NBAA Earns Prestigious IAEE Award for Production of International Events

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) was recently recognized by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) for its innovative and feature-packed international events with receipt of the 2020 IAEE International Excellence Award.

NBAA earned the award for its work producing the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland and the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) in Shanghai, China. The award recognizes organizations producing exhibitions that have made exceptional strides as an international event, including through exhibitor and attendee growth and the expansion of education opportunities in a particular region.

In 2001, NBAA partnered with the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA), Geneva Palexpo and the Geneva International Airport to produce the first EBACE. Over the past 20 years, EBACE has grown to become the premier business aviation event in Europe and the second-largest business aviation event in the world, second only to NBAA’s annual convention in the United States.

NBAA also saw the opportunity for business aviation in the Asia-Pacific region and launched ABACE in 2010. Unlike the association’s other annual events, ABACE takes place on Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport where there is no convention center. NBAA worked with its partners, including the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) and Shanghai Airport Authority, to bring all the features of a convention center to an active airport ramp.

Receipt of the IAEE International Excellence Award was to have coincided with the 10th and 20th anniversaries of ABACE and EBACE, respectively, before COVID-19 forced their suspension. Strong noted the significance in receiving an honor that underscores the importance of in-person events as the pandemic continues to hinder such gatherings around the globe.