Our Business Strategy Director Katherine Laing discusses eJet’s recent exhibition trip to Brussels.
eJet are quite new to the exhibition trail but it is something we are very much enjoying; networking with new contacts, taking part in engaging and informative conference sessions and exploring new cities. Anyone who regularly follows our blog will know that we took part in the Airport Economics & Finance Conference back in April. You can read our review of that event here. This month we found ourselves in Brussels; the centre of European culture and a chocolate lovers paradise. We were there for the ACI General Assembly, Congress and Exhibition, a 2-day event for senior leaders within the aviation industry and a great opportunity to discuss critical market developments and key airport issues.
I had not visited Brussels before and the gothic architecture of the lower town (where the Grand Place is situated) quite took my breath away. It is one of the most beautiful squares in the world and is a huge contrast to the strikingly modern Square Convention Centre where the event was held. With its 16m glass cube entrance hall it has become a landmark in its own right. The Welcome Reception was held at the nearby Royal Museum of Fine Arts, showcasing more of the art and and culture of this vibrant city.
We also attended the Gala Dinner at the Atomium. An amazing structure designed and built for the 1958 Brussels’ World Fair and celebrating its 60th Birthday this year, as were our hosts for the conference – Brussels Airport – who I would like to thank for their lavish hospitality. It was an evening of relaxed networking and included the ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards Ceremony. I would also like to take this opportunity to give a special mention to my local airport, Bristol, which was a joint winner in the ‘5 – 10 million passengers’ category along with Seville Airport.
During the exhibition eJet were located at stand 66, next to ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), and we soon found ourselves in the midst of several very interesting conversations with a number of Airport CEO’s, Board Members and Executives. Our goal was to convey the importance of having an Aviation Fuel Strategy and to explain how, by including this as part of an airport Master Plan, an airport can ensure capacity for future growth as well as optimising the revenue from their fuel farm by designing the correct infrastructure for the airport’s future needs.
We heard some very positive feedback from delegates who came to see us following the conference sessions. Some of the session topics included an address from the Deputy Prime Minister, Keynote interviews with airline representatives, a Leaders Symposium and sessions on sustainability and digital transformation.
Overall, we had a very positive experience exhibiting at this event and we are already planning to attend the ACI World General Assembly to be held in April 2019 in Hong Kong.
Katherine
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