can realistically compete, often with tailored evaluation criteria, support around financing and build‑out, and program oversight that tracks participation and performance alongside DFW’s larger master and JV deals. Since SBEC is location-agnostic and has similar eligibility criteria to ACDBE, it’s a ready made solution. Not all airports have that. If you’re thinking about bidding here, make sure your SBEC cert is in good shape or your partners’ are. And for upcoming airports, have a plan. This is where strategic advisory matters. We help operators navigate SBEC certification, identify the right partners, and structure compliant JVs that check every box

And not just some nebular idea of “the customer.” DFW actually focuses on distinct traveler personas and encourages bidders to meet those unique profiles where they are with offerings that are specifically appealing to segments the airport has identified. If you want to win here, you really have to understand both your customer and DFW’s down to a concourse level, and craft a story around how your brand meets that traveler. If you can’t explain whether you’re a “Value Voyager” play or an “Indulgent Explorer” experience, you’re behind the curve. It’s a shift away from every concept competing for the same dollar to creating a program that has offerings tailor made for individual flyers. Expect to see a lot more of this and be ready to provide real quantitative and qualitative data on how your offering meets specific targets, not just “the passenger.” Our market intelligence includes traveler segmentation data and concept-to-persona matching that gives our clients a competitive edge in RFP responses.

Big Hats, Big Boots, Big Tech

A core priority for DFW is creating a “Seamless Journey”by leveraging technology to reduce processing times and travel-related stress. While this has been a key initiative of airports globally, the precision to which DFW is compelling bidders is new.

• Mobile and Self-Service: Concessions are required to offer self-checkout options and participate in the GRAB mobile ordering partner program to allow passengers to order on the go.

• Technological Integration: Locations use hand-held credit card processing devices for speed of service and proprietary door sensors that communicate to passengers exactly when a location is open for business.

Bidders that are on the forefront of offering tech solutions that meaningfully make the passenger journey better are primed to win not just here, but everywhere. With the adoption of agentic AI as a household phenomenon, the bar will have to be raised to meet customers’ quickly rising expectations. We’re tracking which tech integrations score highest with evaluation committees and can help you prioritize investments that move the needle.

Sense of Place

This isn’t new, but the way the airport is going about it is interesting, in part because DFW (much like BWI) straddles two cities which have their own very unique personas. What is familiar and delightful to the business traveler from Oak Cliff is just a blank stare to the vacationer from Near SouthSide. Selection of brands will be key here but so will buildout. Does this feel like anywhere, USA, or do you know you’re at DFW when you physically step into a location? Figure that out and you’ve got a replicable model to meet the need for local at many airports.

Working on your DFW response—or preparing for the next wave of RFPs following this model? Let’s talk strategy. Early movers will have a 12-18 month head start on competitors. Understanding these trends is one thing; translating them into winning proposals is another. Schedule a call here.

#AirportConcessions #ACDBE #DFWAirport #HospitalityConsulting #RFPStrategy #nontraditionalretail