This year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX), World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) are set to begin on Tuesday 14 September, completely online. The combined event offers three days of digital networking and learning opportunities – including a conference session curated by Business Jet Interiors International on what the business aviation and commercial airline markets can learn from each other.
With representatives from more than 150 airlines and onboard service providers already registered to attend – including Air France, Emirates, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways – the platform provides an invaluable tool to connect and pre-book those all-important meetings ahead of the show. Using the new flexible digital platform, registered attendees can search for new products and services, pre-schedule business meetings and favourite conference sessions of interest, in preparation for the event to open.
To ensure every attendee can discover the right solution and business contacts to meet their needs, the platform’s matchmaking system will pair attendees requirements with exhibitor services and conference sessions. Once selected, the platform creates a complete show schedule of confirmed meetings and conference sessions to help maximise every moment online.
With more than 150 exhibiting suppliers from across the globe, providing more than 670 products and services, registered attendees can use the product directory to view the full offering from the likes of Airbus, Boeing, Astronics, Botany Weaving, Diab, Diehl Aviation, Geven, HAECO, Hanse-Aerospace, Inmarsat, Safran, Sabeti Wain Aerospace and Stelia Aerospace. Attendees can also browse products by categories spanning IFE, lighting and LEDs to galley equipment and seating.
AIX Sessions
Along with business meetings and the virtual show floor to explore, attendees can join 100 industry leaders and their fellow peers as they share their experiences and insights on how to elevate business strategy and embrace the trends of the future. The conference programme will touch on themes including sustainability, digitalisation, cabin design, revenue generation and passenger engagement.
Kicking off the programme of AIX Sessions on 14 September is the recently announced ‘Airlines: The Leadership Discussion’ panel. Birgir Jónsson, CEO of Play, and Tonje Wikstrøm Frislid, CEO of Flyr, will provide perspective from two newly launched European airlines. Also joining moderator John Strickland is Tom Stevens, director of brand and customer experience at British Airways, who will demonstrate how a legacy carrier is adapting its onboard product to respond to the evolving passenger experience.
The session curated by Business Jet Interiors International magazine will feature experts Tom Chatfield, CEO of Camber Aviation Management, Howard Guy, CEO of Design Q, and Andrew Muirhead, head of OEM and engineering services at Lufthansa Technik. They will explore what the business aviation and commercial airline markets can learn from each other to benefit cabin design. The session is moderated by the magazine’s editor, Izzy Kington. The conversation will cover innovations with cross-sector potential; the factors required to achieve a successful crossover; and if there is potential for a service level somewhere in-between the sectors. The session will also explore how the markets differ in terms of structure and challenges.
Other sessions will include a discussion of the start-up scene in aviation; the role of women in the aviation sector; and a commercial aviation and interiors market outlook.
The Crystal Cabin Awards
The event will also host the Crystal Cabin Awards, which award excellence in aircraft interior innovations. This year’s presentation takes place on Wednesday 15 September during the virtual event. A jury made up of renowned academics, engineers, specialist journalists and airline and aircraft manufacturer representatives honour extraordinary cabin concepts and products. Winning entrants will be presented in two special categories: Clean and Safe Air Travel, and the Judges Choice Award.
“With three streams of thought leadership content across AIX, WTCE and the PEC, the virtual event will provide professionals from across the industry with tangible learning opportunities that they can apply to their business as the industry rebuilds,” said Polly Magraw, event director at RX. “From our newly announced exhibitors to the first-class airlines and onboard service providers already registered to attend, we can’t wait to welcome everyone to this virtual edition of AIX and WTCE and look forward to getting back to Hamburg in 2022.”
AIX and WTCE Virtual replace the live editions, which will not take place in 2021 due to the ongoing challenges and global restrictions on international travel. AIX and WTCE will return to Hamburg, Germany, on 14-16 June 2022.
The full programme is available here. To register to attend please click here for AIX and click here for WTCE.
