![]()
The NBAA Regional Forum took place on Wednesday with a record-shattering crowd. The NBAA Miami-Opa Locka Regional Forum is an all-day forum bringing people, products and promises from the industry that supports more than 108,000 jobs and an annual payroll of over $5.4 billion in Florida alone.
There were over 3,700 registered forum attendees from 44 U.S. states and 24 countries, including members of the GlobalAir.com team. There were 193 exhibiting companies with 25 aircraft on display, representing a range of manufacturers.
"Clearly, we're off to an exciting start to the year, as demonstrated by the energy at the Opa-locka forum, and the enthusiasm for the many ways business aviation is innovating to embrace the future," NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen said in his opening day remarks. "We look forward to seeing this momentum build as we move into our other events in the months ahead."
The forum is an opportunity to focus on workforce development with a large student cohort, with many taking place in the maintenance competition that brings together students from five Florida schools, and the announcement by Capt. Barrington Irving of his plans for growing the Barrington Irving Technical Training Institute that opened last year. The forum is also an opportunity to update the industry on the work being done to highlight business aviation's sustainability leadership through the CLIMBING. FAST. advocacy campaign.
"We have been increasing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions for decades - on the ground and in the air," Bolen said. "We are paving the way to net-zero carbon emissions for all of aviation. It's more important than ever for policymakers, opinion leaders and other stakeholders to understand this, and the leadership role business aviation has played in decarbonizing the industry."
In attendance were staff with the Florida delegation of the U.S. House and Senate as well as Miami-area officials, including Ralph Cutie, director and CEO of the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department, and Francesca de Quesada Covey, chief innovation and economic development officer for Miami-Dade County.
This event was the first to feature an Exhibitor Sustainability Pledge, involving a commitment by participating companies to follow environmentally friendly practices as part of their involvement with the forum. The aircraft display was powered by zero-emissions battery-powered generators for the first time, reducing the event's overall carbon footprint. The schedule was rounded out with sessions focused on Washington policy, the ways in which the industry is putting sustainability into action and the aviation cybersecurity concerns and best practices.