Business aviators descended on Atlanta last month for the 60th annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association. Working Week talks to Kathleen Blouin, the person responsible for making it happen.
The National Business Aviation Association Convention is one of the largest trade shows in the USA, where throngs of products and people can boggle the senses. The 32,051 attendees in Atlanta was just shy of a record, but more exhibitors came - 1,152 - than ever before.
Setting it up and keeping it smooth from behind the scenes is Kathleen Blouin, senior vice- president of conventions, seminars and forums at NBAA. Born in Brooklyn with a retailing degree from upstate New York, Blouin's first job in aviation was with Business and Commercial Aviation magazine. Enthusiasm for aviation is contagious and she was pulled right in. Now she has spent 14 years overseeing the convention and watched exhibitors grow by 70% and the physical size of the show quadruple. Blouin still found a moment during the show to explain what makes it tick.
How did you transition out of the press?
When the opportunity came up at NBAA, I thought laying out a trade show floor was just like laying out a magazine. And I was lucky because my bosses took me all over the world and I met a lot of influential people on both sides, vendors and members.
The exhibit halls are just massive. How long do you take to assign positions?
That takes months. It's a jigsaw puzzle of trying to get these spaces together in the locations that they've chosen. We usually get it out about 90 days after the February deadline. But there are contracts that come in after that and we do try to get them in, sometimes right up to show time. We don't like to turn anybody away.
Do the three big days run like clockwork?
No, there's always a hitch, but we try to keep it away from our members. It's not like clockwork, and believe me, after 14 years, you learn something new every day.
What's the hardest part?
I guess the promotion. You just want to get it out there and make sure people find value in the information programmes that you do put on. We've got a great operations staff that talk to members and know what the issues are, and a great team that goes up to Capitol Hill and knows what goes on there. So we try to bring that back to the convention.
Do you think the show might be larger next year?
Sure, as more and more companies get into very light jets and deliver new aircraft. Business aviation is really booming right now, and the convention is a barometer for the business aviation community. So yes, the convention could grow. I'd hate to say there's a limit to what we could do. Now, of course, we're up to a million squatr feet (93,000m2 ) at the convention centre and another million square feet at the static display. It was about 16,000 or 17,000 attendees when I joined and we're over 30,000 now. I've just hired more people and very good people. The people I've hired have actually been from the business aviation industry.
Which cities can handle such a large expo?
We're going back to Orlando next year. We'd like to go to New Orleans, if it ever comes back. We still have concerns about the airport and whether it will be ready. We'd like to go to Las Vegas but we can never use McCarran airport. They can never give us space for the static display. They are making improvements at Henderson Executive airport, but use is growing, too. We're hopeful we can go there.
For more information, visit www.nbaa.com
Source: Flight International
