An Exclusive Conversation With The President And CEO Of
NBAA
by ANN Special Correspondent Dave Higdon
It's a little hard to believe how relaxed and smiling this guy
was on Thursday. He's been in town since Saturday, courtesy of a
record-setting commemorative flight to Atlanta from New York, the
site of the first National Business Aviation Association meeting in
1947 -- a convention of 17 people held in a large hotel room.
He's helped build a playground, hosted meeting after meeting,
been up before dawn for days to host a press breakfast, glad handed
with every delegate to approach him, shepherded an evening gala
that ran late, and there he was at 7 a.m. Thursday to guest on an
internet program, relaxed, at ease and happy to be there for his
turn in this barrel -- before heading off to a meeting of the NBAA
board of directors.
And even though you might expect to see a haggard, exhausted
association executive by Thursday afternoon, there he was again,
sitting down with Aero-News to talk about this year's 60th Annual
gathering of NBAA -- smiling, joking, at ease and clearly
happy.
He's Ed Bolen, president and CEO of this influential
association. Even as exhibitors headed out the door and
convention-services workers headed in, Bolen (shown below) was
plainly pleased at how well this convention ran, as well as how
well-received was a new element in the long week of activities that
encompasses the gathering.
"In some ways, this year's convention worked better than any
before," he said. "We maintained the important traditions and added
some new elements that we'll retain."
"It started with our commemorative flight on Saturday, with Pat
Epps, son of the first man to fly in Georgia 100 years ago, Jamail
Larkins the young ambassador for aviation, and Cessna's Bob
Stangarone, and just kept on going."
What a difference those 60 years made. With more than 8,000
members and a massive trade-show presence, NBAA has grown to the
point that only a few cities can handle the event. And it's moving
into a stage where it plans to make in impact on those cities that
goes beyond mere economic impact.
NBAA decided to do something for the host community this year,
to build an aviation--themed playground at an Atlanta elementary
school in partnership with NBAA member Home Depot and the KaBoom!
Foundation. All day Sunday more than 400 volunteers drove nails,
assembled equipment, and, at the same time, spread some goodwill
like the sawdust used to cushion some of the playground area. At
nearby Fulton County Airport, site of the NBAA static display,
another crew built an aviation themed playground/observation area,
employing dozens more volunteers.
And these projects were both accomplished in a day.
"We really wanted to do something to give back to our host
community, something of lasting impact," Bolen explained. "It's
great knowing the families will be using these facilities for years
to come, a lasting mark of our members' effort."
A New Tradition
"You know, in the past
airports had places where people could come and enjoy watching
airplanes come and go, but over the years airports have become
increasingly inaccessible and unwelcoming and these observation
places have largely disappeared from the airports," Bolen
observed.
"Having this viewing area as a place where families can come and
bring their children will have a lasting impact on them and their
view of our community. I think these lasting projects made everyone
involved feel better than any other thing they accomplished and we
plan to make this a part of every convention in the future."
Exactly what the project may be and where when next year NBAA
returns to the Orange County Convention Center remains to be
decided. But somewhere there will be a lasting testament to the
generosity and enthusiasm of NBAA members -- and in an era when
general aviation is under more fire than ever, this type of
goodwill can't hurt.
What's not a new tradition is the importance of the NBAA
convention to business aviation, from the operators to the OEMs and
suppliers and vendors supporting the community.
"We've long said you get a year's worth of aviation business in
three days of an NBAA and I think that's more true this year than
ever," Bolen offered. "The amount of business done here, the sales
announcements and launches reinforces the idea that this is a place
you want to be if you're in business aviation."
Even though the convention fell a little short of breaking past
records for aircraft sales, the degree of business done remains a
mark for this event. "More important is the feeling -- the vibrancy
-- you get with this size of crowd."
"I thing the challenge for us is that we want to be aviation's
premier all-civil show," Bolen explained. "We have those
expectations of the traditions of the past, but we also want to
keep it new and exciting so that there's always a sense of
excitement at coming to NBAA."
The NBAA last visited Atlanta in 1999, and the facility was
considered by many to be an ill fit for the convention... one of
the reasons for the seven-year absence. "But this year it felt like
the new venue it is to go with the new Atlanta developing around
us, and the way the facilities worked and the people worked
contributed to the sense of excitement and enjoyment I sensed," he
said.
Future Conventions -- A Challenge To The Desire For
Variety
Unfortunately, Bolen
conceded, the very success of the NBAA conventions has made finding
suitable venues more difficult. Few cities possess the combination
of a one million--plus square foot exhibit facility, a convenient
airport capable of handling 100--plus airplanes in the static
display, plus around 40,000 hotel rooms close enough to allow
delegates and vendors alike to enjoy convenient access to the
convention.
And even some of the cities that fit those parameters have been
off the rotation. New Orleans is still coming to grips with the
aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina devastation... and Las
Vegas effectively pulled the welcome mat after NBAA's last visit to
the Nevada city.
But Bolen wasn't prepared to say that either city -- both of
which possess the needed accoutrements of convention center,
airport and hotel rooms -- is permanently out of the running for a
future NBAA convention. "People really enjoy going to Las Vegas,
where we had our largest attendance in the past," he observed.
"We'll continue to work with Las Vegas officials to see what we
can accomplish by way of getting back there. And we'll keep watch
in the progress of recovery in New Orleans, because our members
truly enjoy the city's ambiance and are eager to get back."
The High Point -- Cohesion In The Fight Against User Fees
"There's no question, the user fee issue was the dominant issue
at this convention -- the fight is good and the need is high,"
Bolen said. "People in and out of general aviation seem to realize
that user fees have the potential to put us under the gun and
severely restrict our growth and utility, and they've lined up
behind the fight."
"They're writing their members of Congress, stopping them on the
street, challenging them in town meetings, and there is n doubt
it's having an effect, as evidenced by how much the airlines have
ratcheted up their rhetoric and their media spending."
"Seeing that cohesion was a high point for me."
Seeing other aspects of business aviation advance was also
gratifying, Bolen said -- the continuing move toward a supersonic
business jet, the dawn of the VLJ age as represented by our
commemorative flight Saturday. Community leaders well removed from
aviation also embrace the fight against use fees, Bolen noted,
because they recognize the threat they represent to the health of
their local airports and transportation access.
"We've taken some hits -- we're still standing and still
swinging and we're going to keep swinging, in partnership with AOPA
and EAA and GAMA and the Alliance for Aviation Across America, and
we're not giving up or giving in."
That issue is coming to "crunch time" back in the nation's
capital, he said -- which means there's no rest coming soon for
this association executive and his team. "We hold our international
dinner tonight and Friday we move into a daylong meeting of the
International world with business-aviation associations from around
the world."
"You may remember how the aviation community, general aviation
and the airlines, came together to support Air 21 nearly a decade
ago -- well this time we're in a fight for our survival against the
airlines.
"It's a fight we simply must win -- and it's my belief that the
energy and unanimity I've seen here will go home with the people
who came here and add to the pressure to give us the bill we need,
the bill that will fund ATC improvements, NextGen, and keep us
viable long into the future."