On June 12-14 the 3rd annual Caribbean Aviation Meetup conference will be held at the Atlantis Resort on the Bahamas. The event is hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation of the Bahamas.

The conference concept is different and unique. Last year it was named "one of the best aviation forums in this part of the world" and already has proven to be most significant conference of its kind in the Caribbean. The emphasis of this results and solutions-oriented communication platform is on airlift. Airlift does not just refer to stakeholders in the aviation industry but also to those in the tourism industry as well as to government agencies. The Caribbean islands are up to 85% depending on tourism revenue. Airlift is crucial for the region. Flying matters are complicated in the region with its 20 plus territories and an extensive number of different jurisdictions, and yet there is no 'Open-Sky'.

The presentation topics are chosen for the purpose of creating opportunities and realistically improving the way the Caribbean air transportation functions and to related tourism matters. Five presentation examples from the program:

"Competitiveness through Improved Air Connectivity"

"Airlift; The Caribbean's Interstate Highway System"

"Can Caribbean Carriers Stop Losing Ground?"

"Sustainable Tourism and Airport Development are the two Sides of the Same Coin"

"Nevis island; case study on making better decisions about marketing spending, maximizing return of investment, and growing efficiently"

In total there will be thirty presentations by speakers from 13 different countries and territories.

The speakers are selected mainly for their expertise, not particularly for their title or position in their organisation. Together these professionals have hundreds of years of practical in the aviation industry be it at airports, airlines, or other aviation service providers. As for those who hold a pilot license, the total of their flight hours goes in the hundreds of thousands. The value of the conference is about professionals bringing their knowledge and their active experience to the conference from which participants can learn and take action when they return home. Coming up with realistic suggestions for airlift improvements throughout the Caribbean region are a high priority; presenting statistics or making forecasts are of low importance.

The Bahamas is an excellent conference location. Many multinational companies have their representation for the Caribbean and Latin America 'next door' in Southern Florida. The nearby Miami airport is often an ideal international hub to fly to the Bahamas for the conference and on the return trip the US pre-clearance in Nassau is an advantage. A growing number of companies in the USA and Canada do have a serious interest to reach out to the Caribbean. For instance, this year, agencies of the Canadian government provide support around the event to establish business relations in the region for Canadian companies and create partnerships with the Caribbean and there may be a special focus on airport development and improvement as well as establishing government-to-government relationships.

The Caribbean Aviation Meetup is a conference with a vison. It is evolving from a pioneer startup to the full-fledged convention of the future, an extraordinary and outstanding event on the international conference calendar. Rather than having many small conferences by different industry segments, this platform envisions to bring all airlift stakeholders together to make their attendance more effective and efficient. It also avoids isolation of the various stakeholders and interest groups, and instead furthers the

Interaction and communication of professionals of various industry segments, who otherwise rarely have an opportunity meet and understand each other dilemmas as well as the opportunities and benefits of cooperation.

Contributed by Caribavia