nessAIR other models are in the development pipe- line, but they decline to provide details. FUTURE OF BACE Going forward, NBAA-BACE potentially faces some financial challenges. In 2018, the annual conven- tion brought in $18 million of the association’s $47 million total income, according to its IRS 990 tax filings. The latest 990 indicates convention revenue has dropped to $13.7 million, still by far its largest single source of income. Preventing that level of in- come from falling in the future could be challenging, if other major airframe firms follow Gulfstream’s lead. It costs upward of $3 million, or more, for a large presence at the static display, even more if a firm also has a stand on the convention hall floor. Already, some French firms tell BusinessAIR that they’re looking at the value equation of participating at so many trade shows. They tell us, for example, that the Paris Air Show draws key customers as strongly as EBACE, so they’re evaluating whether they should exhibit at both shows in the same year. The value equation of exhibiting at NBAA every year also is under review. Some are considering exhibiting at EBACE in even number years when there is no Par- is Air Show and at NBAA in odd number years when there is a Paris Air Show.
NBAA leaders are mindful of this trend, and they intend to reverse it by broadening their marketing efforts. The organization is courting new exhibitors in the advanced air mobility, VTOL, and hybrid-elec- tric STOL industries as part of its push to make busi- ness aviation more sustainable and responsive to environmentalists’ concerns. NBAA also is stepping up its outreach to young people to demonstrate the benefits of business aviation and explain career op- portunities. It’s making strides to become more rel- evant and valuable to its members, as evidenced by its lobbying on Capitol Hill, educational forums, and coordination with other trade associations. As for its annual conventions, though, the era of gi- ant NBAA meetings with 1 million-square-foot con- vention halls, 5-plus-acre static displays, and 20,000 to 25,000 visitors may be nearing an end. If the past five years signify a trend, future NBAA- BACE gatherings may be considerably more modest in scope. [
FRED GEORGE has flown in the left seat of nearly every business jet produced in the last 30 years, encompassing more than 195 aircraft models total over his career. He reports on the business aviation industry for FLYING, returning to the senior editor position after first contributing to the magazine in the 1980s and 90s.
Boeing-backed Wisk perched its bright-yellow prototype mockup at the entrance to the exhibit halls.
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