ABACE2012 Interest Surpassing Expectations

Asian Business Aviation Trade Show Planning Is 'On A Roll,' NBAA Says

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," NBAA senior vice president for conventions, forums and seminars Kathleen Blouin said 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. "All of the elements are coming together for a highly successful show," he said. "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 Feb. 28 to March 1, 2012. The event will include exhibits in the facility’s 4000 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. 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," Shanghai Airport Authority chairman Nianzu Wusaid said. "ABACE will be a world-class event at a world-class facility."

Wusaid recently sent an official letter of support for the event.

"The city of Shanghai welcomes ABACE," Shanghai Municipal Government deputy secretary general Hong Yin said. "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.

"Business aviation in Asia is at an early phase, but the growth potential is immense," IBAC director general Don Spruston said. "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."

Flight Safety Foundation president and CEO Bill Voss points out 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 report that Airbus Corporate Jets, Boeing Business Jets, Bombardier Aerospace, Cessna Aircraft Co., Dassault Falcon Jet Corp., Embraer Executive Jets, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and Hawker Beechcraft Corp. have signed on to exhibit at ABACE.

Blouin unveiled two new resources — a bilingual ABACE2012 web site with all content available in English or Chinese and a new monthly e-mail newsletter, which NBAA and AsBAA will use to keep the industry updated on the 2012 show.