50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Aviation Posts by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert

What the European Business Aviation community now needs most

A feasibility study!  It is the discipline that turns vision into victory. A feasibility study, that is the moment of brutal honesty before the romance of execution. It is the disciplined act of asking, “Should we do this?” before anyone wastes a euro or dollar proving that we shouldn’t. A feasibility study takes a concept and strips it of wishful thinking. Hope is not a strategy, and enthusiasm is not a business model. EBACE as well as EBAA may have to be reinvented. EBACE once m...

The European business aviation conference revolution

This is about redefining what a top aviation event can be without competing with other aviation events. Creating a summit worthy of its orbit and positioning itself as the "State of Business Aviation" where attendance is exclusive. A must-participate attend event that is intimate yet global, curated for select participants, and designed to make a lasting impact.  One will never become an eagle by thinking like a chicken. Controversy frequently fosters advancement. Provocative approache...

EBAS, formerly EBACE, to be held in Cannes in 2027?

EBACE was the flagship event of EBAA. A flagship event is an organization's main, most significant and high-profile gathering that defines and strengthens its brand reputation.  A flagship is the ship that says: “This is who we are at our best”. It is the operational and symbolic center of a fleet. The flagship is the most prestigious vessel that represents a brand publicly. The sinking of EBACE is a psychological blow to the European business aviation community and a strategic global...

EBACE, quo vadis?

Eagles soar because they always focus on their goal. One will never become an eagle by thinking like a chicken. Having said that, there is no approval for conferences with grotesque show characteristics, the gigantism, and the prohibitive costs. The eagle flies in the sky, but nests on the ground. Which brings us back down-to-earth to find the location bold enough to elevate the mission of a new-format European business aviation summit.  Conducting an analysis is similar to preparing a feasibili...

What will be Europe’s next major business aviation event?

It is an art to elevate an event above the common category of aviation events. The winning strategy will be Europe’s Business Aviation Transformation Summit. Europe’s Davos for Business Aviation, a summit that sets the altitude for the years ahead.  Rebrand the event category. Stop using the C for convention and the E for exhibition. Replace them with the S for summit. A summit is the highest point of achievement or a high‑level meeting between leaders. Baptize the event to EBAS,...

EBACE – a brand that died because it mistook tradition for strategy

A brand that rests on its laurels may eventually find itself sitting on a corpse. EBACE was treated as a legacy institution rather than a product competing in a changing market. The event became a high‑cost ritual instead of a high‑value platform. The clearest mistakes made were strategic misreads of industry sentiment, failure to adapt the show’s cost/value equation, slow response to competitive pressure, and late, reactive restructuring.  Let’s knock off the symposium and get back to...

Why fiction feels more honest than real life

I am the author of incisive articles, commentaries and interviews. Yet, in contrast, I also write fictional stories about fictitious people. I know the difference between both worlds and if you ask me: “Are people in a fictitious world acting more real, than people in the real world as time progresses?” Then my answer is that real life is indeed becoming increasingly artificial. Fictional worlds often feel more authentic because they preserve genuine human qualities. Fictional characters show em...

Renewal, a new Caribbean tourism concept

The Caribbean will make Renewal certain, and Renewal will be the new status symbol. The Caribbean sets a new global standard of restorative luxury. Luxury that gives you your life back. The Caribbean concept where science, ritual, and climate restore what the world has taken. Those may become the headlines in the media and tourism promotion. But there must be substance behind those appealing catchlines. That is where thinking and action begins. Yet, only a handful of places in the region can car...

Caribbean St. Tosia becomes a situation comedy

A weary U.S. mid-career TV producer arrives in St. Tosia expecting a small, simple assignment about island artisans. After fifteen years in Los Angeles’ formulaic situation comedy development hell, rewrites, canceled pilots, he’s numb to creativity. But St. Tosia hits him like a tropical storm. He discovers a vibrant island culture, unexpected comedic talent and natural humor. Inspired by the locals’ daily lives and wit, he ends up creating a story which transforms into international hit sitcom...

St.Tosia government has introduced Artificial Intelligence

While governments worldwide remain hesitant and cautious about the use of A.I. and its regulation, Saint Tosia in the Caribbean took decisive action and officially established a Ministry of Artificial Intelligence (MAI), setting a global example for governments and governmental organizations. St. Tosia stands out in the Caribbean for its matchless Tosiatic exceptionality. The island has always embraced the future on its own terms and is now marking a new chapter in the nation’s proud legacy of a...

Cdr. Bud Slabbaert
Cdr. Bud Slabbaert
Country France
City Saint-Martin
Posts 69
Experience 2571 days
About me:

Initiator at CARIBAVIA and RIVIERAVIA conferences.

A Specialist in Strategic Communication – i.e. communicating essential information to selected audiences and to ensure that the communication is noticed by the senses, sticks in the mind, and affects the thinking, behavior, or activities of the audience.

Combine this with his current activities as event organizer, award judge, author, editor, columnist, copy writer, and you may conclude that he is a source of power for corporate communication.