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Meridian Exhibits at NBAA-BACE2019 in Las Vegas

The Meridian team is ready on opening day to receive visitors at its exhibit for the 2019 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Nearly 25,000 industry leaders and professionals from across all 50 U.S. states and 89 countries gathered in Las Vegas for the most inspiring, interactive and innovative convention NBAA has ever hosted. About 100 business aircraft were on display inside the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby Henderson Executive Airport, where the event took place October 22-24. On the show floor, nearly 1,000 exhibitors, including more than 100 first-time exhibitors, featured incredible displays of their latest offerings, along with an inaugural New Product Showcase.

Meridian had a strong presence as an exhibitor at the event, commonly known as the 2019 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The company sent 12 associates to represent its many private aviation services at its 400 sq. ft. booth, including charter sales, flight operations, aircraft management, marketing, and FBO customer service from both Teterboro and Hayward locations. Three key themes prevailed at this year’s convention: innovation, sustainability, and outreach to the next generation.

Innovation in Focus

This year’s NBAA-BACE put new modes of transport, such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles, front and center. Full-scale prototypes and concepts for the vehicles were thronged by attendees in the all-new UAS/UAM Innovation Display Area.

On the keynote stage, Bolen presented NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award to record-breaking pilot, military veteran and business leader Ross Perot, Jr., who is partnering with Uber on UAM infrastructure. Head of Uber Elevate, Eric Allison, shared the latest steps toward realizing that vision, and tech entrepreneur Sky Dayton, an investor in electric aircraft startup Joby Aviation, predicted UAM could become a reality in just a few years.

A brand-new composite-bodied aerobatic aircraft, the GameBird GB1, was brought to the stage by Steuart Walton, Game Composites founder and chairman. The stage also featured the iconic jet-propelled wing that “Jetman” Yves Rossy uses to fly like bird, with Rossy sharing the story of how his team developed this experimental technology.

On the show floor, an inaugural New Product Showcase introduced 11 new, distinctive products from a host of innovative companies. Inside the convention center and at Henderson Executive Airport, nearly 100 of the latest business aircraft were on display.

Also at the airport, Gulfstream unveiled its new G700, Bombardier displayed its Learjet 75 Liberty mockup for the first time and Textron Aviation’s newly certified Citation Longitude was on hand. Pilatus introduced the NGX, and other aircraft, including Tecnam’s P2012 Traveller, made their first appearances at NBAA-BACE.

Sustainability a Priority

Sustainability in business aviation was a dominant theme throughout the show, with around two dozen aircraft fueling enroute with SAF, a non-fossil power source that can reduce aviation’s carbon lifecycle emissions by up to 80 percent. Local civic and business leaders issued a proclamation recognizing the business aviation community’s long-standing commitment to sustainability, with an estimated 150,000 gallons of SAF pumped into aircraft at Henderson Executive Airport.

To further sustainability, NBAA joined with the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and other industry stakeholders to announce a new Business Aviation Global Sustainability Summit in Washington, DC, in March 2020. A panel of industry leaders, in an “I Want My SAF” forum, offered perspectives about increasing SAF availability and usage before a standing-room only audience.

Over 23,000 people attended NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport from October 22-24, 2019.

Outreach to the Next-Generation Workforce

Throughout the show, trailblazing aviators were honored, and shared their work to attract the next generation of visionaries to join the business aviation workforce.

Barrington Irving, who in 2007 became the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world, received NBAA’s 2019 American Spirit Award for his work to engage young people in the pursuit of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and careers in aviation.

Also on the keynote stage, U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeannie M. Leavitt, America’s first female fighter pilot, shared her work promoting diversity in aviation, along with retired Air Force general and former NBAA Board Chair Lloyd “Fig” Newton.

On the show’s final day, Careers in Business Aviation Day hosted hundreds of students who attended NBAA-BACE for free, where they heard from FAA Administrator Steve Dickson and Jim Payne, chief pilot on The Perlan Project, who has flown a pressurized glider as high as 76,000 feet, toward a goal of reaching the edge of space.

NBAA also unveiled its 2019 class of Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 young professionals (YoPros), who are already reshaping the industry.

