Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 - (Page 50)

FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 Sidebottom: The Man Who Saved the Show If you see Trevor Sidebottom around the showground perhaps you should shake his hand or give him a pat on the back, for as MD of show organizer Farnborough International Ltd, he’s one of the team that not only kept the event here, but also made sure it retained its world renowned airshow status. Sidebottom is retiring from his top job the week after this show finishes, and leaves the company finally in November, but he may well be back in a consultancy role. “Whatever happens, I’m not going to stop working that’s for sure,” he emphasized. Show News asked about his memorable moments, and some of the tough decisions he’s had to make since being thrown in at the deep end just six months before Farnborough 2004. At that point the show’s future was literally hanging by a thread as owners the Society of British Aerospace Companies lost the plot about what and where future shows should be held. He worked for SBAC then, but since 2005 the show has been in the hands of Farnborough International Ltd (FI) a separate part of SBAC. “The 2004 show was a bit difficult as there was a lot of rumor and conjecture about the airshow’s future. Should it be sold? Should we partner with a large events and exhibitions company, or should we keep it? The conclusion was to keep it firmly within the SBAC, but as a separate company with a clear commercial perspective,” Sidebottom told Show News. The other major decision was to decide on the show’s future format. “We considered lots of options. Some said, ‘why can’t we hold the ers who were worried about the effect on their show,” Sidebottom says, explaining that the June date proposal was eventually scrapped because it would have interfered with local schools’ examination period. Sidebottom’s team has a threepoint priority business plan: to shows, to a chauffeur limo driving event.” FI’s first permanent 4,500square-meter exhibition hall named FIVE (Farnborough International Venue and Events) started hosting other non-aviation related events this year, and BAE Systems has hired it for this show. Show News asked if there would ever be a specialist business aviation show here: “I think it is quite possible, especially as we have nearly 40 aircraft participating in our Business Aircraft Park at this show. Because this is a business aviation only airport, it is certainly something that we would not dismiss downstream.” —Trevor Sidebottom, MD of show organizer Farnborough International Ltd trade exhibition here and then join RIAT to do the flying display’? Or, ‘can we hold the whole thing at the ExCel Exhibition and Conference Center in Docklands, and use London Airport?’ Finally we arrived at the right conclusion, to keep the show and flying display at Farnborough.” What of the debacle about the date move from September to July? Sidebottom explained that the ideal would have been to move Farnborough to the same week in June—only on alternate years—as at the Paris show. “We got quite a few letters from the ILA Berlin Air Show organiz- organize and manage a successful Farnborough International Airshow; to look for other business opportunities on the Farnborough site; and provide consultancy to other airshows around the world. All criteria are being met, he says, pointing to his company supplying the sales and marketing expertise for the 2007 Bangalore Airshow. He also said he might be able to make another announcement here at the show. FI has started to make inroads into selling the Farnborough site as an year-round exhibition venue. “Early in the year we already had Hall 4 built and held events ranging from craft shows, to angling GKN for HondaJet Fuselage Barrels GKN Aerospace announced last year that it had won the contract to make the composite fuselage barrels for the HondaJet at its Alabama factory. GKN’s CEO Marcus Bryson told Show News, “The first fuselage barrel is due to be delivered early next year. We are continuing to work out the best way for mass production. We’ve now got the mold tools in Alabama and we are working closely with Honda in reviewing some of the technologies and manufacturing procedures.” Once the delivery process starts to accelerate, Bryson says he expects to achieve 100 aircraft per year output. HondaJets will be built at a 100-per-year rate. “Honda is a good customer to work with and very challenging, and like any Honda product its quality is —Mike Vines second to none,” he said. Show News asked if there would ever be a specialist business aviation show here. “I think it is quite possible, especially as we have nearly 40 aircraft participating in our Business Aircraft Park at this show,” Sidebottom replied. “Because this is a business aviation only airport, it is certainly something that we would not dismiss downstream. Some people say that are too many airshows, but over the last few years, because the business has been so buoyant, companies have participated.” Asked about his legacy, Sidebottom says, “I think getting FI up and running. There’s a lot to do yet, but we’re well positioned for the future. My successor Sean Ormrod is from an events and exhibitions industry background, so he can take it forward as an events and exhibition site.” Asked how he sees Farnborough fitting in with other world aviation events, Sidebottom told Show News, “We are well positioned in the aviation calendar. I don’t think any one of the four main airshows—Farnborough, Paris, Singapore and Dubai—will become absolutely supreme, as everyone’s got their reasons for marketing at each of the shows. Between us there is a bit of friendly rivalry—we tease each other, and we get on well together.” —Mike Vines 50 July 14, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 Contents Thirty More Years CFM Reveals New Engine Boeing Reduces Forecast UAVs’ Quiet Revolution Finmeccanica: U.S. Success A Plethora of AESAs BAE North America Plus L-3 Becomes a Prime Better Late Than Never A Peek Behind the Curtain China’s J-10 Revealed Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Breaking LM’s Hegemony

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

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