The theme of this year’s Singapore Airshow – “Big Show, Big Opportunities” – doesn’t overstate its case. Regional growth and pedal-to-the-medal economies make Asia Pacific the place to be. Especially from February 14 to 19. Plan now to make the most of it.

(more…)

For some things, you gotta have a helicopter. You can’t land an airplane on an offshore drilling rig or right next to a traffic accident. Or pluck hostages from a hostile encampment in the dark of night. The helicopter industry remained relatively stable while the rest of aviation struggled, and most analysts predict robust growth extending into the foreseeable future. (more…)

Spirit AeroSystems CEO Jeff Turner

This year’s trophy went to Spirit AeroSystems and its most-deserving CEO Jeff Turner. Jeff gave a speech full of humor, humanity, humility and hope. He said, “We’re on our way and improving every day.” He was talking about Spirit, but he could just as easily have been talking about Wichita. They are so interwoven. (more…)

Signature Flight Support brought it all together at the recent NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in San Diego. It launched a groundbreaking loyalty program and an aviation card that complements and builds upon Signature’s already-strong, values-added program, Signature Status. (more…)

Final Friday just took a big leap forward. This highly popular monthly art crawl has had everything going for it – but a strong identity. You can now check that off the list.

The Greteman Group-designed logo made its first public appearance in today’s Wichita Eagle.  Tomorrow an event hosted by the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation will celebrate the new energy and promotions planned for this event –  which currently attracts about 4,000 people a month. (more…)

What can marketers and clients do when they want to spread the word about an important topic on a shoestring budget? The answer often lies in guerilla marketing, word-of-mouth and earned-media tactics. (more…)

An update and thank you from Rainbows United recently came across my desk. It announced that the nonprofit’s 8^th-annual Fashion Passion fundraiser drew a record attendance – and funds. The runway show and auction – appropriately titled “Runway” – sold out more than a month in advance and generated $190,000 in revenue, a 21 percent higher return. (more…)

Thanks to longtime client Patrick Sniffin with Signature Flight Support, my colleague Kevin Jenks and I are San Diego-bound next week. We’ll be attending our first-ever NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, January 14-18. Patrick’s been telling us how great the conference is, and we’ve decided it’s high time we experience it ourselves. (more…)

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

If you’re thinking of visiting the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas – do it. Chris and I recently went on a private tour arranged by the WSU Ulrich Museum and it is, without doubt, the Midwest’s most impressive major museum. Built by Walmart heiress Alice Walton, the building was designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie. The permanent collection spans five centuries of masterworks ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. And not all the beauty’s inside. The museum’s 120-acre grounds lets you immerse yourself in the Ozark landscape and outdoor sculptures nestled into the forest. The experience outweighs the almost 5-hour drive from Wichita. Go.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

With the New Year comes resolutions, a refreshed outlook on life and – new this year – sponsored stories in your Facebook news feed.

Starting in early January, Facebook users will start to see these ads. These sponsored stories will look the same as other postings appearing in the news feed, but will be distinguished by a link that reads “Sponsored” below the post. (Mobile users won’t initially see the stories, but that’s planned for later in the spring.) (more…)