NBAA has obviously heard and took to heart the old adage “you only have one chance to make a first impression.” As conference newbies, we were immediately made to feel welcome. Everyone seemed genuinely glad to talk and provide information on their offerings. The show radiated a positive, inclusive vibe.

The conference kicked off with a first: an opening cocktail reception Sunday evening in the hall, letting you casually walk around and get a sneak peek at the exhibits. That was followed by a privately sponsored reception at San Diego’s famed Air & Space Museum. We sipped beverages and met new friends surrounded by the history of flight. We worked our way through the historic Ford Building, doing our best to focus on the people we encountered rather than the rare and mint-condition aircraft we spotted at every turn.

Making You Glad You Came When the show started in earnest first thing Monday, January 16, we found ourselves caught up in the positive rhetoric of the opening general session kicked off by S&D Committee Chairman Chad Hartke, NBAA President Ed Bolen and American hero Major Brial Shul. His keynote address made the conference theme - Pushing the Envelope: Beyond All Limits - truly resonate. Shul’s comeback story started with being told he would never fly again after being shot down in the Vietnam War. He proved the experts wrong by going on to serve in the Air Force for 20 years, including flying the top-secret, speed-defying SR-71 spy plane.

The show featured exhibitors from a multitude of categories: FBOs of all sizes, charter operators, scheduling and weather software providers, fueling brokers, aviation staffing professional, catering companies and more. Much more.

We were equally inspired by the homecoming feel, with people hugging each other like long-lost friends. Indeed, while schedulers and dispatchers spoke enthusiastically about the 30-plus sessions they had to choose from and the hundreds of exhibits to check out, there was never any doubt about the number-one value of this conference: connection.

Show attendees have the opportunity to see all the latest-and-greatest tools in one location and to talk with peers about how they could run their departments more efficiently. Sessions go beyond how businesses use business aviation to how you create a healthier flight department, the intricacies of scheduling international flights, managing traffic flow, providing optimal emergency responses, and even financial reporting.

A True Integration of Head and Heart

This scaled-down version of the big fall NBAA convention allows for small, intimate, quality conversations - a real plus for people who typically work behind the scenes. We heard repeatedly how nothing delivers a better customer-relations opportunity. The show lets you put a face to a name - and a voice. One person we talked to with a safety-auditing company had been working with a customer for three years - and this was the first time they met face to face.

We witnessed schedulers and dispatchers sharing experiences, providing real-world examples of how to make improvements in their individual operations. We networked with other attendees, too, from chief pilots to flight department managers. We talked about their challenges and takes on the industry. As marketers, we especially valued their insights into what they’re reading and what they’re reading it on. (It won’t surprise you that we heard online publications, smart mobile devices and iPad, iPad, iPad). It also won’t surprise you to learn that not all of the conversation took place in person. NBAA made good use of social media through Twitter and its hashtag. You can check them out retroactively using #SDC12.

Signature Flight Support launched its new Signature TailWins™ pilot rewards program at the show. The conference provides an unrivaled opportunity for FBOs to connect with schedulers and dispatchers, who very much consider service when making their planning decisions.

A Must-Attend Venue

In an industry that very much relies on the highest levels of service, it makes sense that FBOs and charter companies use the show to create, build - and perhaps mend - relationships. The show proved to us yet again that relationship building needs to be part of your standard operating procedure. And, for that, conventions such as NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers provide an immersion experience that leaves everyone glad they jumped into the pool.

Greteman Group associate VP Ashley Bowen Cook and Paula Stachowski, Bombardier Aerospace regional marketing manager, found the conference a great place to reunite. Stachowski relocated to California after years in Wichita.

www.gretemangroup.com
1425 E Douglas
Wichita, KS 67211
316.263.1004

©BlueSky Business Aviation News | 19th January 2012 | Issue #159

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