“This week proved that in business aviation, we want the future, and we want it now,” Bolen said. “That future was on proud display in Las Vegas, with a show that fired the imagination, and inspired us to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible – and that’s what defines aviation.”

The Meridian exhibit is ready for business on its 400 sq. ft. booth location
in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Please join us next year, October 6-8, 2020, when NBAA-BACE heads to Orlando, FL. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

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Aircraft Management Executive Terminal (FBO) General Hayward Maintenance Private Air Charter

Meridian Exhibits at NBAA-BACE 2017 in Las Vegas

The Meridian Team at the 2017 NBAA Convention in Las Vegas.
The Meridian Team at the 2017 NBAA Convention in Las Vegas.

Last week, Meridian was well-represented at the 2017 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, NV. Meridian, with FBO locations at Teterboro Airport (TEB) and Hayward Executive Airport (HWD), was proud to participate in the largest business aviation event of the year by sending a team of 14 associates to represent the company at its 400 sq. ft. exhibit to welcome customers, prospects, visitors, and friends. NBAA-BACE is held annually by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). NBAA’s 2017 convention took place October 10-12 at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport (HND).
This year’s convention coincided with the one-year anniversary of the opening of our new West Coast FBO, Meridian Hayward, located in Northern California. An article in the Autumn edition of Business Aviation Magazine featured an interview with our CEO, Ken Forester, about the facility and highlighted the importance of business aviation in the region. Meridian also ran print advertisements in major industry publications, while also drawing crowds to its exhibit with an exciting and well-attended raffle on the second day of the show. The grand prize was a briefcase filled with a mystery amount of cash. Two additional winners walked away with high-value Amazon gift cards, and and many lucky spectators were given Meridian t-shirts after the raffle was over. The company was well-represented at the show by all departments from both locations, including Customer Service, Charter Sales & Operations, Aircraft Management, Aircraft Maintenance, and Marketing.
Ken Forester, CEO, was at the event and had this to say, “We are extremely pleased to be at this year’s NBAA Convention during the 1st anniversary of the opening of Meridian Hayward. We have come a long way since opening our doors last year, and we are still welcoming new customers to our FBO everyday. This event is a great opportunity for us to share the message with our industry colleagues that we are now firmly established on the West Coast and receiving aircraft for both transient and charter customers. Hayward is the keystone of our long-term growth strategy, which also includes a new hangar project in Teterboro that is expected to be operational by year’s end, and the continued expansion of our managed fleet.”
NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition is the country’s sixth-largest trade show, and the largest in the world focused on business aviation. This year’s event likely set a record for number of attendees — about 27,000 were expected. Attendees represented all 50 U.S. states and dozens of countries. NBAA2017 also hosted 1,100 exhibitors (including more than 100 new exhibitors), a static display inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, and some 100 aircraft at the outdoor static display at Henderson Executive Airport. NBAA-BACE remains the preeminent venue for manufacturers to unveil new models. For example, this year, the Bombardier Global 7000, Gulfstream G600 and Pilatus PC-24 made their debut at the show.
All three days of the show were packed with well-attended education sessions, including half-day programs at the NBAA National Safety Forum and Single-Pilot Safety Standdown. Discussions featured top safety experts and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). On the final day of the show, more than 1,000 students came to NBAA-BACE, many to participate in Careers in Business Aviation Day, hearing from Dreams Soar Founder and around-the-world pilot Shaesta Waiz – plus a chance to interact with industry leaders and potential employers at the College/University Roundtable event. A charity auction event, held by NBAA and the Corporate Angel Network, raised $435,000 for CAN’s mission to transport cancer patients to treatment centers.
Next year’s convention will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL from October 16-18, 2018. We hope to see you there!
Lloyd Janes, a commercial pilot, was the grand prize winner of Meridian's raffle contest. He won a briefcase filled with cash and a set of handcuffs to prevent it from being stolen. Congratulations Lloyd from all of us at Meridian!
Lloyd Janes, a commercial pilot, was the grand prize winner of Meridian’s raffle contest. He won a briefcase filled with cash and a set of handcuffs to prevent it from being stolen. Congratulations Lloyd from all of us at Meridian!

