How local and regional aviation groups can make a difference in their communities as well as on the national level was one of the themes of this year’s NBAA’s annual Regional Leadership Roundtable. Fifty representatives from 30 local aviation associations from all parts of the U.S. attended the fourth annual presentation of the roundtable, held in Boston in mid-May. Members of NBAA’s local and regional groups committee conducted the program.
With proposals for a user-funded, not-for-profit organization to run the ATC system still being pushed in Congress, roundtable speakers, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen among them, reiterated how important it is that regional business aviation groups continue reaching out to their congressional representatives. “We need you to keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Bolen told attendees. “Tell your elected officials why communities, companies and citizens across the country would be adversely impacted by ATC privatization, which would hand control of the system over to an airline-centric board of directors. This would put general aviation at risk and would threaten the economies of rural communities, which rely on general aviation.”
Community Outreach Efforts
Another goal of the roundtable was to provide suggestions for local associations on how to stay viable and relevant. According to input from attendees, some of the ways to accomplish these goals is through internships and scholarships, funded in part by local association members and in part by the schools providing candidates. NBAA has a how-to guide for internship programs.
Having a gathering of many local groups, with varying levels of success, allowed for one-on-one exchanges of tips about what works and doesn’t. An example of what is working: four of the associations present at the roundtable have hired lobbyists to get their objectives heard by the right people. Additionally, the roundtable was structured so that attendees from new groups could network with veteran business group leaders.
To help obtain community understanding of business and general aviation and to gain support for an association’s efforts, community leaders, legislatures and even representatives of groups not friendly toward aviation should be invited to meetings where pro-aviation viewpoints have the best chance of being thoroughly aired. As one presenter said: “It’s all about establishing relationships with the proper entities.” This means working with the local media by providing them with good-news stories for their consideration and being available when they are making the effort to be technically accurate.
The forum packed a lot of information into a relatively short period. “In one day [attendees] learn pretty much everything about the best practices involved in getting their own group started,” said Steve Hadley, NBAA regional program director, Southwestern regional representative and organizer of the event. Next year’s roundtable is scheduled for May in Chicago.
