No clear skies as rivals nip at air show's heels
By David Boey
ASIAN Aerospace, which ended yesterday, has grown by leaps and
bounds since it started in 1981, but the air show needs to
re-examine its game plan to avoid sliding back to its humble
beginnings.
It made its debut on a fringe of Paya Lebar Airport with 230
exhibitors and 4,000 trade visitors.
Fast-forward 23 years and the organisers say a record US$3.52
billion (S$6 billion) worth of deals were sealed during the four
trade days of the show this year, attended by more than 23,500
trade visitors.
Over the weekend, when it was opened to the public, a projected
40,000 people were expected to attend.
On the international air show circuit, the Singapore event is seen
as the third most important, after the Paris Air Show and
Farnborough International in Britain. This year's show, the 12th,
was anchored by 758 exhibitors from 33 countries.
At first glance, these figures indicate the air show has charted an
impressive growth path. Asian Aerospace president Ed Ng is
confident it will continue to grow, as the centre of gravity for
air travel moves to Asia over the next 20 to 30 years.
But it's not all clear skies ahead.
Continuing consolidation of the world's aviation and defence
sectors has shrunk the pool of potential exhibitors.
With leaner advertising and promotional budgets, these exhibitors
must pick and choose where they exhibit and how much space they can
pay for.
Just as Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines ponder their
relevance amid mounting competition, the people behind Asian
Aerospace would do well not to rest on their laurels.
Regional shows such as the Langkawi International Maritime and
Aerospace (Lima) show in Malaysia, Dubai Air Show in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), and Avalon Air Show in Australia have been
nipping at Asian Aerospace's heels.
Alternatives abound on the circuit though some events, such as
those in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan, play to the home
crowd.
Though Asian Aerospace has had a decade's head start, Lima has seen
the number of exhibitors more than triple from 150 in 1991 to over
500 last September. The Dubai show, held for only the eighth time
last December, pulled in more than 500 exhibitors and more than
30,000 trade visitors.
Air show exhibitors need several months' lead time to plan their
presence and to ship bulky equipment to the site by sea. With three
shows held almost back to back within six months, some exhibitors
at Asian Aerospace are suggesting it might be worthwhile for
Singapore and Malaysia to take turns hosting one 'big show' every
two years.
Otherwise Asian Aerospace and Lima may cannibalise each other's
markets as companies groan under air show fatigue.
In Europe, the Paris and Farnborough shows - held since the early
days of the aeroplane - dominate the air show scene and are held in
alternate years. Industry watchers say the biennial Berlin Air
Show, restarted in 1992 after German reunification, has had a tough
time trying to upstage Paris and Farnborough.
Competition has already seen the departure of events like the
Indonesia Air Show, last held in Jakarta in 1996.
In Singapore, defence shows like Electronics for National Security
Asia (last held in the mid-1980s) and Defence Asia (last held in
1997) have been scuppered for lack of industry support.
Singapore's attentiveness to security threats, good infrastructure
and its air-hub status make a compelling case for the aviation
industry to roost here.
Even the weather is in Singapore's favour. That Asian Aerospace is
held in February is an attraction to Europeans and Americans
looking for a sunny escape from winter weather and when the show
ends, many will head home with new tan lines.
MORE WORK NEEDED
THE jury is still out, however, on whether the unprecedented number
of conferences scheduled for Asian Aerospace 2004 - five this time
around - brought more trade visitors to the air show or siphoned
them away from the Changi show site.
There are several areas where more work is needed.
This year, the flight lines at the air show featured 50 different
aircraft, fewer than in previous years.
To be sure, non-trade visitors who swarm around the booths
clamouring for souvenirs can be a nuisance, but some companies -
particularly aircraft makers - know that winning crowd appeal goes
some way towards making their planes more marketable.
This explains the expensive freebies, such as posters and pins,
these companies rolled out over the weekend.
If the public days drew not just locals but also tourists, the
stronger turnout would bring spin-offs to other sectors, including
the hotel and retail trade.
Britain's International Air Tattoo, held during the Farnborough
show, has evolved into a tourist magnet because aviation fans are
drawn to its status as the world's best military air show. Its
warplane line-up stretches 3km and it puts on eight hours' worth of
flying displays. Every two years, some 200,000 people throng the
Royal Air Force base at Fairford - about a two-hour drive from
London - over a weekend to see the event.
The need to close Changi Airport to scheduled flights while the
90-minute air displays are staged means that display time at Asian
Aerospace is tight. But there's ample space on the tarmac to show
off additional warbirds.
A line-up of warplanes from Asean air forces, for instance, would
lift the show's appeal by offering a display that few would
otherwise get a chance to see. This year, there was not even a
single aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
Hopefully, the decision announced at the start of the air show - to
move the air and defence show to a brand new home at a larger,
better-equipped exhibition centre at Changi North in 2008 - has not
come too late, considering that, when talk of such a move first
surfaced, the site was to have been ready for the 1998 air
show.
Asian Aerospace has established itself as a top regional show. The
trick is to hold onto that reputation because rival events in
Malaysia and the UAE are eagerly eyeing those bragging
rights.
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