AIX Virtual reveals session speakers
Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) Virtual has announced seminar speakers for its digital event coming up from September 14 to 16, 2021, for which registration is now open.
The AIX Sessions offer insights from experts and leaders in the cabin interiors industry as they share experiences, the latest data, and relevant case studies to help solve current and future challenges in aircraft cabin design.
Future gazing as the industry starts its recovery
Commercial aviation is on the road to recovery with daily passenger flights having recovered to approximately two-thirds of 2019’s level, driven primarily by the large domestic markets of the USA and China, according to data from Cirium. However, significant challenges remain in international markets, and several regions of the world are yet to see meaningful recoveries in passenger traffic due to government travel restrictions. So, what do these challenges mean for the aerospace supply chain and more specifically the aircraft interiors sector, and how will the industry transform to ensure its return to financial health?
A session with Rob Morris, Head of Consultancy at Ascend by Cirium, will be dedicated to examining what this means for the aerospace supply chain and more specifically the aircraft interiors sector. Morris will also look at how the industry will transform to ensure its return to financial health. He will deliver a commercial aviation market outlook briefing alongside an interiors market outlook from Gary Weissel, Managing Officer at Tronos Aviation Consulting. Following this, a panel discussion moderated by Andrew Doyle, Senior Director, Strategy, Cirium and featuring Harald Mehring, Chief Customer Officer at Diehl Aviation and Beth de Young, VP Business Development, Aircraft Interiors – Lease Customers at Safran, will debate the challenges and opportunities presented by the current market.
John Strickland, Director at JLS Consulting will be in conversation with senior level executives from key airlines including Tom Stevens, Director of Brand and Customer Experience at British Airways and Tonje Wikstrøm Frislid, Chief Executive Officer at Flyr, talking about their future strategies and how they have coped with the challenges of 2021.
Celebrating Women Behind Aviation
Following AIX’s successful Women Behind Aviation campaign in 2020, AIX Virtual will host a dedicated panel celebrating and highlighting the role of women working across the industry. Moderated by PAX Tech Editor Jane Hobson, this session will bring together a cross-section of women in senior roles in the aviation sector including Fadimatou Noutchemo Simo, Founder of Young African Aviation Professional Association; Karyn McAlphin, Design Director at Sekisui Kydex; Erin "Elle" Lear, Executive Sales Director for Jet Token and Founder of Jet Blondie, and Jane Hoskisson, Director Talent, Learning, Engagement & Diversity at IATA.
They will come together to discuss their career paths; current and future initiatives to improve both diversity in the workforce and leadership roles; plus immediate challenges for the industry to address. The all-female panel will discuss learnings from sectors outside aviation, role models and mentoring both for professional development and to encourage more women into aviation, along with the benefits that a diverse and gender-balanced workforce brings to corporate culture, innovation and the bottom line.
Design exchange between business and commercial
A session curated by Business Jet Interiors International magazine and moderated by the magazine’s editor, Izzy Kington, will explore what the business aviation and commercial airline markets can learn from each other to benefit cabin design. Experts including Tom Chatfield, CEO of Camber Aviation Management; Howard Guy, CEO of Design Q; and Andrew Muirhead, Head of OEM and Engineering services at Lufthansa Technik AG will come together to discuss innovations, trends and general lessons with cross-sector potential. They will explore the factors required to achieve a successful crossover; and if there is potential for a service level somewhere in-between the sectors. The session will outline the differences in how each market is structured, conventions in the design and outfitting process, customer requirements and more.
A more innovative future for aviation
Focusing on encouraging the startup ecosystem in aviation and how they can help achieve sustainability goals, we will welcome a panel of Crystal Cabin Award Winners and Sustainable Aero lab mentors. Moderated by Lukas Kaestner, Co-Founder, Sustainable Aero Lab, experts including Dr Achim Leder, Co-founder & CEO, Jetlite GmbH, Nico Buchholz, Aerospace Executive and Co-Founder of Flightlevel 500, Mentor at Sustainable Aero Lab and Omer Bar-Yohay, Founder and CEO of Eviation Aircraft, will come together to discuss how they have succeeded in such a challenging environment and what the road to success looks like.
Finally, AIX will also play host to the highly-anticipated Crystal Cabin Awards, world-renowned as the international prize for innovation in aircraft cabin design. These prestigious awards have been presented annually at Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg since 2007, and this year will take place during the virtual event on Wednesday September 15 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. CEST. A high-caliber jury made up of renowned academics, engineers, journalists and airline and aircraft manufacturer representatives will present the awards that aim to honor extraordinary cabin concepts and products.
"It’s incredibly exciting to announce the programme of AIX Sessions ahead of the virtual event in September," said Polly Magraw, Event Director at RX (Reed Exhibitions) in a mid-August press release. "Alongside the Passenger Experience Conference and Taste of Travel agenda at WTCE, the events educational programme is shaping up to be one no cabin interior professional can miss as we look ahead to recovery. We’re delighted to welcome so many industry experts, both familiar faces and new names, to discuss some of the most pertinent topics the aviation industry should be discussing to influence the future."
AIX and WTCE Virtual replace the live editions, which will not take place in 2021 due to the ongoing challenges and global restrictions on international travel. AIX and WTCE will return to Hamburg from June 14 to 16 next year at the Hamburg Messe.
PAX Tech and PAX International are proud media partners for AIX and WTCE Virtual
As proud Media Partners for the event, PAX International and PAX Tech will be distributing special digital editions of WTCE and AIX issues during the virtual show.
