Movers and shakers in the business aviation industry in Europe and beyond congregated in Vienna’s Palais Coburg on Friday for an annual gathering hosted by Jet Aviation. The brainchild of Oliver Bergsch, Jet Aviation's vice president of MRO sales for Europe, Middle East and Asia, the invitation-only event attracts top-level executives to Austria.

Jet Aviation president Robert Smith greeted everyone at the door, and rivals turned friends for the evening—evidenced by Mark McGraw, sales manager for Honeywell, talking shop with Rockwell Collins marketing manager for EMEA Aaron Child. High-level executives from all the major OEMs were present, as were Jetcraft founder Jahid Fazal-Karim and Doru Matel, chairman of Milan’s Aviation Consult—both of whom were bullish on Africa. In addition, there were several members of Vienna’s largest business aircraft operator, AvconJet, on hand, including CEO Alexander Vagacs.

In just seven years, the event has grown from a handful of people to around 200, including 30 operators.