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.

FMI: www.abace.aero