Some 800 aviation representatives, government officials, business and academic leaders, and top industry professionals will descend on Seoul to participate in the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference, and Exhibitions, slated for May 26-28, to discuss the theme “Serving the Customer And the Community.”
Incheon International Airport Corp. will host the annual event at COEX in southeastern Seoul.
It is the first time for Korea to host the ACI World Annual General Assembly, dubbed the “World Airport Olympics,” which is an annual meeting of the Airports Council International (ACI), the global trade representative of the world’s airports. In particular, the 2014 ACI World General Assembly will coincide with the 2014 ACI Asia-Pacific General Assembly. Roughly 800 representatives in the global airport industry from 72 countries, including people form the world’s airports, international organizations, businesses, and academia, are expected to participate in the event.
As associations of airports, AOCI made its debut in 1948, followed by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) and the Airport Associations Coordinating Council (AACC). ACI was established in 1991 as a merger of the bodies to represent the voices of the global airport industry and the communities they service.
ACI holds its annual world and regional general meetings to discuss major issues of the global airport industry and advances diverse airport-related policies. It also offers high-quality, comprehensive airport training solutions on safety, leadership, operation, management, security, and other fields, including the Airport Executive Leadership Program (AELP). ACI operates the Developing Nations Airport Assistance and the ACI Fund for financing the program to raise standards around the world. It has been implementing the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Program, dubbed “the Nobel Prize of the airport industry,” annually since 1993 as an initiative to help airports improve the quality of service.
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A nocturnal view of Incheon International Airport.
Over the two-day conference between May 27-28 under the theme “Serving the Customer and the Community,” delegates will hear from top airport and industry experts who will share their experience and knowledge through dynamic presentations and interactive panel discussions.
Jointly organized by ACI World and ACI Asia-Pacific, and hosted by Incheon International Airport Corp., the conference will gather aviation experts from all five ACI geographical regions to reach solutions on mastering the art of leadership; achieving customer service excellence; reaching a sustainable balance between economic regulation and airport investment; learning best practices and emerging trends in ensuring the continuity of service; and finding strategies to facilitate growth and maximize revenues from air cargo. The conference consists of five sessions: “Leadership: The Art of Herding Cats!,” “The Drive to Customer Ser-vice Excellence,” “Reaching a Sustainable Balance,” “Resilience: Best Practices and Emerging Trends,” and “Making the Case for Cargo.”
The event features an exhibition that will bring together airports, service providers, and aviation-related businesses to showcase their latest infrastructure developments, technologies, products, and services. In addition, the exhibition hall will teem with educational workshops and special VIP events, providing excellent networking and learning opportunities.
The social highlight will occur on the evening of May 27 with the Gala Dinner, which will feature special entertainment as well as the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards and the Director General’s Roll of Excellence ceremonies. Incheon International Airport, which topped the global ranking in the 2013 ASQ awards for the ninth consecutive year, this time will be honored with the Asia-Pacific Top Award and the Mid- and Large-size Airport Top Award. Traditional Korean troupes and K-Pop performers, to be led by “Little Psy,” will perform, boosting the festive mood.
Speakers and panelists at this year’s World General Assembly include Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president of the council, International Civil Aviation Organization; Declan Collier, CEO of London City Airport; Acting President & CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) Choi Hong-yeol; Tan Sri Bashir, managing director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad; Thomas Windmuller, senior vice president for Airport, Passenger, and Cargo Services, International Air Transport Association; Lee Kwang-soo, CFO of Incheon Intern-ational Airport Corporation; Jonathan Astill, director of international affairs, NATS; Luc Partoune, director general of Lige Airport; Mark Whitehead, CEO of Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited; and many more.
The side events of the ACI World Annual General Assembly include the ACI World Human Resources Forum, ACI Safety Forum, ACI World Business Partners (WBP) Meeting, and Scholarship Rece-ption.
The ACI World Human Resources Forum is a meeting of CEOs from major global airports, including Montreal, Munich, and Sydney airports, and is designed to discuss ways of utilizing human resources in the global airport industry.
At the ACI Safety Forum, ACI and member airports will discuss the Airport Excellence (APEX) in Safety program to raise other airports’ safety standards. A representative of Incheon Airport, which serves as the chair of the ACI Asia-Pacific Safety Committee, will speak on the airport’s provision of aviation safety technology to Jakarta Airport and Guwahati Airport in India.
The ACI WBP Meeting is a gathering of airport-related businesses and airport authorities to discuss pending issues and exchange information. Some 500 member companies in management consulting, ground airport operation, safety, IT/communications, construction, and other sectors will participate in the program.
“It is a sincere privilege for Incheon Airport to host the 2014 ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Conference & Exhibition in Seoul,” said IIAC President Choi. “International air transport has experienced tremendous changes in recent years. This year’s event will present a clearer picture of these changes and may suggest better ways for mutual cooperation. We are confident that it will mark a solid step forward in our future cooperation and mutual growth.”
“I am delighted to welcome delegates from all over the world to the 9th ACI Asia-Pacific/ World Annual General Assembly,” said Patti Chau, Regional Director of ACI Asia-Pacific. “This annual conference is an established event dedicated to addressing emerging and challenging topics in the airport business. The industry has evolved in recent years. Asia-Pacific is now the region with the highest growth potential. Airports in the region are facing the challenge of managing growth, yet maintaining a high level of customer service. The theme for this year’s event, ‘Serving the customer and the community,’ is particularly appropriate as airports work to find new ways of competing on a global scale.”
“ACI World is pleased to partner this year with ACI Asia-Pacific for the 2014 ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly,” said Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World. “Home to over 10 million people and a major economic and cultural center, Seoul is a fitting venue for this year’s World Annual General Assembly. Incheon International Airport, having serviced over 41 million passengers in 2013, is an equally appropriate host, exemplary of the exciting airport developments taking place in the Asia-Pacific region at large. We look forward to welcoming worldwide industry professionals as we explore ways in which airports can continue to better serve passengers and the community at large.”
The event will serve as an opportunity to give insight into the Asia-Pacific airport industry, which will emerge as a center of growth momentum in the future. The region saw passengers surge 7.4 percent last year, compared to the global average growth rate of 4 percent, according to an ACI provision. Incheon, Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Shanghai airports ranked in the global top 10 in terms of passenger and cargo transportation.
Korea’s hosting of the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly, Con-ference, and Exhibitions shows the nation’s high standing in the global airport industry. Korea was elected a member of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) last year, retaining its position as a council member for a 14th year.
Incheon International Airport has made strides with an annual average growth rate of 6.4 percent since its opening 13 years ago. The airport’s hosting of the extravagant meeting in the global airport industry will likely solidify its global standing in the field. The airport plans to enhance its brand value by successfully hosting the event and strengthening its global network with other airport businesses.
