Richard Mumford says international participants are seeing increasing value in BACA membership

BACA's new deal for ACE17 draws international interest

Since BACA – the Air Charter Association announced its major participation in ACE17, the Air Charter Expo, to be held at London Biggin Hill airport on Tuesday 12 September, there has been an enormous amount of interest in the event.

A number of new innovations are being created including an extensive conference programme. The complete line up has yet to be formalised but the morning is to feature a broker CEO forum while the emphasis will shift to training in the afternoon. BACA already has an excellent reputation for its broker training and the scope of ACE17 allows for an even wider audience to experience the benefits of these events.

A key part of ACE17 will be the exhibition and static display. There will be indoor and outdoor static areas where visitors will be able to view fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Discussions are taking place to ensure that delegates can see aircraft with as varied cabin configuration and capacity as possible. Visitors will be able to meet operators, climb aboard the aircraft and talk in detail to the crew, aircraft operations and sales teams.

BACA chairman Richard Mumford advises: “Since announ-cing ACE17 I have been delighted with the positive level of interest in the event. It is particularly pleasing to see the number of international companies that are enquiring about participating. It looks as if ACE17 will become a truly international event. The combination of the one-day conference, exhibition and static display means that BACA, and our partners, are creating an event of exceptional significance, not only for our members but for the entire air charter industry.”

Membership reaches a new high

With membership numbers reaching 225 at the beginning of this year BACA is celebrating an all-time high while seeing new applications and approvals continue to increase. The rise is partly explained by the actions of its council under Mumford, and the increasing recognition that BACA is a global voice for the air charter industry. This is underlined by the increasingly international profile of its new members. Mumford also credits the work the association has done in raising its profile at international events such as EBACE and NBAA-BACE, in organising top quality broker training events and in its successful spring and autumn lunches.

He says: “This clearly demon-strates that companies want to be part of a network of brokers. The more members we have, the more able we are to pursue our objectives of speaking up on behalf of brokers and promoting broker standards and best practices. We try to care- fully protect the quality of our members to ensure that they enhance the value in our association, so when we do accept new mem- bers we believe that they help make both the association and the market stronger.”

Visitor registration is now open online at www.charterbroker.aero