At NBAA 2007, Some Questions About Location ...

... amid another robust business aviation annual convention. The National Business Aviation Association’s annual show is like a steam engine with a never-ending supply of steam, it seems. Some projections say this year’s event could topple 35,000 or more attendees -- a record -- and activity on the trade show floor and at the aircraft Static Display suggests a record is in the offing. Once again, the NBAA staff gets kudos for its management of the spectacle, particularly in a convention center that is at best challenging in terms of show floor logistics. This is the aviation event of the year for many in industry, and for many it is one that is a year in planning. It takes coordination, not only from NBAA staffers but from participants as well, to make this show go as well as it does every year. Which leads to a discussion about location. A couple of weeks back, I visited New Orleans Lakefront Airport for an update on how the business there is faring two years after Hurricane Katrina. Lakefront was inundated by water from Lake Ponchartrain. It lost two FBOs as a result, and Million Air and Flightline First (a newcomer) are preparing to break ground on new fixed base operations. The bulkheads around the airport have been replaced/reinforced, and the airport is beginning to return to normal. NBAA, which has a very long and successful relationship with New Orleans, planned to host the annual convention there next year. It also has a positive history of hosting its popular Static Display at Lakefront. Earlier this year, the NBAA board decided that New Orleans wasn’t ready and relocated the 2008 show to Orlando. Interestingly, during my visit to Lakefront, I got this news for the first time. Did I miss it? The NBAA website posts a press release from last April, and association sources say they went through the normal information distribution channels they normally use. Yet, even at the show this week, I have met maybe two people who I discussed this with who knew the venue had changed for ’08. It’s safe to bet that even now after the show has opened few know that next year will be Orlando, not New Orleans. Now comes word from a very reliable source that when it is held in Orlando next year, the Static Display will be moved from its usual spot, Orlando Executive, to Orlando International. That is, at best, an interesting decision. And one that this source calls highly questionable. Orlando Executive, like Lakefront, has a history of running successful static displays – perhaps even moreso. It has the facilities, two top-notch FBOs, and an airport that is easy to navigate, both in the air and on the ground. It keeps everyone from having to deal with the hassle factor that comes with one of the busiest international airports in the U.S. And, of course, there’s the Disney factor, adding to the congestion. The decision, if true, comes at a time when the airlines are charging that business aviation is hampering its activity and not paying its fair share. To paraphrase the source: We have all this congestion with the airlines which is expected to get worse – why do we want to give the carriers a poster board that they can point to when all these business jets are brought into the mix at Orlando International? More importantly, again according to the source, a decision was made by NBAA to hold off announcing the move of the Static Display until after this year’s show. When asked, an association VP said he was unsure where the static would be held in ’08 and would get back to me. At this writing, he hadn’t. The NBAA annual is one of the most important events in aviation, period. And one that requires planning. Something, it seems, is amiss. If nothing else, why the confusion? Thanks for reading. jfi