NBAA’s Long Beach, California Business Aviation Forum Draws More Than 1,500 Persons; NY Event Set for June 5

Contact: Cassandra Bosco

Washington, DC, April 7, 2003 – The National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Forum & Static Display, held at Long Beach Airport in California on March 28, 2003, drew more than 1,500 people, including 55 indoor exhibitors and 37 airplanes.

“It was an unqualified success,” according to Joe Ponte, NBAA vice president, membership, marketing and regional programs. “This was our third regional Forum over the past nine months, and the feedback we have received has been extremely positive and encouraging. We are planning more of these events throughout the country.”

Ponte explained that the concept of having “one-day regional events that bring the business aviation community together on a local basis” is new for NBAA, but one that has found immediate success. “We started with a Forum in Chicago last June and then held another in Fort Worth in November. Each Forum has successively grown in interest and popularity,” Ponte said, adding that the events include informational sessions, vendor exhibits and airplanes on static display.

The next NBAA Business Aviation Forum & Static Display will be held in the New York area at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY on Thursday, June 5, 2003. For information about attending, presenting or exhibiting, contact NBAA’s Benjamin Jones at bjones@nbaa.org or Joe Ponte at jponte@nbaa.org, or by calling (202) 783-9280. The official Forum web site is located at www.nbaa.org/seminars/baf.

NBAA represents the aviation interests of more than 7,300 companies that own or operate general aviation aircraft as an aid to the conduct of their business, or are involved with business aviation. NBAA Member Companies earn annual revenues approaching $5 trillion — a number that is about half the gross domestic product — and employ more than 19 million people worldwide. The NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention is the world’s largest display of civil aviation products and services.

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