Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

With early bookings for the 2025 European Business Aviation Convention &amp; Exhibition set to close on January 17, show organizer EBAA is preparing to confirm the core exhibitor list later this month. The organization—which is now in sole charge of the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-08-19/ebaa-goes-it-alone-ebace-show-after-nbaa-sells-stake">annual trade show</a>—will also announce the conference agenda, including new topics each day of the May 20 to 22 event, early next month when it opens the visitor registration process.
EBAA COO Robert Baltus told AIN that many of the usual companies are expected to return for this year’s EBACE, which will feature both indoor exhibits and the static display at Geneva International Airport and the adjacent Palexpo facility. Among the themes to be covered in daily programs are sustainability, innovation, and business aviation operations, with EBAA having decided to merge its popular <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-11-14/ebaa-merges-air-ops-conference-ebace-trade-show">Air Ops event</a> with EBACE.
According to Baltus, EBAA has two core objectives for the 2025 event, which he said has reached a transitional phase as the industry group seizes the opportunity to reinvent the show. It wants to respond constructively to industry requests for an improved value proposition around EBACE, and also give it a more distinct European look and feel after years when U.S.-based NBAA was the primary organizer.
“The show will look different from when visitors come through the entrance and in many other ways,” Baltus said. EBAA is also expected to move away from some aspects of the NBAA formula for shows, such as set-piece presentations with high-profile business aircraft users.
Nonetheless, Baltus said that companies marketing aircraft and services at the show can expect to achieve direct contact with customers. While EBACE is still expected to draw high-net-worth individuals, he maintained that buying habits are changing with a wider array of influential parties involved, including pilots, finance executives, family office staff, and attorneys all directly involved in the process leading to checks getting signed.
<h2>Connecting with Regulators</h2>
Commercial considerations apart, EBACE is also a key opportunity for Europe’s leading business aviation group to share need-to-know information with its members about a regulatory environment that continues to be challenging. EBAA is closely liaising with EASA to present opportunities for direct engagement with industry leaders who commonly feel they are being subjected to “misdirected” regulation devised with scheduled airlines in mind.
“The show needs to excite people, and we want visitors to feel that it is amazing from the start, with the opportunity for great conversations with all the right people,” Baltus told AIN. EBAA feels that initiatives such as Air Ops being incorporated into EBACE provide better opportunities for industry employees of all levels to be part of the gathering. The show will be structured in a way that makes single-day visits to Geneva both viable and productive.
EBAA and its events partner MCI have established an Exhibitor Council to support discussions around the preferences of the companies supporting the event. Greater flexibility is being introduced, such as options for aircraft manufacturers wanting to reduce costs by focusing solely on the static display and also to include more variety in what they exhibit.
“We won’t be able to deliver all the new ideas in this transition year, but we’re organizing this for the industry and they can tell us what they need,” Baltus concluded. “The industry needs a place where it can get together each year.”

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