EBACE – Looking Back on 10 Years of Progress

For the purposes of full disclosure, while Euro Jet has participated in EBACE for the last 10 years, I will have only attended 6 out of the last 10 shows. Not too shabby and hopefully it qualifies me enough to reflect on my previous experiences at the show.

EBACE will once again be held this year at the Palexpo Center in Geneva, Switzerland from May 29-31, 2018.

Trade shows for me are definitely one of the most peculiar things I have experienced.

It is a gathering of people in a relatively similar industry where everyone gets together to smile, present a business card, attempt to make insignificant small talk (when did you fly in?), share with you how busy their business is, comment on how the show is not as busy as it has been in previous years, throw in something about how this is their favorite (even though the last show they went to was also their favorite show), and double check if they gave you their business card.

Then they will slowly walk away, sometimes looking around aimlessly for the next person they once met in Shanghai who is now in Geneva, or they will walk away confidently, not making eye contact as they are on a vital mission… to grab a $35 sandwich that is likely stale and you will have to wait in line for of 20 minutes to pay for it.

As you watch this odd acquaintance walk away you recall that he has an FBO near Stonehenge…which is puzzling as you do not recall an airport near Stonehenge and then you wonder what could happen if there was a missed approach…

All humor aside, the purpose of the above was to poke fun at what is really an extremely productive event and integral part of our business.

Every successful business is built on relationships and trade shows are an outstanding stepping stone to developing those relationships and a key part of getting to the point where you close on a deal.

Over the years our Euro Jet booth has evolved to the point today where it is nearly twice the size as our first booth and we now bring to EBACE a contingent of nearly 20 people, over double the original group.

This is progress!

Our original champagne party on the first day turned into a 5 year anniversary beer party which was packed beyond our wildest imagination. And the beer party would repeat itself as our booth expanded with huge screens inspired by the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, to this year where we will have a full bar as the focal point of our booth.

So lets pop some champagne, or pour a pint as we have so much to celebrate.

We will celebrate 10 years of exceptional growth, where year upon year we have seen our flight numbers double, even triple…

We will celebrate a near tripling in the size of our staff and an OCC team that has 15 people on shift (it had 4 when I joined).

We will celebrate the fact that 10 years ago we strove to create a company of 200 manned stations filled with local and English speaking aviation professionals that could provide the ultimate VIP experience to our customers.

10 Years later…mission accomplished!

We will celebrate our new lounges and offices opening in Belgrade, Sofia, and Warsaw plus a renovated one in the new General Aviation Terminal in Zagreb. And of course, our lounges in Prague, Karlovy Vary, Poprad, Bucharest, Tivat, Dubrovnik, and Constanta.

And so we will spend this EBACE welcoming those from all sectors of aviation, and while we may be a little scripted, and we may say the same things…

…Deals will get made, Deals will get started, and some Deals will fall flat, while some people may even fall flat on their face at Java Club late night.

Some might even call that progress!

But in all seriousness, it has been 10 years, and Euro Jet shines as an exemplary company that has demonstrated incredible progress because of the amazing team that works for us and the customers that trust us with their business.

So we look forward to Geneva where we can have a drink with customers, vendors, partners, friends of vendors, old colleagues who come to grab a drink, or that guy who is always promising us more business and then vanishes after his free drink until next year…you know who you are…

WE WILL CELEBRATE PROGRESS IN GENEVA! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!