OPULA’s Jo Pennycuick Highlights the Future of Connected Airport Ecosystems at FAB 2026
Bengaluru, India — July 2026 — OPULA was pleased to participate in the 2026 Airport F&B + Hospitality Conference & Awards (FAB) in Bengaluru, where Jo Pennycuick, OPULA’s Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, joined the panel discussion, “Creating World-class Environments through Enhanced Design, Ambience and Service.”
Jo appeared alongside fellow panelists Mira Al-Hmoud, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Business Development at Plaza Premium Group; Hani Ezra Hussin, Senior General Manager Commercial Services at Malaysia Airports; and Michiel Reuvers, Associate Partner, Business Development at Conceptional B.V.
Drawing on nearly three decades of experience across airport, hospitality and retail environments, Jo spoke about the need to design airport experiences around the evolving needs of the traveler — not simply around individual spaces, services or commercial estates.
Her remarks focused on a central industry challenge: passengers experience one continuous journey, while airports, lounges, retailers, brands and media often operate as disconnected touchpoints.
Jo highlighted that world-class environments are created not only by what passengers see, but by the planning, operations, flow, technology, service and commercial strategy working behind the scenes. When those elements are aligned, travelers feel more confident, more comfortable and more open to discovery — creating stronger experiences and greater commercial value.
A key focus of the discussion was the missed opportunity that occurs when premium travelers move into airport lounges and the broader retail and brand journey effectively ends. OPULA believes the lounge represents one of the most valuable environments in the airport: a setting where travelers are comfortable, relaxed and have time to engage.
“The future isn’t simply about building more retail, adding more screens or creating more lounges,” said Jo Pennycuick. “It is about connecting them. The airports of the future will be designed as ecosystems, where architecture, operations, technology, retail and hospitality work together as one experience.”
OPULA is focused on helping create that more connected premium travel ecosystem. As a first-of-its-kind content-commerce platform purpose-built for premium travel, OPULA is developing a new model that connects storytelling, discovery, service and commerce across high-value travel environments — improving the traveler experience while creating new value for airports, retailers, lounges, brands and operators.
While at FAB, Jo also participated in high-level meetings with OPULA strategic partners and leading global industry stakeholders regarding the upcoming global launch of the OPULA platform. Discussions included potential launch locations, brand partnerships, and original luxury lifestyle entertainment programming to be featured across the OPULA in-lounge network and OPULA World mobile experience.
OPULA extends its sincere thanks to Martin Moodie, Dermot Davitt, Mark Lane, Vincci Chung and the entire FAB team for creating such a valuable forum for the industry, and for bringing together leaders focused on shaping the next generation of airport hospitality, travel retail and premium passenger experience.
Photo captions:
Panel photo:
Jo Pennycuick joined fellow panelists Mira Al-Hmoud, Hani Ezra Hussin and Michiel Reuvers for the FAB 2026 panel discussion, moderated by Ameesha Raizada.
Group photo:
From left: Mira Al-Hmoud, Hani Ezra Hussin, Jo Pennycuick, Michiel Reuvers and Ameesha Raizada.
Podium photo:
Jo Pennycuick, OPULA Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, shares her perspective on building connected airport ecosystems.
Community photo:
Engaging with the FAB community and celebrating the people who bring hospitality to life across every journey. (Martin Moodie, Jo Pennycuick)