Feedback From APEX TECH Attendees Indicates Very High Satisfaction
Share
APEX Insight: The APEX Technology Committee is using feedback from attendees to make upcoming events even more tailored to members’ needs.
Earlier this summer, thought leaders from APEX member companies gathered in Los Angeles to discuss technology issues critical to the aviation industry. More than 150 people attended the two-day event, including representatives from 10 airlines, making it the most well-attended APEX TECH in five years.
Highlights from the first day included speakers from Qatar, United, and Delta, a connectivity roadmap panel and a showcase of startups recommended by JetBlue Technology Ventures and El Al’s Cockpit. The second day focused on accessibility and addressed the standards and specifications that are being developed to facilitate the airline content delivery ecosystem.
RELATED Photo Album: APEX TECH 2017
In a survey handed out to attendees at the event, 94 percent of respondents rated their overall experience at the event as “excellent” or “good.” The results also indicated a very high level of satisfaction with the topics, presentations, venue and schedule.
“We need to be cognizant of the kind of topics that the membership tells us they want to hear about, while also ensuring that we cover subjects that they need to hear about. We believe that we can do both,” said APEX Technology Committee chair Michael Childers. “By having fees for single-day attendance we can accommodate those who see the most value in airline presentations as well as those who are more interested in getting into the technical weeds.”
The APEX Technology Committee has derived the following takeaways based on feedback from attendees:
1) Continue to have a strong speaker lineup from airlines on Day One, and strong technical topics on Day Two
2) Utilize airport hotels so long as the economics are favorable to make it easy to come and go efficiently
3) Deal with immediate issues, such as Working Group reports, as well as taking a long view five, ten and twenty years into the future
4) Schedule APEX TECH events in January and June rather than May and November
The next APEX TECH is scheduled to take place January 23-24 in Los Angeles. “Recent TECHs have tried to balance IFE and connectivity, and we hope to expand the range of technology topics to include additional passenger experience topics,” said Childers.