Timely Speakers and New Aircraft Draw Crowds to San Jose

March 7, 2020

NBAA wrapped up its March 5 regional forum with high marks from the enthusiastic crowd of attendees and exhibitors for yet another highly valuable opportunity to meet face-to-face with new and existing customers, and network with industry.

“It’s been an amazing show from where I stand,” said Marco Dumont, associate director for North America Sales, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “I attend all of the events, and this is among the best. Compared to two years ago when we were in San Jose, this is at least double the volume. For us it was very successful.”

Trever Lilya, enterprise account executive with Foreflight agreed, stating: “The show’s been great, the atmosphere’s been very welcoming. Being out in the community and being able to connect with customers has been very powerful, and it’s very valuable to be present.”

The San Jose Forum, held at California’s Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), drew around 1,500 attendees, 140 exhibitors, 19 aircraft and five displays featuring the industry’s latest technologies, products and services.

The forum was held in conjunction with three different Northern California Business Aviation Association events, illustrating strong interest in participation from Golden State companies of all sizes.

The event got underway with opening session remarks from Dr. David Farnie, medical director of Medaire’s Global Response Center, who provided a timely update on novel coronavirus, with the goal of enabling attendees to make informed decisions regarding travel. He also provided common-sense tips for avoiding illness.

The business aviation community’s strong commitment to aviation sustainability was also in focus at the forum. A panel led by Mike Nichols, CAM, CAE and NBAA’s senior vice president of strategy and innovation, engaged session attendees with information on sustainable aviation fuels, and answered operators’ questions about the blends.

The forum also included an urban air mobility panel featuring Scott Akina from Quantum XYZ, Dave Merrill from Elroy Air and Mark Moore from Uber Elevate. Elroy Air showcased at the forum its Chaparral, a hybrid, 500-pound payload, 300-mile-range aerial cargo delivery system.

NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen remarked on the forum’s timely and informative educational content, tangible energy on the exhibit floor and exciting previews of business aviation’s future. “This week’s forum proved to be another valuable addition to NBAA’s series of regional events, and our overall 2020 lineup,” Bolen said. “We were pleased with the strong turnout, we had a great day in San Jose, and we look forward to welcoming business aviation professionals to our upcoming events.”

NBAA’s next event is the 2020 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, taking place Mar. 10-13 in Charlotte, NC.