Categories
Aircraft Management Detailing Executive Terminal (FBO) General Maintenance Private Air Charter

Meridian Exhibits at NBAA2015

The Meridian Team at NBAA2015 in Las Vegas. (left to right: Maria Bochman, Per Karlsson, MaKayla Hambek, Bob Platten, Mike Moore, Kirk Stephen, Betsy Wines, Dennis O’Connell, Chris Battaglia, Brittany Page, and Anthony Banome.)
The Meridian Team at NBAA2015 in Las Vegas. (left to right: Maria Bochman, Per Karlsson, MaKayla Hambek, Bob Platten, Mike Moore, Kirk Stephen, Betsy Wines, Dennis O’Connell, Chris Battaglia, Brittany Page, and Anthony Banome.)

Meridian, the full-service private aviation company based at Teterboro Airport, made a strong appearance at the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) 2015 Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA2015) in Las Vegas, NV. The award-winning company proudly displayed its new exhibit in the North Hall with a 400 sq. ft. booth, and had 18 representatives on-hand to greet customers, friends, vendors, and new visitors. In addition to networking and reconnecting with industry peers, Meridian was pleased to announce the upcoming opening in 2016 of its new FBO and hangar at Hayward Executive Airport (HWD) in Hayward, CA.
Ken Forester, Meridian CEO, had this to say, “Having a presence at the NBAA Convention is absolutely essential to our business. The annual event is a showcase for our industry, and fosters a positive environment for building relationships, conducting business, branding our company, and creating new opportunities. This was the perfect venue to announce the opening of our new facility in Hayward, which we expect to happen in August 2016.”
Event organizers report that the show was once again a resounding success for attendees and exhibitors alike. “This year’s show was enormously successful,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “In addition to the strong participation from exhibitors and attendees alike, our industry’s largest event once again showcased the size and significance of the business aviation community, as well as the passion and professionalism of its people.”
NBAA’s 2015 convention, which took place from Nov. 17 to 19, featured more than 1,100 exhibitors in the Las Vegas Convention Center, and more than 27,000 attendees. Additionally, about 100 aircraft were displayed in several locations – at a sold-out static display at Henderson Executive Airport, at an indoor display inside the convention center and at various exhibitor booths on the convention hall floor. Attendees from the show represented all 50 U.S. states, and 96 countries.
Along with the numbers demonstrating the strength of this year’s show, Bolen cited several other examples of the convention’s value:
• A crowded Opening General Session, which kicked off the show on Nov. 17, featured leaders from government, business and industry. Government leaders included Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, Rep. Dina Titus (D-1-NV) and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. Other speakers included Mark Baker, president and CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and Dierks Bentley, acclaimed singer, songwriter and pilot.
• A well-attended, second-day Opening Session on Nov. 18 featured aviation leaders and legends, including “Miracle on the Hudson” hero-pilot, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Also, Joe Clark, the inventor of winglet technology, was presented with NBAA’s Meritorious Service to Aviation Award. In addition, the National Aviation Hall of Fame announced its 2016 class of enshrinees.
• An inaugural National Safety Forum – a day-long session held on Nov. 19, the third and final day of NBAA2015 – which brought together top government and industry leaders to discuss and address the principal safety issues confronting business aircraft operators.
• The introduction of new or enhanced industry-advocacy tools, which were unveiled at the convention’s Media Kickoff Breakfast. For example, new, mobile-friendly versions of the No Plane No Gain website and NBAA’s online Contact Congress tool were introduced. Also, a new survey once again puts forward the true face of business aviation, to help correct misperceptions about the industry. In addition, a new edition of the “Business Leaders on Business Aviation” booklet was introduced – the expanded publication features testimonials from CEOs on the value of business aviation to their companies.
• A live Emergency-Response Simulation, which provided valuable knowledge on emergency preparedness responsibilities from leaders in aviation safety. The live demonstration put attendees at the scene of a simulated accident and utilized role-playing to demonstrate various flight department roles during an emergency.
• A full roster of education sessions, held throughout the week, as well as sessions on the future of aviation, and on unmanned aircraft systems, held in NBAA’s “Innovation Zone” on the exhibit floor.
• New events devoted to attracting and retaining young talent to business aviation, including an education session on creating internships in business aviation (where NBAA’s new Internship & Career Guide was introduced), as well as a session about how to identify and support the next generation of business aviation leaders, and a Careers in Business Aviation Day and a young professionals networking event.
• A successful charity benefit, co-hosted by NBAA and Corporate Angel Network (CAN), which raised $505,000 in support of CAN’s mission to provide life-saving flights to take cancer patients to treatment centers aboard business aircraft.
“NBAA’s 2015 convention was a memorable event that showcased our industry’s vitality and relevance,” Bolen said. “We were thrilled by the enthusiasm and activity that marked each of the show’s three days, and we are already are looking forward to next year’s convention in Orlando, FL, from Nov. 1 to 3, 2016.”
Team members at the Meridian booth (left to right: Kelly Pappas, Ken Forester, Greg Johnson, Tammy Vinas, and Brittany Page.)
Team members at the Meridian booth (left to right: Kelly Pappas, Ken Forester, Greg Johnson, Tammy Vinas, and Brittany Page.)

