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 may have been a flagship event. The effort was made to keep it floating as the combination of a battleship and an aircraft-carrier while a missile firing destroyer would perhaps be more appropriate nowadays. EBAA’s now stands before an unforgiving jury asking can the organization actually deliver a new concept?

Feasibility is a strategic necessity and the truth serum of a project. It tells one whether a brilliant idea is a gold mine or a beautifully wrapped disaster. It is the difference between insight and wishful thinking. Without it, one is wandering into the jungle with a blindfold and a prayer. It is a decision instrument, 

 A feasibility study of a new EBACE is the flight test of EBAA’s ambition. It is the cockpit display for executives and the pre‑flight ritual of serious operators. It is the first act of leadership, the moment when it is decided whether an idea deserves runway clearance or belongs back in the hangar. EBAA must treat feasibility the way aviators treat weather: with respect, with data, and with the calm authority of people who understand that altitude rewards discipline, and ambition deserves rigor. A feasibility study is the discipline that determines whether a project lifts off or fails to leave the apron.

 A feasibility study should never be assigned to the same people who are emotionally invested in the project’s success, not the marketing team, not the event planners, not the founders. It is ideally assigned to an independent, multidisciplinary team. 

 For an aviation conference, the ideal team blends aviation industry analysts, event‑economics specialists, and commercial strategists. It requires market‑intelligence expertise. The feasibility team should include a brand & narrative strategist who is critical because conferences compete on identity, not just logistics. The narrative determines sponsor buy‑in and signature rituals and positioning drive long‑term adoption.

 Independence matters because a feasibility study must be objective, data‑driven and unbiased by internal enthusiasm. If the same people who want the conference would also evaluate feasibility, the study becomes no more than a sales pitch, instead of a decision tool.

 EBAA is now sitting with the shambles of EBACE because it never had an exit plan. Founders often assume success and avoid thinking about endings. Many believe planning an exit signals lack of commitment. In reality, it signals professionalism and foresight. It is not as an appendix or afterthought. It is a governing principle. Most plans, be it in conferences, business or even politics, fail to include an exit plan.

 Why? It is called founder myopia or optimism bias. Founders fall in love with the launch and romanticize the climb and forget the descent. Rarely does anyone ask the hard question: How does this end? It is the fear of looking disloyal. Many founders believe planning an exit signals weakness. In truth, it signals maturity. An exit plan is the parachute one hopes one never needs but cannot fly without. A project without an exit strategy is like a pilot without a landing plan. One may take off beautifully, soar magnificently, but sooner or later, gravity wins.

 EBACE didn’t have an exit strategy, someone else may now plan it for them. AERO maybe?