Orange County Convention Center and Orlando Executive Airport are teaming up for a three-day event that will make Orlando the hub of the business aviation industry.
The National Business Aviation Association is landing its annual convention and exhibition in Orlando Oct. 21-23. The event hosts more than 1,000 exhibitors and several dozen panels and seminars in what has become the world’s largest civil aviation event and the fourth-largest trade show in the U.S. Translation: The Orlando tourism industry is flying pretty high right now.
The NBAA Convention & Exhibition has been held in Orlando eight times, the last being in 2012. “The economic impact, as determined by Visit Orlando and NBAA, was $51 million,” said Phil Brown, president of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “NBAA represents over 10,000 companies that own or operate general aviation and business aircraft. It presents the opportunity for buyers to have side by side direct comparisons of products and services.”
And then there’s the visual extravaganza of the exhibitor displays. We’re not talking scale models. These planes are the real thing. The Orange County Convention Center can only accommodate exhibits with smaller aircraft and midsize turbo prop planes. Larger exhibits are hosted at Orlando Executive Airport.
“We’ve gone from a 16-hours-a-day operation to 24 hours straight,” said Kim Showalter of Showalter Flying Service. More than 25 acres of Orlando Executive Airport have been reserved, and an additional 100 staff members have been added to prep and help oversee the 95 aircraft displays associated with the event, including an A320 Airbus with a wingspan of 112 feet. “They’ve already began arriving,” adds Showalter.
Online registration is still open with on site registration available.
Stay tuned to OrlandoBusinessJournal.com for coverage from the NBBA trade show and updates on the Orlando convention calendar.