Categories
Aircraft Management Executive Terminal (FBO) General Maintenance Private Air Charter

Meridian Exhibits at NBAA2013

Team Meridian at NBAA2013 (l to r): Bob Platten, Kirk Stephen, Per Karlsson, Delia Roldan, Mike Moore, Anthony Banome
Team Meridian at NBAA2013 (l to r): Bob Platten, Kirk Stephen, Per Karlsson, Delia Roldan, Mike Moore, Anthony Banome

Last week, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) held its annual Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA2013), the can’t-miss business aviation event of the year and the sixth largest tradeshow in the U.S. The venue provides key operators and industry leaders the opportunity to meet under one roof to conduct business, make buying decisions and set the stage for business aviation activity for the year ahead. Attendees, the decision makers in the industry, spend time on the exhibit floor, meeting and interacting with exhibitors and assessing aircraft and products for future purchases for their companies.

Meridian was proud to participate in this annual event with twelve company representatives, and a 400 sq. ft. exhibit located in the North Hall at Booth #N3110. Meridian participants came from all facets of the company, including the FBO (Meridian Teterboro), Charter (Meridian Air Charter), Maintenance (Meridian Jet Center), and Management (Meridian Aircraft Management). Company representatives were able to meet with longtime friends and customers, while also introducing themselves to new prospects with the hope of doing business together in the near future. Meridian was able to generate a lot of traffic through its booth with incentives like its signature t-shirts promoting its national presence in diverse geographies, including TEB, HWD, and APA. Visitors to the booth were also challenged to ‘Guess the Airport’ and ‘Guess the Part’. Two lucky winners went home with a Meridian leather garment bag. Congratulations to Eric Sanchez, Director of Sales at Southern Jet, for guessing MHT as the correct airport, and to Geoff Plesa, Managing Director at Pacific Air Resources, for guessing a coffee warmer gasket as the correct part!

The 2013 NBAA Convention covered three days, from Tuesday, October 22 through Thursday, October 24, and was held at two locations; the Las Vegas Convention Center and Henderson Executive Airport. According to NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, the annual event was a “resounding success”. He states, “The energy and enthusiasm among exhibitors and attendees has demonstrated once again the tremendous value the industry continues to place on this event as a premier national and international business aviation venue.” The three-day conference drew 25,425 attendees from all 50 U.S. states and more than 90 countries, with 1,100 exhibitors participating, and 95 total aircraft – 83 on static display at Henderson Executive Airport and 12 in the new indoor display at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

A number of education sessions were held throughout the week, many of which focused on emerging trends. These included advanced in-cockpit display and information technologies, the continued proliferation of iPads in aircraft cockpits and the latest information for companies using business aircraft. A careers in business aviation day was held on Thursday for Las Vegas-area middle school, high school and college students. “The business aviation community’s resilience and the resourcefulness was on display this year as much as ever,” Bolen said. “We are delighted by the excitement that surrounded this year’s convention, and we are already looking forward to next year’s show in Orlando, Florida, from October 21 to 23, 2014.”