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MANAGING AIRPORTS TODAY 14 airportbusiness May 2015 video billboards to their marketplaces. These units display messages such as "Gate 1 Now Boarding" and other notifications travelers need. Though signage is important, Rossbach states when designing an airport they try to make wayfinding intuitive so that travelers can readily find their way without signage. "The architecture and layout of the terminal should draw them to certain destinations," he says. "We rely on signage secondarily because people scan wholistically first to find their way and when they can't find something that's when they rely on signage." Rossbach says one of the best places to position a marketplace is right after security. Traveler apprehension drops after they get through the uncertainty of security, leaving passengers with a predictable timeframe before their plane leaves. It's also gives retailers and concessionaires the maximum amount of foot traffic moving past their storefronts. "We try to make sure there is a clear sight line so that once they step out of security they can instantly see where they need to go and the concessions that are available," he says. Grouping concessions together also makes sense. Rossbach says he likes to see a syner- gistic grouping of concessions at the center in a food court or a retail/concessions area, which also offers entertainment, which may include music and artwork. "This way you've got retail, food and beverage and services available, in a 'town square' type of space," he says. "There is always this draw. They might have to walk past a store, past entertainment, past services, past restaurants, and there's a likelihood that they'll purchase more because all of these things are grouped together." Lobel agrees noting that entertainment does a lot to relieve traveler stress and in turn increases customer spending. Airports are now CONCESSIONS/RETAIL TIPS Once concessions/retail spaces are in place, there are a few things these businesses can do to draw the passengers in. f Be seen. If you want passengers to stop and look at your store, you have to make the product visible. Mark Lobel, lead concessions designer for Corgan Associates, encourages business owners to employ the five-second rule. If it doesn't grab a passenger's attention in five seconds, chances are they are not going to stop. "You have got to move customers across the lease line, then deliver on the promise," says Brad Lenz, senior vice president of Hudson Group. "The store needs to surprise and delight them, and give them a great experience through products and customer service." f G o o d d e s i g n . A good design within the space elevates the perceived value of the merchandise. "Good design is good business," says Lobel. "If you develop a good looking store front, it will entice customers to come in." f Bigger is not always better. When travel- ing with bags in tow, pas s en ger s d o n 't always want to work their way through a large store to get what they need. Sometimes a shallower retail store is just as good because they can get in and out quickly. f Get healthy. As more of the population focuses on their health, it's important for airports to move past the hotdogs and French fries to healthier food offerings that include fresh, locally sourced food. f Don't forget the FIDS. Passengers visiting retail or concessions outlets want to know where their flight is and when it begins to board. Putting a flight information display board in the area informs the traveler and removes some of the unease of travel. f Bags, bags, bags. More travelers than ever are schlepping their bags through the airport to avoid paying baggage frees levied by the airlines. Retailers and concessionaires need to build room for these bags into the design of their stores. "If it's too tight, people won't venture back through the store because it's too hard to navigate," says Tom Rossbach, HNTB's Director of Aviation Architecture. f Provide things the airlines don't. Sell sandwiches and drinks, bottles of water, blankets, pillows, socks, magazines and more. "Provide the creature comforts that airlines do not," says Lenz. "The more we can mitigate and offset that stress, the more likely passengers are to open their pocketbooks." MARK LOBEL, CONCESSIONS PROJECT MANAGER, CORGAN ASSOCIATES Airports are putting quality over quantity into their retail and concessions offerings. if spaces are visible and inviting, product offer- ings fit the passenger makeup, and passengers can get to and from them with ease. Uncertainty in the travel process mandates that these spaces either be visible to hold rooms or include dynamic messaging designed to inform travelers of the time it will take to get to their gates. Dubbe says some airports are adding