Pictured from left to right are Bob Platten, Phil Boyer, Amber Salvatore, Jamie Labocki, Mike Moore, Emil Iannone, Kirk Stephen, and Anthony Banome.
Meridian, the award-winning private aviation company based at Teterboro Airport, was proud to exhibit at the 2014 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference (SDC2014), which was held in New Orleans, LA, last week. The company was well-represented by eight associates from various departments, including Charter Operations, Charter Sales, Aircraft Management, FBO Fuel Sales, and Marketing. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the conference, which broke attendance records measured by both registrants and exhibitors. A record 2,671 attended the four-day event, and a record 495 exhibitors participated in the event. “We are thrilled by the momentum this show has gained through the years,” said Mike Nichols, NBAA’s vice president, operational excellence and professional development. “This conference is always high-energy, and this year’s exhibitors and attendees were clearly excited to be in New Orleans to get down to business, share ideas and learn from one another.”
Interestingly enough, Meridian’s own Bob Platten was among the handful of people to attend the first event held 25 years ago. Mr. Platten says, “I can’t believe how much things have changed from then until now. Twenty-five years ago, there were about 60 of us standing in a room and asking ourselves, ‘What do we want this thing to be?’. Now we look around this convention hall, and we see over 2,600 people who are networking and conducting business. It’s great to see how far this has come.”
Adding to the significance of the event, Jamie Labocki, a Meridian Air Charter dispatcher, was among an elite group of recipients to receive the 2014 Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship Award. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and its Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Committee recognized the 12 recipients of the Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarships at the show. These training awards promote the career development of current and aspiring schedulers and dispatchers. The Schedulers & Dispatchers Training Scholarship Program, initiated in 2004, offers opportunities for scholarship recipients to gain access to hands-on teaching initiatives.
The Schedulers & Dispatcher’s Conference is the business aviation industry’s premier event for schedulers, dispatchers and their suppliers. The conference provides exhibitors the opportunity to meet the individuals who are directly responsible for the scheduling and dispatching of aircraft and procuring services for aircraft operations for flight departments and on-demand charter operations throughout the world.
Next year’s S&D Conference is scheduled for February 3-6, 2015, in San Jose, CA.