Ixixly,
All I know is what I read in the various statements. What I read in the statements is at odds with what I see both OzRunways & AvPlan accused of.
I have not seen AvPlan complain of being locked out of sponsorship. They seem to be happy not being a sponsor.
But they say clearly that they wanted to participate by paying money to have a trade stand and are aggrieved that they were blocked from this.
I used to know the old Trade Practices Act better that all but a few specialist lawyers. I'm not very familiar with the new act, but prima facie this behavior would have been illegal under the old act and I suspect (but don't know) the new act also. I think AvPlan are justifiably aggrieved by this. I would be too. And if the boot was on the other foot, OzRunways.
AvPlan have made a statement that there were not FORMALLY approached about sponsorship. As I read their statement, this statement was not framed in the sense of a complaint.
I have run airshows, and car races. I have been marketing director for a major consumer brand and been a major sponsor of much bigger events than AirVenture. I've operated on both sides of sponsorship's. I know how it works. My guess would be that there were exploratory phone calls or meetings but that the follow-up of a formal package detailed in writing was never done. I would never make a decision until I had a sponsorship package formally detailed. I don't expect anyone else would.
Sponsorship's are commercial decisions. Its basically done with advertising funds. Event sponsorship must give better value than the same amount of money being spent on advertising and other marketing activities. If it does, there will be a queue of sponsors. If not there won't be.
From what I know of the people at both OzRunways and AvPlan they are good, honest people with good intent. I accept that the statements made by both are truthful, but I think many are reading meaning into both statements that goes beyond the words used.