AEA Convention Shatters Attendance Record

AEA Convention shatters attendance record

Nearly 1,900 attendees and a sold-out Exhibit Hall in Dallas, April 8-11

LEE'S SUMMIT, MISSOURI, April 14, 2015 -- The 58th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show, which took place April 8-11 in Dallas, Texas, attracted 1,897 attendees with more than 350 avionics repair shops and more than 20 countries represented. The attendance figure breaks the event's previous high mark of 1,873 attendees back in 2005, a year in which the event also took place in Dallas.

This year's attendance figure marks a 21 percent increase over the 2014 event in Nashville, Tennessee, which drew 1,568 attendees.

In addition, more than 135 companies displayed their products and services in the AEA Exhibit Hall, which sold out for the first time since 2005.

"The topic of ADS-B naturally dominated this year's show with the looming mandate just 56 months away," said AEA President Paula Derks. "There were 33 companies that participated in the New Product Introductions session, which garnered a lot of interest from the industry. Avionics shop owners and technicians from more than 20 countries were able to take advantage of more than 90 hours of professional development and technical training classes. An upbeat atmosphere was easily apparent, and hopefully, it's another positive sign that the industry is continuing to recover from the recent economic recession." 

Next year, the 59th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show takes place April 27-30, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.

Photographs Available Online

A variety of high-resolution photos from the event have been made available by the AEA online. Click here to access the photographs taken by Jeff Kirchhoff, AEA's creative director.

About the Aircraft Electronics Association

Founded in 1957, the Aircraft Electronics Association represents nearly 1,300 member companies in 43 countries, including government-certified international repair stations specializing in maintenance, repair and installation of avionics and electronic systems in general aviation aircraft. The AEA membership also includes manufacturers of avionics equipment, instrument repair facilities, instrument manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, test equipment manufacturers, major distributors, engineers and educational institutions. 

For more information, contact Geoff Hill, AEA director of communications, at 816-347-8400 or [email protected].