Bolen: "The Energy and Excitement...is Off the Charts" 

The NBAA completed its sold-out Professional Development Program, packing hundreds of attendees into its networking sessions and speeches at the 2022 Leadership Conference. This year, a theme of "Return to Service" was front and center as an industry looks to bounce back and leap beyond its pre-2020 state. 

Discussions at the event focused on improved thinking, positive examples in leadership, motivating workers, and ensuring organizational health and safety. The conference followed the first NBAA event of the year, a Regional Forum held at Miami-Opa Locka Executive which brought in almost 2,500 attendees to the sold-out exhibit floor. That event saw over a dozen aircraft on display alongside educational sessions and networking opportunities to bring up the next generation of business aviators. Of course, both the Forum and the Program pale in comparison to the biggest event of the year, BACE, as well as its European equivalent, EBACE 2022. Ed Bolen, Head of the NBAA, said the energy of the industry heading into the year is palpable.

“This is an extraordinary and exciting time for our industry,” Bolen said. “The energy and enthusiasm at the Regional Forum, and again this week at our Leadership Conference, has been off the charts. This bodes extremely well for our upcoming events, including the 2022 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE2022, starting May 23), which is shaping up to be a great show.”

“Our dynamic speakers helped us leverage the ways that the COVID-era’s challenges can translate into empowerment, excellence and being our authentic selves as we all return to service,” said Jo Damato, CAM, senior vice president, education, training and workforce development. “The enthusiastic turnout for this year’s event demonstrates that people want to gather to share lessons about leading not just through the pandemic, but beyond it.”

FMI: www.nbaa.org