Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-783-9360, dhubbard@nbaa.org
Washington, DC, Feb. 1, 2022 – The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today announced that its first in-person event this year will host more than 1,500 registered participants, in a sold-out exhibit area with a host of aircraft on display.
NBAA’s Miami-Opa locka Regional Forum, being held at Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport (OPF), will introduce the region’s business aviation community to local officials and prospective owners and operators, offer networking opportunities and provide aviation students insights from experienced professionals that will inform their career decisions.
“We are excited about the energy around this week’s forum,” said Chris Strong, NBAA senior vice president, events. “There is clearly an eagerness to come together in person, not just to reconnect, but to build for the future.”
In addition to the 136 exhibitors in the sold-out display area, the forum will feature 16 aircraft and an informative day of educational sessions.
“NBAA’s regional forums have always been valuable as a way to meet with existing clients, and connect with new ones, in a local, in-person setting,” said Jonathan Howells, executive VP, global sales, Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. “We’re delighted to be a part of the upcoming Opa locka forum, which presents an opportunity to meet again with clients safely, face-to-face, in a location well known for its thriving business aviation community.”
To kick off the forum, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and Jimmy Morales, chief operations officer for Miami-Dade County, will discuss issues of national and local significance, from the rollout of 5G networks across the U.S., to legislation being considered by the Florida state legislature, which, if passed, would make the state more competitive with its neighbors and generate new aviation jobs by eliminating the sales and use tax on aircraft. Learn more about NBAA’s advocacy for Florida’s sales tax exemption bill.
During the event, record-setting pilot and 2019 NBAA American Spirit Award recipient Barrington Irving, founder and CEO of Flying Classroom, will be on hand with two aircraft. Additionally, he will join William Muldoon, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s (ERAU’s) vice chancellor, campus operations and managing director of ERAU Europe, in an afternoon session to review recent challenges to business aviation education and innovative efforts to adapt and overcome them.
The day’s sessions will conclude with a panel of industry professionals discussing how they became involved in business aviation. Students can register for this session at no cost.
“We are excited to welcome the NBAA Regional Forum to Miami,” said Bobby Courtney, vice president of aviation at Fontainebleau Aviation. “The airport has developed significantly within the last decade, surpassing record traffic year after year. Miami has proven to be a Mecca in aviation, whereas seeing the aviation industry embrace our hometown holds its own merit. We look forward to seeing our friends and colleagues in our backyard.”
The 2022 Miami-Opa locka Regional Forum, which is just 35 minutes from downtown Miami and only 20 minutes from Miami International Airport, is sponsored by A1A Global Ground, FBOs Atlantic Aviation and Fontainebleau Aviation, Everest Fuel, Standard Aero and West Star Aviation.
Please visit the forum registration site for details about attending the event.
More information about NBAA’s comprehensive schedule of events for 2022, including the 2022 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland, and NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Orlando, FL, can be found at NBAA’s dedicated events resource.
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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 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at nbaa.org.
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