Cites "A Drastic Dropoff" In '06 Attendance
Is it yet another sign things have taken a turn for the worse at
Sun 'n Fun?
Representatives with
Sonex Aircraft, LLC told Aero-News Friday the company will not be
exhibiting at the 2007 Sun 'n Fun air show, due to what the
Oshkosh, WI-based homebuilt kit manufacturer termed "a drastic
drop-off in Sun 'n Fun attendance in 2006."
Sonex tells ANN the decision not to attend the 2007 show was
weighed heavily by Sonex Aircraft, LLC management and staff -- and
the decision has been made that Sun 'n Fun no longer provides
adequate return on the significant investment required to maintain
its presence as an exhibitor.
"We would like to stress that this decision has not been made by
economic necessity, as Sonex Aircraft experienced record growth in
sales over the past year," the manufacturer stated in a news
release. "Our booth traffic and sales during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
has steadily increased, and hit record highs during the 2006 show.
We will continue to focus our trade show exhibition efforts on
AirVenture, which is the premiere exhibition event for the
homebuilt aircraft industry, and is the reason that our facility is
located in Oshkosh."
"The Sun 'n Fun exhibition budget will be re-directed into a
renewed advertising and promotional strategy which will include
broader-based advertising of Sonex and AeroConversions products and
emphasis on Sonex Aircraft, LLC fly-in events hosted at the Sonex
facility in Oshkosh, WI."
Sonex had a large presence at Lakeland 2006, with several
aircraft on display (including a BEAUTIFUL Sonex, its aluminum skin
polished to better-than-mirror finish, that participated in daily
flyovers) as well as many customer-built planes in the parking
area. The company also had a full staff on hand to answer
questions.
As noted by ANN staffers at the 2006
year's show, Lakeland experienced a significant
dropoff in attendance compared to past years... which haven't
exactly been stellar. That drop has come as booth prices for
exhibitors have skyrocketed -- leaving many exhibitors irked.
Just before the 2006 fly-in kicked off, another noteworthy
presence -- Cleaveland Aircraft Tools -- announced it was begging
off Lakeland, as well, due to the increasingly lopsided
cost/benefit ratio.
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Listen To Cleaveland Tools' Mike Lauretson
Explain Why He Said No To SnF
"Not attending Sun 'n Fun is an obvious break with tradition in
our industry," Sonex stated, "however, we feel strongly that the
show is losing is effectiveness for us as an exhibitor. We are
committed to operating as efficiently as possible and continuing to
offer our customers the absolute Best Performance Per Dollar with
products and service that represent the best value in the
marketplace."
As it has with other regional fly-ins such as Arlington or
Copperstate, Sonex will support a continued grass-roots presence at
Lakeland with its current customers. Their events will also be
published on the Builders' Events page of the Sonex web site,
available at the FMI link below.