The first inter airport CONNECT event, which took place online from 20 – 21 April 2021, provided a much-anticipated meeting platform for the international airport community this year. More than 1,700 registered visitors from 115 countries have used the opportunity to log on to the platform to network, watch webinar content live and on-demand, view product showcases and visit virtual stands of exhibitors.
88 exhibiting companies from 23 countries participated in the event (74% from abroad), representing the fields of terminal operations, infrastructure and technical installations, ground support equipment, ground handling and airfield constructions, IT solutions, data management systems and solutions.
Important digital event
This new event format proved successful in current times, as many participants from all over the world joined to discover innovations, trends and current solutions in the airport industry. “We are pleased with the results of the first inter airport CONNECT and thank all our partners and participants for joining us at this important digital event for the airport industry. In times like these we have to be innovative, discover the topics of tomorrow and adapt to new circumstances.”
This will help us progress with new topics and provide new impulses for the airport industry"
“And this is exactly what our objective was by launching inter airport CONNECT as an additional business platform alongside the world’s leading airport exhibition inter airport Europe. At present, keeping the entire airport industry connected and providing a platform for networking and knowledge exchange is fundamental, as a complementary format to the live show. This will help us progress with new topics and provide new impulses for the airport industry,” says Olaf Freier, Portfolio Director of inter airport Europe, on behalf of the organisers Mack-Brooks Exhibitions.
Global airport community
inter airport CONNECT provided a trade and networking event for the global airport community, which has been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The event was an online trading, networking and webinar event for professionals from the entire airport industry and covered the most important segments of the live event: terminal, ground support equipment as well as IT and software solutions.
Visitors could virtually meet relevant exhibitors in pre-booked meetings and drop-in meetings, watch informative product showcases and follow webinars on current industry trends. “We have seen a high level of engagement both from visitors and exhibitors and the feedback we have received was positive – and of course we will use the valuable feedback we will receive following this first event to prepare for the hybrid event in November,” concludes Olaf Freier.
Virtual exhibition stands
The 14 webinar sessions presented on the platform were streamed by more than 700 users
inter airport CONNECT demonstrated that even virtual exhibition stands, online meetings and video chats provide new sales opportunities. The 14 webinar sessions presented on the platform were streamed by more than 700 users during the event.
A daily programme of webinars by key players in the industry provided an opportunity for participants to gain useful insights into the latest market developments as well as technical expertise concerning new industry applications and solutions. Key players from the industry as well as associations provided exclusive insights into the latest technologies and case studies on subjects such as the smart and connected airport, airport development, sustainability as well as latest developments for ground support equipment.
All sessions are available to view on-demand via the platform until 5th May 2021. Many participants pointed out the good quality of the webinar sessions and how this tool might be a great way to overcome current restrictions and stay in touch with customers and suppliers.