The 2021 National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition returns to Las Vegas after its 2020 move to virtual in response to the coronavirus pandemic. How will our industry’s most important U.S. trade show look this year?

Let’s consider the new event space, safe travel and what you need to do to prepare.

NBAA-BACE Moves Into the West Hall

The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) has made some major changes since our last visit. An additional 1.4 million square feet of space has been added to the West Hall, expanding amenities, meeting rooms, outdoor spaces and more. NBAA-BACE exhibitors will be housed entirely in the West Hall, making it easier for attendees to explore and visit more of our exhibitors.

We anticipate another change at NBAA-BACE that attendees – whether welcome or not – have likely grown accustomed to: measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

LVCC outlined detailed safety protocols for NBAA-BACE to comply “with the highest standards of safety, hygiene, cleanliness and quality.” The Center said it was closely monitoring state and local mandates as well as guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to ensure it and NBAA-BACE exhibitors and attendees comply with the latest information in public health regarding COVID-19. Protocols include making hand-washing facilities and sanitizing systems easily accessible as well as recommendations or mandates regarding masks and social distancing.

Beyond guidelines for attendees, LVCC is also a Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star Facility, an accreditation in gold standard cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention.

Similarly, Henderson Executive Airport is certified Safety 1st Clean by the National Air Transportation Association, which provides “guidance on facility cleaning, disinfecting and operations in response” to COVID-19. Federal law also requires all people to wear a mask when at the airport.

Speaking of COVID-19… Plan for Safe Travel

Our clients saw an increase in desire to travel by private aircraft in 2020, which is continuing into 2021. The industry was not entirely surprised knowing business aviation has always offered a safe, time-saving alternative to commercial airline travel. During the coronavirus pandemic, business aviation’s appeal grew to include its more contained environment and fewer touchpoints.

Travelers boarding commercial flights, however, do not need to panic. Airports across the country, including our departure point at Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, are implementing COVID-19 mitigation measures in accordance with federal laws and state mandates.

Before we take off for NBAA-BACE, we will check in via the airline’s mobile app, show up early to complete a health screening and wear face masks in the airport and onboard our aircraft.

Time to Get Ready

As NBAA exclaimed earlier this year, “It’s on.” Exhibitors, who’ve been preparing for the show since June, are nearly complete in their preparations. Attendees, speakers and sponsors should take advantage of the next six to eight weeks to finalize their own show plans, including announcing their attendance, planning any meetings and prepping assets and press releases.

Announce Attendance. Activate your personal and business social networks to announce who from your team will attend the show. Ensure you give plenty of lead-up to the October 12 event, so your audiences know to pay attention – or schedule a meeting with you while you’re there.

Plan Meetings. For individuals and businesses who aren’t exhibiting, finding a private space to meet with clients, partners and vendors can be difficult. LVCC’s latest renovations open up more than 200 meeting rooms for use.

PR and Media Outreach. Are you announcing a new product or service? Introducing new leadership? Whatever messages you or your business need to make in the coming weeks are ideal for distribution at NBAA-BACE 2021 – but you need to plan now. Editors are already filling show dailies with stories.

What else do you need? Greteman Group assists multiple aviation clients with their NBAA action plans, delivering press releases to our extensive aviation media database and building campaigns surrounding the event. Are you ready to get ready? Let’s talk.

Today’s Wichita Aero Club presentation delivered just what our group of aviation enthusiasts needed. Textron Aviation CEO Ron Draper charmed and cajoled the capacity crowd at Rolling Hills Country Club. He made his intention known upfront, saying, “No one’s leaving today until at least one person buys an airplane.”

Draper had us laughing early and often. And listening closely.

He started with how he came to Wichita in the first place. Draper said he interviewed with 20 companies after leaving the U.S. Army as a Blackhawk pilot and company commander. His love of aviation led him to choose Cessna. His tearful wife said at the time: “Just promise me we won’t retire in Kansas.” Life being what it is, they fell in love with the Air Capital and have no intentions of leaving. Yay, Wichita. I love it when that happens.

Big Changes for Legacy Brands

Draper talked the crowd through Textron’s product lineup, which he proudly touted as the industry’s largest, and the company’s contribution to the state as one of its largest exporters. For a professed “airplane guy,” Draper likes marketing, too. He shared several examples of what his team’s done to instill confidence in flying again after emerging from a global shutdown. You can view their A Different Sky Awaits campaign here. He said they used the pandemic’s downtime to work on continued product development, revitalizing the corporate culture and inspiring team members.

Leisure travel revved up first with people, still unsure about commercial travel, turning to charter, then buying used aircraft, then new. Textron actually had a good fourth quarter in 2020, he said. He used that to segue into highlights of Textron’s lineup: the new flagship Citation Longitude, CJ4 upgrades, King Air 360 and 260 enhancements, almost-certified Skycourier and the latest addition to the Beechcraft family: the clean-sheet, Denali single-engine turboprop. The prototype should fly later this year. He lamented that they’re a couple of years away to entry to service as customer interest is high. He spoke, too, of Textron’s growing support for the military, particularly the T-6 trainer and AT-6 light attack aircraft.

Eyes lit up when he showed us the highly coveted, retro-styled 75th anniversary option for the Bonanza G36. It’s inspired by former founder and CEO Olive Ann Beech and her signature blue (adopted on the personal advice of Oleg Cassini). The plane delivers in 2022, a fitting tribute to a glass-ceiling-busting woman. Over her 50-year career, she helped grow the company from 10 to 10,000 employees. We can never hear enough stories about that woman.

A Skyway to Recovery

Draper came with numerous charts and graphs that helped him make his case that flight activity is rebounding and aircraft utilization is up. New entrants to the market, historically about 10%, he said is now double. Programs such as WSU Tech’s new flight school are helping to grow our pool of skilled labor. Supply chain concerns and an aging workforce continue to be headwinds to overcome. Listening to Draper, though, I felt anything but defeated. Smart minds are on it. We can do this.