Immediately following Official Opening Presidential Ballroom D
The morning of Thursday, March 13, 2014 – save the date if you are a serious avionics professional. The place to be is at the AEA New Product Introductions session during the 57th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show.
The New Product Introductions always is one of the most popular sessions at this annual event, but it has quickly evolved into a must-see, cornerstone showcase in recent years. The event is now the primary launching pad for companies to unveil the latest and greatest in new avionics products and services coming to market for the current year, and more and more industry leaders are taking notice.
For example, during the 2013 AEA Convention in Las Vega, Nev., 27 companies introduced new products and services that offered three underlying themes: flexibility, connectivity and capability. Despite the flashy hardware, fancy animations and full-fledged array of options in each and every product category, those were the hallmark concepts being marketed a year ago. There was plenty of new technology, too. New products and partnerships being leveraged by the 2020 mandate for ADS-B Out equipment were available throughout the AEA Exhibit Hall immediately following the announcements made at the New Product Introductions. Last year’s event demonstrated a growing demand for convenient solutions to bring new audio and video in-flight entertainment, and avionics manufacturers paid greater attention to marrying consumer-level ease-of-use with advances in displaying, controlling and automating critical flight information.
So what will be the most-exciting new product announced in 2014? The general aviation industry must patiently wait until March 13 to answer this question. But one thing is certain in advance – what happens in Nashville won't remain a secret when it comes to the international focus and attention placed on these fast-paced, high-tech announcements. That’s because the New Product Introductions session continues to see annual growth in on-site attendance by AEA members, and the international coverage of the event by the aviation media is at an all-time high. Simply put, the general aviation industry looks forward with greater anticipation each spring to discover, face-to-face, what’s new for all things avionics.
“Basically, it’s where all the cool stuff happens,” said Jim Campbell, CEO/editor-in-chief for the Aero-News Network. “The avionics industry has been described as the most innovative in all of aviation. If you look at the development of GPS, the glass panel, airborne comm and data, synthetic vision and new generations of power systems, you’d be hard-pressed to disagree.
“It is innovative industries like those represented by the AEA that not only show us that aviation can have a bright and innovative future, but it becomes apparent that the rest of the aviation community can learn much from the ingenuity and foresight we see at each annual AEA event. If you want to see the future of aviation, you need to start with the annual AEA Convention & Trade Show.”
With interest continuing to grow in the New Product Introductions session, this year’s event expects to be no different. After all, it is the only wholesale avionics show representing nearly 90 percent of the international government-certified avionics shops. It provides a unique opportunity for manufacturers, distributors, technicians and business leaders to shape the future of avionics together. The owners and managers of the avionics shops are always anxious to follow up with the select group of companies bringing new products to market. They are ready to help them sell to the end users, so it’s no wonder why companies incorporate the AEA Convention into their strategic marketing plan.
In fact, the companies that have launched new products not only receive the big “attention splash” during the AEA Convention, but the news they make is shared continuously through different platforms throughout the year.
For evidence, industry professionals may look no further than the AEA YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/AEAlive. After the New Product Introductions session is broadcast live in high-definition across the Internet, the Aero-News Network breaks down each individual presentation into short features for easy access, viewing, embedding and other uses. This affords marketing officials at each of the companies introducing new products the opportunity to utilize the YouTube clips on the AEA YouTube channel for their own promotional purposes, courtesy of the AEA and ANN.
Once again in 2014, ANN plans to continue its coverage of the new products introduced into the AEA Exhibit Hall with live interviews and follow-up news from the major announcements made. Again, this comprehensive coverage will be archived and available in smaller segments on the AEA YouTube channel after the event.
“For ANN, the AEA Convention & Trade Show coverage has resulted in more than 75 hours of original programming during the last three years, nearly 30 of it live,” Campbell said. “It also produced more than 100 individual programs that have served the needs of our community every day since the events took place.”
Judging by the growing interest from the aviation media and AEA members in the AEA New Product Introductions, industry officials are sending a clear signal they understand the importance of keeping up-to-date on the latest products and industry trends in a fast-moving industry. The event provides its attendees with the chance to participate in new product demonstrations, meet existing suppliers, compare new products and services, and build relationships to help the avionics industry thrive and prosper. Nashville in 2014 should be no different.
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