The 58th annual Aircraft Electronic Association International Convention & Trade Show, which took place April 8-11 in Dallas, Texas, attracted 1,897 attendees with more than 350 avionics repair shops and more than 20 countries represented. The attendance figure breaks the event’s previous high mark of 1,873 attendees back in 2005, a year in which the event also took place in Dallas.
This year’s attendance figure marks a 21% increase over the 2014 event in Nashville, Tennessee, which drew 1,568 attendees.
In addition, more than 135 companies displayed their products and services in the AEA Exhibit Hall, which sold out for the first time since 2005.
“The topic of ADS-B naturally dominated this year’s show with the looming mandate just 56 months away,” said AEA President Paula Derks. “There were 33 companies that participated in the New Product Introductions session, which garnered a lot of interest from the industry. Avionics shop owners and technicians from more than 20 countries were able to take advantage of more than 90 hours of professional development and technical training classes. An upbeat atmosphere was easily apparent, and hopefully, it’s another positive sign that the industry is continuing to recover from the recent economic recession.”
Next year, the 59th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show takes place April 27-30, 2016, in Orlando, Florida.