European business aviation association: “Expanding horizon”
The success of the EU’s overall economy and employment in the European economy rely on excellent international connectivity.
Consequently, aviation supports close to five million jobs and contributes €300 billion, or 2.1%, to European GDP. Nonetheless, aviation and in particular business aviation gets a bad rep.
As the organization for operators of business aircraft in Europe, the European Business Aviation (EBAA), partner of almost a decade, was determined to change this perception and called upon Mach Media to assist.
Challenge
In 2018, EBAA launched its five-year Expanding Horizons program, aimed at raising awareness of business aviation’s crucial role in Europe and positively establish perceptions surrounding the value and benefits of business aviation.
To put that strategy into action, EBAA worked together with Mach Media to shift the perception of business aviation to three key target audiences:
- Prospects
- Millennials
- Public authorities
We recognized the last segment especially as the most crucial for the industry.
strategy
A crucial component of the program was lobbying activities, an integral part of political and democratic processes.
Given the increasingly negative perception of aviation in recent years, the EBAA’s EU Affairs Strategy aims at increasing the political and institutional leverage of the association by continuously and relentlessly focusing on business aviation’s role in enabling economic growth and sustainability, facilitating business efficiencies, and fostering connectivity.
In 2018, Mach Media and EBAA organized an onsite exhibition at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, sponsored by Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Maria-Jean Marinescu, Member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism.
The event took place for a full day in the central hall and focused on the ‘Faces of Business Aviation’, highlighting the people working in the industry and the ways the industry contributes to EU prosperity.
Five industry professionals – an engineer, a captain, head of cabin crew, a head of maintenance, and an emergency physician and head of medical flights – were showcased at the event. By doing so, we provided newly elected and returning MEPs and staff passing through with live testimonials of their roles, the value business aviation brings to European citizens, as well as Europe as a whole.
Impact
The EBAA Secretariat and Public Affairs team had the opportunity to engage face to face with over 200 MEPs and staff members, answering critical (and sometimes challenging) questions about the value and necessity of Business aviation, in addition to questions about sustainability and inclusion.
Moreover, to maintain ongoing awareness, we featured a large scale ad in the Strasbourg airport arrivals hall for a month, visibly displaying the value of business aviation to 1.2 million passengers.
