Hong Kong, March 8, 2011 – Although the 2012 Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE2012) is nearly a year away, the show is positioned to be the premier event for business aviation in the Asian region, according to the event’s co-organizers, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA).
“It’s been just a few months since NBAA and AsBAA announced plans to re-introduce ABACE in 2012, and in that short amount of time, the momentum that is building for the event has surpassed even our highest expectations,” Kathleen Blouin, NBAA Senior Vice President for Conventions, Forums & Seminars told attendees at a press conference today in Hong Kong. “It’s clear that ABACE2012 is on a roll, and that it will unquestionably be the foremost event for the industry in the Asian region.”
Jason Liao, Chairman and CEO of the China Business Aviation Group and NBAA’s chief representative in Asia, agreed, stating: “All of the elements are coming together for a highly successful show. Leaders from across the industry and government have signaled that ABACE is the event that is best positioned to serve the business aviation community, in the coming year and beyond.”
ABACE2012 – the only event in the Asian region dedicated solely to business aviation – will be held in the new Shanghai Hawker Pacific Business Aviation Center from February 28 to March 1, 2012. The event will include exhibits in the facility’s 4,000 square-meter hangar, a Static Display of Aircraft outside on its expansive ramp, and on-site education sessions led by industry veterans with knowledge of the region’s business and regulatory environment.
In providing their ABACE2012 forecast, Blouin and Liao said industry and government are coalescing around the event; as one example, the two noted that Chinese authorities have officially welcomed ABACE to Shanghai.
“The Shanghai Airport Authority is pleased to support ABACE in 2012, and for many years to come,” said Shanghai Airport Authority Chairman Nianzu Wu, who recently sent an official letter of support for the event. “ABACE will be a world-class event at a world-class facility.”
Hong Yin, Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Municipal Government agreed, stating: “The city of Shanghai welcomes ABACE. We look forward to being the host city for what will be the pre-eminent business aviation event in Asia.”
Blouin and Liao also noted that all of the leading international business aviation associations – including the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) have signed on as ABACE partners.
IBAC Director General Don Spruston observed “Business aviation in Asia is at an early phase, but the growth potential is immense. ABACE2012 will be an ideal opportunity for the global business aviation community to showcase the products, services and safety programs that have made business aviation one of the fastest-growing aviation sectors in the world.”
Bill Voss, President and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, agreed, pointing specifically the value of ABACE in connecting government and industry leaders to focus on safety. “As business aviation begins to emerge in the Asian region, it’s important that the industry’s growth be accompanied by a strong safety focus,” Voss said. “ABACE will provide an outstanding venue for experts in safety and other operational matters to gather and consider issues specific to the region, share best practices, and ensure that over the long-term, government and industry have an effective safety regime in place.”
The support industry and government leaders have given to ABACE comes as the world’s major business aircraft manufacturers are committing to exhibit at the event. Blouin and Liao reported that Airbus Corporate Jets, Boeing Business Jets, Bombardier Aerospace, Cessna Aircraft Company, Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation, Embraer Executive Jets, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and Hawker Beechcraft Corporation have signed on to exhibit at ABACE.
GAMA President and CEO Pete Bunce welcomed the manufacturers’ support for ABACE2012, stating “This show will be the premier marketplace for manufacturers to introduce their products to companies in the Asian region, and GAMA is delighted to be a part of the event, and to see such strong, early support from the manufacturing community.”
In concluding, Blouin unveiled two new resources – a bilingual ABACE2012 web site (www.abace.aero), with all content available in English or Chinese, and a new monthly e-mail newsletter – which NBAA and AsBAA will utilize to keep industry updated on continuing information about the 2012 show.
“By any measure, ABACE2012 is coming together as the kind of world-class event that the business aviation community expects from NBAA,” Blouin concluded. “The show is poised to take its place alongside other shows NBAA has been involved with, including our Annual Meeting & Convention, the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition and the Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition.”
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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.
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