Events Jointly Hosted For The First Time

Jointly hosted for the first time, the 2019 NBAA Maintenance and Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Conferences in Fort Worth, TX, provided substantial educational and networking value for both groups of business aviation professionals.

The separately held conferences drew large crowds – including more than 1,300 Maintenance Conference and almost 200 Flight Attendants/Flight Technician Conference registrants – to the Fort Worth Convention Center, where attendees enjoyed important role-specific training, an expansive exhibit floor and timely presentations from an acclaimed roster of speakers, including Lt. Gen. Leslie F. Kenne, the first woman to attain that rank in the Air Force.

“We’re very pleased with the educational quality of these jointly held but uniquely valuable conferences,” said Mike Nichols, CAM, CAE, NBAA’s senior vice president, strategy and innovation. “It’s been gratifying to see so many business aviation professionals bring the passion and energy of this industry to Fort Worth, and we look forward to continuing to find ways to enhance the attendee experience for both conferences.”

The combined exhibit hall floor featured more than 190 exhibiting companies occupying over 230 booth spaces, including dozens of first-time exhibitors, highlighting myriad products and services.

The week began with a timely call to action on the topic of workforce, as panelists in the “Who is the Technician of the Future?” opening session challenged audience members to consider what drives their passion for the industry, and how they can convey that passion to young people.

“Why should I become a technician? Why get involved with business aviation? Do we have a good answer for what it’s done for us as individuals, for our country and our planet?” presenter Bob Hobbi asked the audience. “We need to be excited about the industry and talk about it at a level that will catch with a 14-year-old.”

The inspiring stories of the 2019 Maintenance AMT Scholarship and Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Scholarship recipients brought the workforce discussion down to a personal level, showing how fulfilling and well-compensating business aviation careers can improve peoples’ lives.

Following a day of valuable learning opportunities, including a special presentation on fatigue and procedural non-compliance from FAA Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor Dr. Bill Johnson, Kenne continued the upbeat theme of the show in her day two keynote speech.

“Develop a habit of enthusiasm and positivity, and it will create a force within you to tackle the big challenges as they come,” said Kenne, who provided examples of strong leadership from her distinguished career in the armed services.

Other highlights of the week included the new product showcase – moved into the main ballroom in response to strong attendee interest – which provided a glimpse of the most cutting-edge products on the market. Perennially popular stalwarts, such as OEM technical breakout sessions and the FAA regulatory update from John Haag and Elaine Karabatsos, also drew large crowds.

From emergency life raft deployment to food allergy awareness, attendees at the Flight Attendants/Flight Technicians Conference enhanced their skill set through more than a dozen interactive education sessions.

In addition to the well-received catering breakouts, a timely presentation from the Marietta Police Department provided attendees with critical situational awareness skills and hands-on tourniquet training to help them “go from a bystander to a responder” in a trauma incident. The theme of risk mitigation was also represented in the pre-conference ServSafe Food Handler Course, where attendees learned the latest best practices for hygienic food handling.

Both conferences ended with an uplifting keynote from motivational speaker Steve Gilliland. Highlighting the conscious everyday choices that impact others’ lives, “Making a Difference” inspired attendees to use their personal power to spread hope and empowerment.

The shows will again co-located next year, taking place May 5-7, 2020, in Hartford, CT.

(Source: NBAA news release)

FMI: www.nbaa.org