The 42nd annual NBAA International Operators Conference (IOC) recently brought hundreds of pilots, flight-planning specialists and support professionals to San Antonio, Texas, to gather the latest on the ever-changing rules and realities of international business aviation operations. “This is the venue where you’ve heard about the changes and how they’ll affect you,” said Steve Thorpe, chairman of the NBAA IOC Committee, welcoming the 565 attendees. The four-day conference featured more than 40 immersive presentations (all available online) from highly experienced subject-matter experts. Even stripped of accompanying narration, the charts, tables, resource and checklists, airport diagrams and additional data in the presentations can be invaluable planning or educational tools in their own right.

This year organizers introduced an IOC app (for iOS smart devices) that provided access to the downloadable presentations and enabled attendees to respond to instant e-polls, pose questions for Q&A sessions, make comments about presentations, and even post selfies taken during the gathering to the event’s web page.

The attendees themselves represent a reservoir of operational knowledge and experience that was tapped throughout the conference as personal experiences and insightful questions were shared during Q&A sessions, and in networking opportunities like the daily breaks, lunch and after-conference socializing in the hospitality suites hosted by Jetex, Universal Weather and World Fuel.

Throughout the gathering, master of ceremonies Scott Harrold of Landmark Aviation kept the agenda moving forward and the energy level high, leavening the proceedings with goodie giveaways, contests and the occasional short, amusing video.