The Aerolink Events: A Success Story!
The first Aerolink event took place in 2004, as a relatively small meet-the buyer event, with a conference and small exhibition showcasing 'aerospace excellence'. From those humble beginnings with just over 100 delegates attending, Aerolink has grown into one of the most important dates in the UK aerospace calendar. The 2008 event saw almost treble the number of attendees from that first year, and the event has transformed into something so much more than 'just a meet-the-buyer'.
We have worked very hard to make sure the event is providing what our delegates need, and as the aerospace industry has changed over time, so has Aerolink. While there is still a large focus on purchasing and buying needs, the 2007 and 2008 events saw many of the OEMs and Primes attending with Technical and R&D teams as well as Purchasing representatives. This has enabled these companies to meet with suppliers and discuss not only current sourcing requirements, but also future needs and take advantage of innovative ideas brought to the table by forward thinking suppliers.
2008 saw further changes take place. For the first time we offered the opportunity to not only meet with 'buyers' but for companies to meet with anyone else there at the event. We were very pleased to see this become a popular option, with many delegates choosing to meet with other companies horizontal to them in the supply chain - to discuss collaborations, find partners for new ideas and ventures and to identify new business opportunities. Business is no longer only 'handed down' from the OEMs and Primes, and Aerolink Wales & West provides a vital chance to meet with like-minded companies to uncover where opportunities may lie for your company.
2008 & 2009 also saw a number of delegates from 'outside the industry' attend. With the ever increasing convergence between the motorsport and aerospace sectors, we saw opportunities present themselves for aerospace companies in the automotive field, and vice-versa. Perhaps more surprisingly there were also relationships formed between aerospace companies and those in the virtual environment field, medical industry and even the dairy industry. Aerolink events are as much about innovation and knowledge transfer as it is about buying & selling, we don't see business opportunities as being limited to selling to the buyers who are there, the event is focused on opportunities, not just selling components.
The 2010 & 2011 events continued in the same succesful manner, continuing to provide real opportunities to meet with other companies that have opportunities to work together. With new representatives from companies who had not previously attended, even more new opportunities were uncovered than ever before.
We are looking forward to the 2012 event, working for the first time with WEAF as well as the Aerospace Wales Forum, and providing our attendees with even more opportunities than ever before. Working with WEAF will give our pool of attendees more breadth and depth, and the opportunities for both WEAF and AWF members at the event, in both Major companies, and smaller ones will increase as a result.
With Purchasing, Research and Technical, Engineering and Innovation representatives from some of the best known companies in Aerospace and Defence, as well as a host of other organisations with opportunities they wish to discuss, 2012 is shaping up to be the biggest and best Aerolink yet, and we continue to strive to provide our attendees with the value for money, quality experience that Aerolink events have always provided
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