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 future business. Let’s not do a post‑mortem but rather architect a new category of aviation convening. The previous failure resulted from the use of an obsolete format. Therefore, it needs a completely new event architecture - not a reboot. A summit that is designed for the next 10 years, not the last 10. Leading an industry is building the stage on which its future is performed. The new summit must answer one question: “Where is European aviation going next?” If it cannot answer that, it has no right to exist.

 As it already has proven not to be an ace anymore, forget about the ‘BACE’ and simply call it what it is supposed to be. Call it a ‘SUMMIT’ for a new start. Reinvent. Instead of a three-ring big tent circus, the new European summit shall become a compass for an industry that directs to somewhere that feels like the future – a business aviation transformation summit. An event where professionals come to decide the industry’s future, not to collect brochures. The summit’s story worth repeating must be simple and powerful: “This is where Europe decides the future of flight.” Everything—branding, staging, programming—must reinforce this.

 If loyalty is desired, give people ownership. Give OEMs, operators, airports, and innovators a seat at the table. Let them shape the next summit’s architecture. Make OEMs feel like partners, not tenants. Build an Exhibitor Council with real power and real influence - not advisory or symbolic. 

 When anchor OEMs don’t participate because of lack proportional business value, the event’s gravitational center collapses. OEMS are not interested in showing off with palaces at an exhibition. Their purpose of attending is to sell aircraft. In fact, anyone participating is looking for ‘what’s in it for me?’ which translates into more sales, more contracts, deals.  The narrative is oxygen and not suffocating smoke screens. The experience must be transformed into something worthy of the price by increasing value.

 Unite regulators, operators, and innovators in scheduled meetings. Aviation only moves when these three tribes speak to each other. Maybe create a European Aviation Leadership Forum —the summit’s brain. High stakes. Outcome-driven. They may be a closed-door sessions for EASA, Eurocontrol, CAAs (Civil Aviation Authorities), operators, airports, OEM strategy teams. Scheduled press briefings afterwards. This may become a new center of gravity.

 Create a soapbox space and a memorable ritual that differentiates the summit from others. Using a wooden soap crate as makeshift platform for public speaking. Name it “The Lightning Forum” or “The Open Floor”. It introduces unfiltered, high‑energy, participant‑driven expression into an environment that is usually structured. Transform it from a gimmick into a participatory intelligence tool. A soapbox can be a pressure‑release valve or a creativity engine. It works brilliantly when the conference aims to capture authentic sentiment about a theme, the industry or the future. The speaker can take a strong stance on an issue, and its value lies in building confidence, clarity of thought, and the ability to mobilize others. The attending media representatives may love an impromptu speech where a person expresses a strong opinion on an aviation issue.

 There are many options to redesign a new platform that stands out from any existing or previous meetings. The new business aviation summit should be a benchmark for futurist ideas. Industry professionals from all segments of the industry can shape forthcoming possibilities. Their mindset should not treat the future as fixed but rather as a set of probabilities that can be shaped. The most forward-thinking professionals will agree that fostering innovation drives profitability, sustainability, and resilience and is essential for survival.

 What will be the best location? “If you want aviation to feel extraordinary, host it somewhere extraordinary.” I know of a premium location that may be the only European city where the aviation summit feels like a global amphitheater, and not a regional obligation. It scores high in airport proximity, cinematic potential, luxury ecosystem, global brand power, hospitality capacity and multimodal access. Deals happen there because the people who make them, already live there or fly through there. Don’t be too curious. Proverbial curiosity kills the cat. Let’s leave location open for later further reflections.