On the Record with
FERNAND FRANCOIS, CEO, EUROPEAN BUSINESS AVIATION ASSOCIATION

EBACE Seen Boosting Transatlantic Ties

Following hard on the heels of the rescheduled NBAA Convention in December will be EBACE, the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, in Geneva, Switzerland, next May.

Co-organizing the event are Europe's Mr. Business Aviation, Fernand Francois, and the combined powerhouse of Jack Olcott and the NBAA.

Francois, as CEO of the European Business Aviation Association, is Jack Olcott's transatlantic counterpart. Together they launched EBACE earlier this year, winning rave reviews as the first truly successful business aviation show to be staged in Europe.

Having shown that it can be done, Francois is now expanding the concept of what the show can achieve. Prime targets for the invitation list are the ranking and influential politicians and bureaucrats in Brussels and the European capitals who have yet to be convinced that a healthy business aviation environment and economic development go hand in hand. Meanwhile, EBACE is a trade show for the business aviation community on both sides of the Atlantic.

Francois told Show News he is "greatly encouraged" by the response to EBACE 2002, with all major exhibitors from the first show signed up for the second, and others such as Bombardier (conspicuous by its absence apart from its sponsorship of the Press Center) apparently on the verge of committing.

Francois was responsible for growing the Brussels-based EBAA from its first tentative convention seven years ago into the joint organizer of EBACE. He points to Jack Olcott as the catalyst, along with the vision, marketing muscle and clout of the NBAA.

The show has brought EBAA and NBAA much closer together on day-to-day issues, which is becomingly increasingly important as more operators than ever use their aircraft on both continents. And the success of EBACE is beginning to transform the membership of EBAA itself-now standing at 160, of which half are operators and half manufacturers and suppliers.

"Before EBACE our membership was growing at three to four a year," Francois noted. "But now it is growing at three or four a week."

This also reflects a growth in business aviation in Europe that is masked by the statistics. While the fleet remained stable at 2,000 aircraft from 1987 until last year (when it grew by 50 or so), many companies upgraded, traded in two or three aircraft for just one new one, and flew more hours with up to double the utilization. And many more new operators swelled the ranks.

"Last year was just the right time to launch EBACE; people said it was exactly what they were looking for," NBAA president Jack Olcott told Show News.

"The success of the first show was a direct result of the partnership between EBAA and NBAA. When there is a need, and the community feels that need is being addressed, success follows. Now we are building on that success for next year's show in 2002."

Francois noted the formula for EBACE appeared to be the right one, but improvements are being made for next year. Among them: a $75 entry fee covering both the exhibition and conferences (instead of $50 for the show and $100 for both); and agreements with Geneva's bus companies to provide transportation that he hopes will make taxis largely unnecessary.

EBACE will be held in Geneva at the Palexpo Convention Center and the adjacent international airport on May 28-30 next year. The dates have been moved from April to provide a breathing space after the Easter holidays.

-John Morris