The Show Will Go On, Says Olcott, If That Is What the Industry Wants

NBAA has rescheduled its Convention and Exhibition for Dec 12-14 in New Orleans--but it won't be the usual party.

It is too soon for celebrations following the terrorist attacks on America that caused NBAA to postpone its event in the first place. But there is a strong need for the informational sessions, and for the business aviation community to gather together in these difficult times, NBAA president Jack Olcott told Show News.

NBAA itself will not host any social events in New Orleans, bringing a business-only atmosphere to the convention.

Olcott would not forecast the extent of support for staging the exhibition, except to say arrangements had been made for the Convention Center to open up bay by bay in response to demand. Lakefront Airport has agreed to handle the static exhibit the same way.

"Of course the event could be scaled back, but I am not going to discount the business aviation community," said Olcott. "Furthermore I am not going to make any self fulfilling prophesies. We are a service organization and we serve. Our members have said we need to have this coming together, and we need to have a place where we can all talk about events and how we're all responding to them.

"Our role is to provide them with the opportunity, and then they determine how they use that opportunity.

"We believe this is what people expect of NBAA. Obviously we're trying to put this all together in a way that's as communicative and compelling as possible."

Olcott said while some of the hardware and mockups were no longer in New Orleans, some companies might store their exhibits there until December rather than ship them back and forth. 'We really don't know," he added.

While NBAA is taking a leadership role in making the convention possible, it is also showing integrity in offering to refund all exhibitors and registration fees from the September event, Olcott pointed out.

The 78 informational sessions that provide the initial focus for the December event will cover a wide range of topics, from new Federal security actions to the future condition of the economy and its likely impact on business aviation.

The annual meeting, which DC law says must be held before the end of November, will take place at NBAA HQ in Washington at 8 a.m. on October 21.

-John Morris