Interest grows as second AfBAA symposium takes off

JOHANNESBURG- Following the successful inaugural African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) Symposium held in Marrakech in September 2013, AfBAA is already welcoming a raft of delegate registrations and speaker confirmations ahead of this year’s event.

The second outing of the annual meeting will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Johannesburg on 14 -15 of September.

Supporting AfBAA’s vision and mission the symposium will aim to build on the strong foundations laid last year that encouraged African Business Aviation stakeholders to continue to invest in the sector, maximize the economic growth that the continent is witnessing and most importantly to participate in influential events, such as this,  to underpin sustainable development of the industry on the continent.   

Alan Peaford Editor-in-Chief of the well-respected publication African Aerospace will chair the event. Under his guidance as moderator and convener he will build on themes and topics from the previous event including financing challenges, maintenance options, and ground handling issues.

In a first for Business Aviation in Africa Mr. Rolland Vincent, of JETNET IQ, will be addressing the delegates with a special data session. Accurate data about executive jet activity on the continent has been notoriously difficult to collate therefore Mr. Vincent aims to provide an overview of statistics that are now available through a partnership with AfBAA.

A case study workshop will explore real-life situations and debate the most efficient ways of handling them and complementing the South African location a dedicated regional panel will explore topics that could inform, be adapted or adopted to support growth in other parts of Africa. 

The Association will also use the occasion to launch the survey component of its highly anticipated “State of Business Aviation in Africa” White Paper. The latest research will build on AfBAA’s first White Paper and is aimed at identifying the key issues still affecting Business Aviation.

“We anticipate that an even greater number of delegates will register this year and this provides us with the perfect platform from which to gather initial thoughts and create an action plan,” explains Tarek Ragheb, Founding Chairman.  As with the Association’s first White Paper this latest round of research will inform the road map for AfBAA’s future activity.

It is anticipated there will be numerous opportunities for members and non-members to network and debate specific issues relating to the developing pan-African Business Aviation sector. The meeting is expected to attract government officials, regulatory bodies, business aircraft operators, OEMS, airports, law firms, financial analysts, banks, leasing and finance companies and all aviation professionals with an interest in the current and future development of the region.

The symposium will also welcome the latest members to sign up to the Association including Boeing Business Jets, Jetcraft, Jeppessen and Vertis Aviation. 

“Following the success of last year’s meeting, and the growing influence of African Business Aviation on the region’s economy, we hope this subsequent event will add even more value to our understanding of the workings of Business Aviation in Africa. There has already been significant interest with a number of delegates already registered” said Rady Fahmy, AfBAA’s Executive Director about the symposia.

“Since last year’s event we have created a number of new relationships such as our agreement with CAASA, launched AfBAA Expo and expanded membership numbers to a current figure of 73. One of the key messages we took from last year’s meeting was that participation is essential for the development of the sector and we anticipate that this year’s meeting will reflect that and attract an even greater audience.” 

The event will be held over two days and will include a number of networking opportunities at coffee breaks, lunches and during a gala dinner. JETNET, which is a leading provider of aviation intelligence, has already agreed to become the Symposium’s Gold Sponsor recognising the opportunity to take advantage of this dedicated conference to raise visibility within this influential and important market place.