You didn't think we were going to leave Lakeland without a chance to throw out some Congrats and/or some raspberries... did ya?

Not one to miss a chance to pontificate at will (and we will...and will... and will), here's what most impressed us this week -- and what didn't. And, in the VERY near future (days, actually), we're FINALLY going to drop a real bomb on everyone... with a MAJOR announcement that is the result of many year's observation of Lakeland and dozens of other fly-in and airshows... Stay tuned -- this one is gonna be a doozie.

We started with the Good News, so here's the NOT-so-good news...

6. Sun 'n Fun Attendance Games

Sun n' Fun put on quite the show when discussing their attendance, with the media, on the final day of this year's disappearing fly-in. According to quotes from John "Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics" Burton, SnF did about as well this year (attendance-wise), as they did last year. The problem with this claim is that simple observation leaves little room for credibility on this subject. Despite excellent weather and some observed attempts to fix a few of the many ills plaguing this fly-in, the week started out with light attendance that was expected to increase, significantly,  over the weekend. Well, we got a big surprise when Saturday came and the crowds did not... this should have been THE big day... instead of THE big disappointment. And when Saturday tanked, Sunday was worse... and well, the less said about Monday, the better.

We've talked to a LOT of folks about this... the reports are uniformly (with 2 exceptions out of dozens) negative about the attendance seen at this year's event. One well-known (and large) vendor who tracks attendance through a part of their exhibit quoted numbers well under half that of what they saw last year. All one had to do was fly over, which ANN's Jim Campbell did nearly every day on various test flights, to see that there were fewer planes, cars and people than has been seen in the past. Why did this happen? With complaints about the overall operation, safety, and attitude of this event climbing to all-time highs, it was a simple matter of time before visitors voted with their feet... and walked away from this event... early, if not totally.

7. The Truth Behind Numerous Safety Issues

Credit where credit is due. Sun 'n Fun had a much safer show than they had in years past... and some positive/welcome changes have been made. But it impressed a few people as particularly weird when Sun 'n Fun seemed to be bragging about not having killed anyone in three years.

It did for us, too... especially after hearing SnF officials tell the media and others (over the years) that ANN was all wet and that none of our criticisms were at all accurate... then they went out and incorporated a number of the very changes we suggested... Regardless of all that, it's good that some of these changes are being made... though we must note that many more need be made. There is still too small a buffer between moving airplanes and pedestrians, the warbird area needs more supervision and assistance (too many big props and little people), the lightplane area needs a much larger safety buffer and less obstacles to catch hapless flyers, and the entire traffic system in and out of the airport (which, to be fair, is hardly optimal for such an event and has been straining at the seems for over a decade) needs an aggressive redesign. Too many facets such as the conflagration around Like Parker and the final approach procedures, in particular, need to be re-worked... or someone else will fall victim to a (still) dangerous situation. Even with the changes we've suggested and have been adopted, Sun 'n Fun is still a lot more dangerous than it needs to be. Still, we're pleased that they finally started listening... we just wish they would listen some more.

8. Negative Selling

Certainly not a Sun 'n Fun-isolated phenomena, we none-the-less were quite displeased to hear increasing reports of a woeful (but hardly new) tactic being used at aero-trade shows. The competition for our aero-bucks is getting intense. Sadly, though, fly-ins like Sun 'n Fun are becoming cut-throat events for some salespeople who think that bashing their competitor's product is the answer to making a quick sale. Based on what we're hearing from the potential buyers who are victimized by such sales pitches, the tactic is not only NOT working but quickly turning buyers away from a particularly brand... and possibly even from buying a plane altogether. This is the height of stupidity. While no one manufacturer is uniformly guilty of these tactics, they all need to quickly and aggressively retrain or remove ANY salesperson who engages in such tactics. Period.

