Walking through the hangars and around the grounds looking at all the new — or tried and true — products from aviation companies is part of the allure of airshows big and small. And, of course, taking advantage of the show specials.
While EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2020, which was supposed to kick off July 20, was cancelled, many of the show’s activities are going online, including the exhibitors.
“Visiting hundreds of aviation-related companies and seeing the world of flight products, which are some of the most popular activities each year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, is still possible this year during EAA’s Spirit of Aviation Week on July 21-25 thanks to virtual technology,” Experimental Aircraft Association officials said.
EAA will use EXPO-CAD technology that not only allows each exhibitor to create an online storefront similar to what they would normally have at Oshkosh, but also allows visitors to search by company, category, and more. It is available directly through the EAA Spirit of Aviation Week website at EAAtogether.org.
“Seeing new products and exploring all the offerings in one of the world’s greatest aviation marketplaces is part of the Oshkosh experience that we didn’t want to lose in 2020,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board. “Thanks to modern virtual technology and excellent cooperation with our exhibitors and business partners, we’ve brought the Oshkosh marketplace to everyone who will be visiting us during Spirit of Aviation Week as a virtual expo.”
After setting up an individual account, visitors can go to all of the registered exhibitors throughout the grounds. Those exhibitors can be found by company name, aviation category, or via their preregistered exhibit space on the interactive AirVenture grounds map, allowing visitors to find favorite companies in their traditional locations.
Every exhibitor is listed with its location and website address. In addition, a growing number of exhibitors are creating their individual storefronts, with such options as:
- Expanded company profiles and offerings
- Show specials offered by exhibitors
- Unique online events with guests and experts
- The latest news and announcements
Visitors can visit individual exhibitors as a “window shopper” or can tag a visit if they’d like more information from a particular company or exhibitor. That allows the exhibitor to reach out and supply the personal contact and in-depth information that is an invaluable part of the AirVenture experience each year, EAA officials said.
“Our exhibitors see Oshkosh as the place to connect with the aviation community as much as pilots see it as the place to do their shopping and dreaming,” Pelton said. “Our aim is to keep that connection going this year during Spirit of Aviation Week.”