Heli Expo 2016 locale and concerns [Archive]

grumpytroll

7th May 2015, 01:13

The Louisville Slugger baseball bat factory is downtown. Fascinating tour and pretty nice museum. You can buy a personalized bat (your very own signature). Yes, there are some amazing and lovely hotels along the river that cater to the horse race crowd etc. Cincinnati, KCVG is close but no longer a powerhouse Delta hub. Indianapolis is not far if you want to drive in to the city. Fly in to Lexington, rent a car and drive through the beautiful and famous horse country. Visit Fort Knox. Its certainly not Vegas but I bet the price reflects that. It could work. Whats wrong with a short layover in Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas or Atlanta etc? Louisville from any of these stops is a short flight. I have to agree it is an unusual choice but again, the cost might have a lot to do with it. Try a new experience. See more of America than the trip from the megahub to your hotel. Having said all that, Phoenix would be a dandy place that time of year.

longbox

7th May 2015, 06:39

Won't the weather be not too great at that time of year, maybe preventing aircraft getting onto the stand and any demos, we thought it was an odd decision when it was announced at this years event

heli1

7th May 2015, 17:48

It's cheap!

Jarvy

9th May 2015, 09:15

The weather can be a bit hit or miss. As to flights most Americas are used to changing flights. Easy from Europe via New York, Detroit or Chicago. But I won't be going anyway as it really only a trade fair.

rick1128

9th May 2015, 14:01

While price may have been a factor, Venues large enough to accommodate HeliExpo are few and far between. Also getting away from the Plastic worlds of California and Florida is a welcomed change.

chopper2004

24th Jan 2016, 20:45

A month to go, so whose definitely going from here? :) I will be there for sure digs booked albeit a tad further away from the event central (not out of choice )

Btw does anyone know if anything new will be unveiled revealed by any of the OEMs?

cheers

Gordy

24th Jan 2016, 20:52

I will be there.

Encyclo

24th Jan 2016, 22:34

Hey, it's south from where I live :E

I'll be there :cool:

EN48

24th Jan 2016, 23:31

Louisville in mid winter? What were they thinking? I cant get there from a major U.S. northeast city without considerable hassle so I wont be attending. (No direct flights, some connections with two changes, etc.)

helialan

25th Jan 2016, 03:06

Bad weather and no direct flights.
This will be the fist HeliExpo I will miss for 12 years.
A location well severed by international flights is essential

Blackhawk9

25th Jan 2016, 07:45

When I was at Heli Expo last year and saw it was Louisville, I looked at the weather at the time and it was snowing, that killed it for me on the spot, will wait till next year in Dallas, direct flt from Australia.

PANews

25th Jan 2016, 10:15

I booked my flight and hotel weeks ago .... and maybe I will need the snow boots.....

diethelm

25th Jan 2016, 16:19

Not going simply due to location.

Attendance numbers will be interesting with only 20 direct flights.

heli1

26th Jan 2016, 21:26

Hearing from many that aren't going this year,especially from Europe and other long distance travellers. Louisville not an attractive venue ,safety concerns and of course the weather are putting people off. Even US visitors are likely to be down...no big operators in the area either and so far xhobitor numbers down too.
The story goes that HAI were offered the venue free of charge or at least heavily subsidised and new marketing personnel have adopted a hard line policy to maximise income. Perhaps they've been taking lessons from Helitech ! Time will tell and not long to go.

Gordy

27th Jan 2016, 01:07

What are the "safety concerns"......?

heli1

27th Jan 2016, 14:28

Gordy...you need to ask with the present state of the world?

Gordy

27th Jan 2016, 16:46

Gordy...you need to ask with the present state of the world?

In general nope, but with reference to Louisville vs Orlando, or Anaheim, or Dallas etc then yes.

I had thought someone was concerned over the safety in the city of Louisville.

Chris P Bacon

27th Jan 2016, 18:31

Booked my flights earlier today and don't see any problem travelling from the UK.
in and out via Chicago is not to expensive and leaving London at 12:15, I will be in the hotel by 10pm local time.
Looking forward to getting the chance to see what Kentucky has to offer, as it is a part of the US I would not usually visit.

500guy

27th Jan 2016, 22:41

Louisville is not the safest city in the country, but neither are Vegas, Anaheim, Dallas, Orlando, Houston, or New Orleans (the other cities that have hosted in recent years) They stopped doing Miami 20 years ago after some attendees got robbed.

It is a pain for me heading west. I have two options for flights, both are crappy times, long layovers in Chicago or Atlanta, and expensive. However... I'm also looking forward to seeing a part of the country I've never spent any time in.

I travel Orlando, Vegas, LA, Dallas and Houston a few times a year each, so a change of scenery is welcomed.

rotorrookie

28th Jan 2016, 21:08

According to one HAI board member the city of Louisville just paid for it, to get Heli-Expo to the city, part of some new marketing plan for the city as suitable venue for conventions and expo's.
So if it wont be total disaster Louisville is going to stay..... money talks
You guys just have to get marinaded in Bourbon :ugh::E

hookes_joint

10th Feb 2016, 22:24

Looking forward to the show. Rented a beautiful 4 bedroom house by the expo center on Airbnb for the price of a small hotel room in Dallas. Having done a lot of Powerline construction and Aerial Saw work in Kentucky over the years, I think everybody will enjoy the area!! Especially the bourbon fans

heli1

12th Feb 2016, 11:17

I hear at least one Company is planning to tour it's US customers after the show because so many have said they're not. A 13-14 hour flight just to get home with a long wait enroute will require a lot of bourbon to make it enjoyable!