Competition is fine. Rivalry and pride on one's product is laudable... but telling nasty stories about a competitor has already cost 5 different manufacturers at least 11 sales according to the reports we've gotten here at ANN HQ... and worse than that... one of those erstwhile buyers decided that he wanted nothing to do with this business after getting similar treatment from three different manufacturers over the course of two days at SnF.

9. Vendor Critique: Good and Bad

The vendor atmosphere at Sun 'n Fun has been going down the tubes for years. This is the most prevalent source of complaints we hear about this event. Abysmal customer service, ever-increasing fees (some of which are outta site... ask how much one had to pay for phone and internet access this year and be prepared for a shock), difficult working conditions, and declining ROI has made exhibiting at SnF a lousy bet in recent years. As a result, we're hearing from a number of vendors who are abandoning Lakeland in favor of other venues or even just staying at home and answering the phone. 

Vendor mistreatment has taken on near-legendary proportions at Lakeland. Tales of people being taken to task for a complaint or even asking for a promised service are rampant, with John Burton and various exhibit chairpersons and their lieutenants being the focal point of most of those reports. Vendors report being threatened for complaining. Vendors report being treated poorly for asking for the simplest services. Some report being threatened with the police (one reported being on the verge of being beaten by a Lakeland PD Officer called by a SnF staffer), one even claims to have been thrown out for selling merchandise that competed with some that were sold in SnF's gift shop. Others reported aggressive demands for free merchandise or services for "donations" (and indeed, when our parent organization exhibited at SnF, such shakedowns were the norm) and many, many others reported simple but prevalent acts of abuse or rudeness--contributing to an atmosphere that took the "fun" out of Sun 'n Fun for hundreds of those we talked to. A continuing informal survey of well over 100 vendors indicated that they would be in favor of abandoning Lakeland the second that a reasonable replacement was found... without a single exception. Something is seriously wrong with the vendor/exhibit program at Lakeland.

10. EAA Doesn't Exactly Live Here Anymore

Maybe you missed it, maybe you didn't... but EAA doesn't live here (Lakeland) anymore. At least in terms of being a pivotal partner to all that made Sun 'n Fun a once-popular event. After leaning on EAA's broad shoulders for several decades, the egos in charge of Sun 'n Fun have so contributed to a decline in the working relationship between Lakeland and Oshkosh that a recent agreement between the two pretty much removes the affiliation and partnership that existed between them... even to the point of removing the EAA logo from the title of the Fly-In.

I feel bad for the EAA... they gave this Fly-In its start,nurtured it for decades, and have been rewarded with ingratitude and derision. EAA is not perfect, but they can't be faulted for trying to help a fellow fly-in so long and so aggressively... and for cutting the ties when it became impossible to countenance the way it was behaving.

Both sides are trying to put as happy a face on it as they can (naturally), but we can tell you in no uncertain terms from our conversations with people inside and outside of SnF and EAA that Sun 'n Fun screwed the pooch over the past few years with all manner of petty and childish antics. Some of the problems were ego... SnF suffered from Oshkosh-envy and wanted everyone to know that they planned to out-do their parent... but even after lying about their attendance figures for many years and inflating the perceived importance of this event, it was obvious that they weren't playing in the same league. This kept annoying the hell out of Oshkosh. Also, conflicts over a number of issues, including the public serving of alcohol so close to the fly-in activities (something that Oshkosh vigorously eschews), reciprocal privileges, and the aforementioned frauds made it clear to Oshkosh that something had to change if their relationship was to be salvaged... but the 'Gathering of Egos' that comprises SnF (mis)management didn't relent, couldn't compromise, and the resulting updated agreements pretty much leave SnF to sink or swim on it's own. We predict that without a life saver, that this thing could be a goner.

In light of what we see in our crystal ball; there may be a SnF 2006, and even a SnF 2007... but if the future keeps tilting the way we see it, SnF may be history by 2008-09. No matter what we may feel about the organization that mismanages this event, that's a shame.

FMI: www.eaa.org