ACI EUROPE’s experienced and knowledgeable personnel keep the channels of communication open, acting as effective industry contact and reference points for all WBPs.
If there was ever an industry in which ‘no man is an island’, then aviation is most surely it. Success within the industry, be it in day-to-day operations or longer-term financial objectives, is heavily dependent upon cooperation and information exchange between all players in the industry. Airport suppliers are no exception to this, and the most dynamic of these realise that they have an important and active role to play at the very heart of the industry. The ACI WBP programme is run with this ideal in mind.
Active involvement in the airport industry
Here in Europe, the programme currently has 157 members, and has been tailored to be of value to airport suppliers from all backgrounds, with membership from a wide range of different airport-related disciplines – see chart. And in keeping with this approach, the WBP programme is also structured so as to allow airport suppliers the level of involvement that best suits their business needs, offering a choice of ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ memberships.
WBP MEMBERSHIP BY SECTOR
Reflecting the ethos of the programme, Gold membership entitles WBPs to join and actively participate in ACI EUROPE’s five specialised committees. These committees cover a wide range of areas – Economics, Environment, Security, Facilitation & Customer Service, and Technical & Operational Safety – and so all WBP members should find a committee of interest directly related to their business. To ensure that WBPs are fully involved, 2 slots on the agenda are always reserved for WBP presentations. And of course, alongside the committees’ formal order of business, WBP participation provides unparalleled networking opportunities. The 5 ACI EUROPE committees are regularly attended by a core group of more than 200 senior level personnel from a range of European airports, both big and small.
Active involvement in the ACI EUROPE World Business Partners programme helps build strong and mutually-beneficial relationships between members and European airports, and as such represents a unique opportunity for airport suppliers.
Dr Padraig Dixon, Senior Consultant at Oxera Consulting, and member of the Economics Committee, recently returned from Lisbon, Portugal where he partook in the committee meeting, spoke about his experience: “We’ve been involved in the Economics Committee for some time now,” he reflected, “and our reasons for participating are as relevant as they’ve ever been. In our business the only way you can really add value is if you truly understand the core industry issues, not to mention the people dealing with these issues. And the best way of gaining that understanding is by getting actively involved through these kind of opportunities.”
Lorenzo Belicchi, Airport Sales Director at SITA, led a workshop on IT Trends at the Regional Airports’ Conference & Exhibition in Cagliari, Italy. Speaking about his motivations for doing so, he said “These conferences bring senior decision makers together from across Europe. While attendance at these events is a good start, active participation is just as important. There needs to be a two-way conversation between you and your clients, and you need to be proactive to make sure this happens.”
However, the chance to actively engage with senior airport management is not limited just to committee meetings. All WBP members, both Gold and Silver, are entitled to apply to join ACI EUROPE’s Commercial Forum, which concentrates on the generation of non-aeronautical revenues, and the Regional Airports’ Forum, which addresses the specific needs of European airports with traffic of less than 5m passengers per annum. WBP members are also encouraged to engage with airports in ACI EUROPE’s schedule of conferences and exhibitions, with a suite of preferential treatments. Perks include priority consideration for speaking and sponsorship opportunities, advance information on events (including delegate lists), a dedicated WBP meeting during the ACI EUROPE Annual Assembly and Congress, and more.
A two-way flow of information
Dr Padraig Dixon, Senior Consultant at Oxera Consulting, and member of the Economics Committee: “In our business the only way you can really add value is if you truly understand the core industry issues, not to mention the people dealing with these issues. And the best way of gaining that understanding is by getting actively involved through these kind of opportunities.”
Aviation is a non-stop business, and so WBP members’ involvement with airports cannot be limited to committee meetings and conferences. To this end ACI EUROPE’s experienced and knowledgeable personnel keep the channels of communication open, acting as effective industry contact and reference points for all WBPs. And in line with the WBP programme’s ethos of active participation, WBPs can also share their own information and messages, either with ACI EUROPE’s wider membership base, or targeted purely to airports.
And since the best engagement is informed engagement, the WBP programme is also reinforced by a wide stream of industry information and insight. WBP members are automatically entitled to ACI EUROPE’s range of publications, including a daily news roundup, a bi-monthly internal newsletter ‘Taxi Lights’ and copies of this quarterly magazine. This is all backed up by the newly revamped ACI EUROPE website, with exclusive access for WBPs to the Members’ Room, which hosts a range of additional information, including detailed monthly airport traffic data and all committee presentations and documentation. The two-way relationship is also replicated online, with an active Linked In discussion group where all are encouraged to join the conversation.
Active involvement in the ACI EUROPE World Business Partners programme helps build strong and mutually-beneficial relationships between members and European airports, and as such represents a unique opportunity for airport suppliers.
For more information, and for a full list of membership benefits, please visit http://www.aci-europe.org/membership/world-business-partners.html