PANews

18th Feb 2016, 09:18

I do not recall HAI still pushing to fill vacant spaces among the exhibits this late in the process......

Today this landed in my In Box....

In less than one month, the Champions of Vertical Aviation will land in Louisville, KY, the City of Champions. Have you secured your exhibit space?

Join us at HAI HELI-EXPO 2016 to:
• Discover new business opportunities in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast marketplaces
• Showcase your brand and your products to thousands in the international aviation industry
• Embrace the excitement of a new HAI HELI-EXPO destination: Louisville, KY!
• Foster strategic partnerships with industry professionals from around the globe
Exhibit space is currently being assigned on a first-come, first-served basis

Have I just not noticed late marketing before.... or have they got lots of extra space this year?

Isn't there usually a queue for space cancellations.

longbox

18th Feb 2016, 12:56

I will be there, on the Bell stand for the duration. Agree flights etc are not ideal, but lets hope its still a good show. Come by and say hello, probably best to ask for Gary not Longbox

heli1

18th Feb 2016, 16:48

PA News..Some companies aren't going...others like Airbus have reduced their space....and some like long box have no choice!

KiwiNedNZ

18th Feb 2016, 18:09

PANews

18th Feb 2016, 23:57

Weather forecast for the Sunday - Golf day - is snow.

Not too bad getting there from down here. Air NZ to Houston, then connection to Louisville, or via Sydney to Dallas then flight to Louisville.

For those attending Heli Expo stop by our HeliOps booth and grab one of the 100th Issue Anniversary posters we are giving away.

http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh627/HeliOpsMag/PprunePoster_zpsglfskv81.jpg (http://s1255.photobucket.com/user/HeliOpsMag/media/PprunePoster_zpsglfskv81.jpg.html)

In that case it's going to be a shock to the system after the last week in Singapore!
The few days layover in the UK will sort out that before I head west brrrrr!
And before anyone rushes to Singapore for a warm up this coming week be aware the rain has now started and is not expected to cease anytime soon!

rick1128

20th Feb 2016, 14:24

Ned,

Real golfers golf in the snow. That's why they make orange golf balls.

chopper2004

20th Feb 2016, 18:59

https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USKY1096:1:US

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g209/longranger/longranger029/Untitled_zpsl460wwbw.jpg

cheers

heli1

21st Feb 2016, 11:25

Snow eh? That should screw up flights coming in through the east coast!

Thracian

21st Feb 2016, 13:05

Ned, you won't possibly be able to send one of those posters to the same address where you already sent that beautiful calendar to?

Madrid for sure would love such a gesture
;-)

Thracian

longbox

22nd Feb 2016, 14:20

Latest weather forecast looks to be a little better, rainy, cold but no snow!

PANews

3rd Mar 2016, 11:34

Well the predictions of those that said that this would be a weather disaster were way off the mark [although I have yet to punch out] and the weather - such as it was way worse in the UK than here.

Travel was no worse than some other locations. A flight connection is a flight connection and lots of people have to endure those for every edition of HAI.

But the event is sick.

As noted by others above lots of people did not make the journey and the footfall was well down. There will be a ready market in event specific bags ... you just take as many as you want... no need for a tear off slip of paper here.... We can only hope that the 'right' people were here for the exhibitors..... The books and guides are pulp.....

For they, the exhibitors may well not be happy.

It has come to light that the whole vast hall was given free to HAI and I have come across no-one that disputes that claim. But from the depths of the exhibitors have been a claim that rates this year are 10% up on last year. That may be a one off but the claim is floating out there. Where is there an inflation rate of 10%?

So on the basis of claim and rumour it seems that HAI did not pass on any of their windfall to their members.

But in the end what matters is whether good business was done.

And, even in these days of oil recession, it seems they did do good business .... so if they did indeed get it wrong ... this will all be forgotten and HAI forgiven.

As for the people of Louisville? First class. Welcoming and friendly.

longbox

3rd Mar 2016, 21:56

I agree, the weather has been pretty poor, it affected the amount of demo flights we could do. Really cold! I found day one busy but not the normal, day two quieter and today pretty empty.
We signed for two aircraft and a PGB plan and other regions had signings. A few Brits on the stand, a lot of Irish, but mainly locals.
I have heard that it is contracted to be here three times over the next 10 years, so there will be more to come!

nigelh

3rd Mar 2016, 22:28

My daughter is there and is coming to get a drink off you !! I told her customers get free drinks all night long ...
Ps. When is the 505 coming to UK ??

TwoStep

3rd Mar 2016, 23:19

Was told by HAI people today that the deal to hold it three times over the next 10 years hasn't been inked, so may not happen. Dallas in 17 and Vegas in 18, not clear on 19 yet.

heli1

4th Mar 2016, 08:47

So have HAI published the visitor numbers for the first two days or,like Helitech last year , kept them quiet?

Encyclo

4th Mar 2016, 10:58

Some observations from someone who has been attending these for too long :}

1) As mentioned above, the welcome from the folks of Louisville was remarkable. More than once people came to me with thanks for being in the city they are very proud of.
2) With the TRUMP circus in town, :ugh: screwed up availability of taxis on Tuesday night. Waiting for 90 minutes for a cab after dinner was the low point of this trip.
3) Reduction of attendance was not very apparent. Still got good traffic & good business done.
4) