New Dates for 2021 APEX/IFSA EXPO Announced
Share
Following the Biden administration’s announcement that the US will lift its travel ban on visitors from the UK, India, China, Brazil and most of Europe in early November, APEX/IFSA EXPO 2021 will take place from November 30 to December 2.
To allow more APEX members to attend the first in-person APEX/IFSA EXPO since 2019, the three-day event has been postponed from October 19 until November 30. The location, which is the Long Beach Convention Center in California, remains the same, as does the event’s schedule that includes a thought leadership conference and breakout sessions as well an awards ceremony.
After lobbying hard for the US to lift its travel restrictions on the EU, which included writing a letter to President Biden to argue why the blanket ban should be lifted, APEX is delighted to offer the opportunity for more aviation professionals, including airline CEOs, executives, suppliers and decision-makers to connect face-to-face for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Joe Leader, APEX/IFSA CEO, explained, “In our push, I emailed The White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients almost daily, pausing out of respect for the focus on Afghanistan. The unique element that APEX brought to the table was the humanitarian issues of so many passengers caught on the wrong side of the border. That, alongside the logic of increasingly vaccinated travel, finally caused The White House to make the change.”
Following a survey of airlines and suppliers already committed to attending APEX/IFSA EXPO, the associations found that the date change is supported by 91% of airlines and suppliers. Furthermore, members that said they were previously unable to attend are already enquiring about taking part.
“As global member-based associations, APEX and IFSA are excited to host an EXPO that allows for participation of all our members around the world,” said Lauren Costello, Executive Director, APEX/IFSA. “APEX and IFSA are innovative and collaborative communities, and connecting in-person is long overdue. We are excited to host the first in-person aviation event of the year that will allow APEX and IFSA members to come back together with the common goal of rebuilding and strengthening the industry.”
For more information about the event, read this article or visit the APEX/IFSA EXPO microsite. The rules to ensure all staff and delegates’ health safety will still apply.