With Event Dates Finalized, Exhibitor Applications Now Being
Accepted
Standing at the front of a group of industry leaders at EBACE in
Geneva, Switzerland Monday, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said
the 2012 edition of the Asian Business Aviation Conference &
Exhibition (ABACE2012) is well positioned to take its place as the
region's premier annual industry event. "We are well on the path
toward making ABACE in the Asian region what EBACE is to Europe,
and what NBAA's Convention is to the U.S. - not just the signature
business aviation event in its region, but a catalyst for the
industry," Bolen said.
ABACE2012 is co-organized by NBAA and the Asian Business
Aviation Association (AsBAA). The event, which will be held in the
Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Service Centre, will
include exhibits in the facility's 4,000 square-meter hangar, a
Static Display of Aircraft, and education sessions led by industry
veterans.
Bolen provided his report on the momentum behind ABACE2012 in a
press briefing held amidst the European Business Aviation
Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), which is jointly sponsored by
NBAA and the European Business Aviation Association.
AsBAA Chairman Jean-Noel Robert joined Bolen for the briefing,
as did leaders from ABACE partner organizations, including the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the International
Business Aviation Council and the Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business
Aviation Service Centre. Each reiterated their previous statements
of support for ABACE 2012, and their continuing enthusiasm for the
event. Bolen's briefing began with the announcement that, after
consultations with the aircraft manufacturers planning to exhibit
at ABACE, the decision had been made to adjust the planned dates
for the event. ABACE2012 will now take place from Tuesday, March 27
through Thursday, March 29, 2012.
"When we first discussed ABACE with the manufacturers last year,
the consensus was that the event should be held on dates
complementary to the dates for another industry event in Asia, so
that exhibiting companies could optimize the use of their assets in
the region," Bolen explained. "However, what we're hearing now is
that the market is growing more quickly than previously expected,
and like EBACE, the event not only can, but should be
independent."
Bolen added that with the ABACE2012 dates finalized, NBAA and
AsBAA will be accepting Exhibitor applications on-site during EBACE
this week. As further evidence of the continuing momentum for
ABACE2012, Bolen noted that two major industry trade publications -
Aviation International News and Business & Commercial Aviation
- recently made known their intention to publish show dailies at
ABACE2012. "Show dailies add tremendous value to industry events,
and we're delighted that these two publishers intend to produce
them at ABACE2012," Bolen said.
Bolen concluded by noting that a delegation from the Shanghai
Airport Authority (SAA) would be in Geneva this week, as part of
the preparations for ABACE2012. The SAA signed a memo earlier this
year stating its exclusive support for ABACE2012. "Clearly, the
major stakeholders in government and industry have rallied around
ABACE2012, and we know it will be the world-class show that
participants with NBAA events have come to expect," Bolen
concluded.