An Exclusive Conversation With The President And CEO Of NBAA

by ANN Special Correspondent Dave Higdon

It's a little hard to believe how relaxed and smiling this guy was on Thursday. He's been in town since Saturday, courtesy of a record-setting commemorative flight to Atlanta from New York, the site of the first National Business Aviation Association meeting in 1947 -- a convention of 17 people held in a large hotel room.

He's helped build a playground, hosted meeting after meeting, been up before dawn for days to host a press breakfast, glad handed with every delegate to approach him, shepherded an evening gala that ran late, and there he was at 7 a.m. Thursday to guest on an internet program, relaxed, at ease and happy to be there for his turn in this barrel -- before heading off to a meeting of the NBAA board of directors.

And even though you might expect to see a haggard, exhausted association executive by Thursday afternoon, there he was again, sitting down with Aero-News to talk about this year's 60th Annual gathering of NBAA -- smiling, joking, at ease and clearly happy.

He's Ed Bolen, president and CEO of this influential association. Even as exhibitors headed out the door and convention-services workers headed in, Bolen (shown below) was plainly pleased at how well this convention ran, as well as how well-received was a new element in the long week of activities that encompasses the gathering.

"In some ways, this year's convention worked better than any before," he said. "We maintained the important traditions and added some new elements that we'll retain."

"It started with our commemorative flight on Saturday, with Pat Epps, son of the first man to fly in Georgia 100 years ago, Jamail Larkins the young ambassador for aviation, and Cessna's Bob Stangarone, and just kept on going."

What a difference those 60 years made. With more than 8,000 members and a massive trade-show presence, NBAA has grown to the point that only a few cities can handle the event. And it's moving into a stage where it plans to make in impact on those cities that goes beyond mere economic impact.

NBAA decided to do something for the host community this year, to build an aviation--themed playground at an Atlanta elementary school in partnership with NBAA member Home Depot and the KaBoom! Foundation. All day Sunday more than 400 volunteers drove nails, assembled equipment, and, at the same time, spread some goodwill like the sawdust used to cushion some of the playground area. At nearby Fulton County Airport, site of the NBAA static display, another crew built an aviation themed playground/observation area, employing dozens more volunteers.

And these projects were both accomplished in a day.

"We really wanted to do something to give back to our host community, something of lasting impact," Bolen explained. "It's great knowing the families will be using these facilities for years to come, a lasting mark of our members' effort."

A New Tradition

"You know, in the past airports had places where people could come and enjoy watching airplanes come and go, but over the years airports have become increasingly inaccessible and unwelcoming and these observation places have largely disappeared from the airports," Bolen observed.

"Having this viewing area as a place where families can come and bring their children will have a lasting impact on them and their view of our community. I think these lasting projects made everyone involved feel better than any other thing they accomplished and we plan to make this a part of every convention in the future."

Exactly what the project may be and where when next year NBAA returns to the Orange County Convention Center remains to be decided. But somewhere there will be a lasting testament to the generosity and enthusiasm of NBAA members -- and in an era when general aviation is under more fire than ever, this type of goodwill can't hurt.

What's not a new tradition is the importance of the NBAA convention to business aviation, from the operators to the OEMs and suppliers and vendors supporting the community.

"We've long said you get a year's worth of aviation business in three days of an NBAA and I think that's more true this year than ever," Bolen offered. "The amount of business done here, the sales announcements and launches reinforces the idea that this is a place you want to be if you're in business aviation."

Even though the convention fell a little short of breaking past records for aircraft sales, the degree of business done remains a mark for this event. "More important is the feeling -- the vibrancy -- you get with this size of crowd."

"I thing the challenge for us is that we want to be aviation's premier all-civil show," Bolen explained. "We have those expectations of the traditions of the past, but we also want to keep it new and exciting so that there's always a sense of excitement at coming to NBAA."

The NBAA last visited Atlanta in 1999, and the facility was considered by many to be an ill fit for the convention... one of the reasons for the seven-year absence. "But this year it felt like the new venue it is to go with the new Atlanta developing around us, and the way the facilities worked and the people worked contributed to the sense of excitement and enjoyment I sensed," he said.

Future Conventions -- A Challenge To The Desire For Variety

Unfortunately, Bolen conceded, the very success of the NBAA conventions has made finding suitable venues more difficult. Few cities possess the combination of a one million--plus square foot exhibit facility, a convenient airport capable of handling 100--plus airplanes in the static display, plus around 40,000 hotel rooms close enough to allow delegates and vendors alike to enjoy convenient access to the convention.

And even some of the cities that fit those parameters have been off the rotation. New Orleans is still coming to grips with the aftermath of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina devastation... and Las Vegas effectively pulled the welcome mat after NBAA's last visit to the Nevada city.

But Bolen wasn't prepared to say that either city -- both of which possess the needed accoutrements of convention center, airport and hotel rooms -- is permanently out of the running for a future NBAA convention. "People really enjoy going to Las Vegas, where we had our largest attendance in the past," he observed.

"We'll continue to work with Las Vegas officials to see what we can accomplish by way of getting back there. And we'll keep watch in the progress of recovery in New Orleans, because our members truly enjoy the city's ambiance and are eager to get back."

The High Point -- Cohesion In The Fight Against User Fees

"There's no question, the user fee issue was the dominant issue at this convention -- the fight is good and the need is high," Bolen said. "People in and out of general aviation seem to realize that user fees have the potential to put us under the gun and severely restrict our growth and utility, and they've lined up behind the fight."

"They're writing their members of Congress, stopping them on the street, challenging them in town meetings, and there is n doubt it's having an effect, as evidenced by how much the airlines have ratcheted up their rhetoric and their media spending."

"Seeing that cohesion was a high point for me."

Seeing other aspects of business aviation advance was also gratifying, Bolen said -- the continuing move toward a supersonic business jet, the dawn of the VLJ age as represented by our commemorative flight Saturday. Community leaders well removed from aviation also embrace the fight against use fees, Bolen noted, because they recognize the threat they represent to the health of their local airports and transportation access.

"We've taken some hits -- we're still standing and still swinging and we're going to keep swinging, in partnership with AOPA and EAA and GAMA and the Alliance for Aviation Across America, and we're not giving up or giving in."

That issue is coming to "crunch time" back in the nation's capital, he said -- which means there's no rest coming soon for this association executive and his team. "We hold our international dinner tonight and Friday we move into a daylong meeting of the International world with business-aviation associations from around the world."

"You may remember how the aviation community, general aviation and the airlines, came together to support Air 21 nearly a decade ago -- well this time we're in a fight for our survival against the airlines.

"It's a fight we simply must win -- and it's my belief that the energy and unanimity I've seen here will go home with the people who came here and add to the pressure to give us the bill we need, the bill that will fund ATC improvements, NextGen, and keep us viable long into the future."

FMI: www.nbaa.org