SDC2018 Recap: Community Outreach Initiatives Grow at 2018 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference

More than 2900 people attended the 2018 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Long Beach, Calif., last week, NBAA says.

A record number of more than 550 exhibition booths populated the sold out show floor, NBAA says.

The conference offered 33 educational sessions to attendees, NBAA says.

And the SDC Advisory Council added a community educational component to a conference that has supported its host community in other ways for years. Thirty students spoke to businesses at Long Beach Airport about careers in business aviation. Conference speaker Shaesta Waiz, founder of Dreams Soar, which promotes science, technology, engineering and math education for women, spoke at a Long Beach high school.

Another new outreach activity was the Fit 4 Duty Fun Walk/Run.

Conference organizers again collected attendees' gently used business clothing. NBAA says charitable support went to three Long Beach organizations: Dress for Success, Pacific Gateway and Clothes the Deal.

Some lucky conference attendees took home swag. Lori Jones from West Coast Charters won a Coach weekender bag from the Aviation Week Network — Air Charter Guide, AC-U-KWIK and BCA. Melissa Ladd with Alliance Air Charter won a Southwest Airlines gift card from the Aviation Week Network at the Grand Prize Luncheon.

And 20 people received a monetary or training scholarship.

The 2019 Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from Jan. 29 until Feb. 1.