What an exciting time it is for our industry – I have never sensed a greater desire to forge innovative approaches to help meet the incredible demand for travel that exists globally, and to better serve our passengers, workforces and planet.
It is my view that the course the industry charts over the next few years will actually determine the way forward for decades to come. In this new era for aviation it’s absolutely critical that we are bold in our ambitions, truly embracing technology, design and collaboration to ensure we secure a license to grow and thrive.
Following our best-ever year, Future Travel Experience (FTE) is ready to play its part in 2023. Across every metric of our portfolio – In-Person & Digital Events, Working Groups & PoCs, Innovation Hub, Awards, Competitions, Power Lists & Content – there are myriad ways for us to effectively partner with your organisation.
We are working tirelessly to drive industry change day-to-day and have grown to become so much more than an events business. The FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG), for example, has Proof of Concepts actively in progress with leading airports, airlines and suppliers, covering initiatives such as bag tagging, tracking, imaging and automation. Our flourishing communities – including the BIWG and the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – are complementing and inspiring each other on a regular basis. As this schedule of 2023 activities clearly shows, there is lots going on every month, with plenty more still to add.
Despite our diversification, I still think our in-person events are the jewel in our crown. Nothing is more powerful than getting the industry’s most progressive minds together en masse to dream of the future through our unique conference, exhibition and social event agendas.
The mantra for our events now is that these are the “CES of Aviation” shows – where you come to plan for the future and see many unveilings from our speakers, exhibitors and sponsors.
In collaboration with our expanded Advisory Boards we have already built out plans for the co-located FTE EMEA / FTE Ancillary & Retailing shows in Dublin on 23-25 May, FTE Global in Los Angeles on 19-21 September (alongside APEX EXPO for the first time) and FTE APEX Asia Expo in Singapore on 8-9 November. Many of the world’s biggest airline and airport CEOs are already confirmed to speak. The exhibitor lists are building quickly too and, having launched registration for each event two weeks ago (which created a landslide of bookings), it’s very obvious we will have our best-attended shows ever in 2023 by some margin.
I am also really excited to report that FTE has teamed up with Pittsburgh Robotics Network, Innovation Works and Allegheny County Airport Authority to deliver the Aviation & Robotics Summit in April in the robotics capital of the world – Pittsburgh. This unique invite-only event will provide a platform for our sector’s innovation leaders, and the leading robotics companies in Pittsburgh, to co-create and help shape how autonomous operations, automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other applications of robotics technology, can redefine the air transport industry. This is an area that holds so much potential for our industry, and FTE is proud to be at the centre of driving real advancement in how these technologies will support, and reimagine, aviation going forward.
In closing – a new year always calls for new ideas and approaches and, at this time of industry-wide transformation, we are working to be at the epicentre of its most exciting advancements.
We wish you the very best for 2023 and look forward to collaborating with your organisation. Please do let me know if you would be interested to learn more regarding any of our plans.
Best regards,
Daniel Coleman
Founder & CEO
