April 2, 2010 (Burnsville, MN) - Aviation Industry Expo, held March 16-18 in Las Vegas, Nevada, attracted an audience of more than 3,500 aviation key buyers and aviation professionals.
“We are happy to report an increase in attendance at 2010’s Aviation Industry Expo,” said Sue Palmer, Product Manager, Aviation Industry Expo. “Though just a slight increase from last year’s event, we’ll take it given the current economic conditions affecting the industry. Several exhibitors reported a marked increase in business being done on the show floor, which indicates the industry is on the upswing. The future is bright for the industry and Aviation Industry Expo!”
This year’s Aviation Industry Expo was host to an increased number of Demos on Demand exhibitors. Demos on Demand was born in 2009 and expanded for the 2010 show. This feature allowed attendees to get a first-hand experience of equipment in action. The demonstration area was located just outside the exhibition hall and was open for attendees to visit when escorted by an exhibiting company representative.
“It’s one thing to tell a potential customer about the great features of your product, it’s another to show them your product in action,” said Brad Streeter of Aero Specialties. “Attendees were able to take an actual test drive of our equipment. This hands-on experience was just what we needed to turn attendees into customers. Demos on Demand was a great sales tool for us!”
The sold-out 2010 Green Pavilion, a feature of AIE, was larger than ever as well. Companies exhibiting green products that were unable to secure booth space in the official Green Pavilion were recognized through floor graphics, allowing attendees to find green products and services throughout the show floor.
A long-time partner of AIE, NATA’s Spring Training Week, showed a 25% increase in attendance in 2010 over 2009.
"NATA Spring Training Week at AIE was a great success especially in terms of attendance and participant enthusiasm,” said NATA President James K. Coyne. “We were pleased to see such a great mix of members from industry leaders to line service specialists and everyone in between. This is quickly becoming a can't-miss event for members of the ground service community.”
"NATA hit one out of the park with Spring Training Week at AIE,” said Amy Koranda, NATA director of safety & training. “We have found a winning combination of event location, seminars and overall timing. Looking to next year, we plan to give attendees even more flexibility in their seminar selections.”
In addition, AMTSociety’s Maintenance Skills Competition was larger than ever with 25 participating teams, growing from 15 participating teams in 2009. For the first time in the event’s history, international countries were represented in the competition including Beijing, China and Sydney, Australia. The United States Military entered five teams representing Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy branches. In addition to the growth of the Skills Competition, AMTSociety’s IA Renewal Program and Golf Outing were both larger than ever as well. Over 100 golfers participated in the Golf Outing which raises funds for the AMTSociety Scholarship Program.
“All said and done, this was by far the very best gathering we have ever experienced, and next year looks even better,” said Tom Hendershot, Executive Director, AMTSociety.
The Ground Support Leaders of the Year Awards Reception was held on Wednesday, March 17th at AIE with industry leaders being recognized from six categories. Team Leader of the Year was presented to Joe Daniels, East Bay Automotive Supervisor, UPS. Safety Leader of the Year recipient was Shawn Mack, Director of Training, Banyan Air Service. Green Leader of the Year was awarded to Neil Bennett, President, eTug LLC. Sean Hopkins, Vice President Supply Management, Allegiant Air was named Kaizen Leader of the Year. I.D. Systems was honored with Engineer/Innovator of the Year award and the Lifetime Achievement award was given to Lou Lombardi of Aviation Systems.
AIE also hosted the “Exhibitor Space Draw”, where current exhibitors are given the chance to select their booth space for the next year. Nearly 50% of this year’s available booth space was booked at the expo with 88 companies committing to exhibiting.
Aviation Industry Expo 2011 will be February 23-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information about Aviation Industry Expo, visit www.AviationIndustryExpo.com.Aviation Industry Expo is owned and produced by Cygnus Expositions and is part of the Cygnus Aviation & Transportation Group, which includes the leading industry publications Aircraft Maintenance Technology, Airport Business, and Ground Support Worldwide. Cygnus Expositions is a division of business-to-business media leader Cygnus Business Media.
Cygnus Business Media is an internationally-recognized business-to-business media company. Its diverse portfolio serves 13 market categories with print and interactive products, and live events. Through its media, the company reaches more than 1.5 million print subscribers, nearly 1 million industry professionals via its Custom Marketing services group and expositions, and attracts 2 million unique visitors to its websites monthly. Cygnus Business Media provides comprehensive, integrated advertising and marketing programs for some of the world’s strongest business-to-business brands. For more information, visit www.cygnusb2b.com.
