Northwest Florida—Florida’s Great Northwest (FGNW) led a local delegation to the Farnborough International Airshow in mid-July aiming to attract aerospace companies to consider Northwest Florida as a prime location for aviation business success. FGNW was a host sponsor of the SelectFlorida Pavilion and was surrounded by other major aerospace players in Florida, including two Pensacola-based companies, Paradigm Parachute & Defense and Viewpoint Systems.
The Farnborough International Airshow has been the international forum for the aerospace and defense industry since 1948. This year's airshow featured 1,200 companies from 44 countries and over 74,000 visitors from 102 countries.
FGNW’s objectives at the show were to focus on maintaining and growing our deep network within the industry by meeting with key decision-makers to promote Northwest Florida’s aerospace climate and opportunities for business growth and success. In addition to at least 25 one-on-one meetings, FGNW joined the four-state Aerospace Alliance as a corporate partner to host nearly 400 executives, community leaders, and industry players for a special event before the airshow.
Economic developers have a long history of participating in international air shows because they offer countless prime opportunities to meet high-level aerospace executives in one location. Nearly every major aerospace company, including board chairs and CEOs, attends the event. Because of the show's prominence and Northwest Florida’s position in the growing Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor, FGNW has a laser-focused strategy around these events.
"The Northwest Florida delegation made a strong impression about the region to company executives at the Farnborough International Airshow," said Jennifer Conoley, President and CEO of Florida's Great Northwest. “Our region's success and growth depend on these opportunities to engage with aerospace company executives and showcase our story. We were proud to collaborate with local and state partners to ensure that our presence at the show was impactful and beneficial for our region."
Florida’s Great Northwest is the regional economic development organization for the 13-county region of the Florida Panhandle. The organization's purpose is to promote Northwest Florida for economic growth and diversification, to advocate for economic development issues that affect the region and to collaborate to improve regional competitiveness. Beyond our beaches, Northwest Florida offers business competitive, bottom-line advantages in workforce training, upgraded infrastructure, access to a host of defense assets and a diverse base of industries that already call the region home. For more information, visit FloridasGreatNorthwest.com and find us on social.
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