The Central Europe Private Aviation (CEPA) Association is planning to sell a 49% stake in the flourishing annual CEPA Expo, in an attempt to turn the annual Prague-based event into a leading showcase for business and commercial aviation.
"CEPA was originally founded to accomplish a social-business mission - to make East and West more open and connected. So far we have succeeded," says CEPA founder Dagmar Grossmann, "Even so, we're aiming higher by turning the subsidiary event into an established, well-known brand."
Grossmann is planning to embark on a financial roadshow shortly, with a view to raising around half a million euros to fund the show's metamorphosis.
"We want to attract, as our shareholders, established industry players who have experience in the aviation market, and who have a vested interest in turning the CEPA Expo into a major event on the aerospace calendar," adds Grossmann, who is also the founder and chief executive of Czech business aircraft operator Grossmann Jet Service.
Since its launch in 2011, CEPA Expo has seen its delegate numbers increase by 40% year on year, as companies and individuals seek to develop opportunities in the thriving central and eastern European markets.
"The next ten years will see unprecedented growth in the wealth of CEE [Central and Eastern Europe] countries that were previously restricted behind the old 'Iron Curtain'," asserts CEPA's deputy chairman, Brendan Lodge. "Many of the countries that once formed 'Eastern Europe' still have a substantial manufacturing infrastructure. The entrepreneurs that control the key sectors of industry, feeding in and from the established and traditional commercial businesses, are becoming wealthier each day. There is the potential for real growth in the medium term, and opportunity for aviation businesses all over Europe and beyond, to join in this growth from the beginning."
Source: Flight International
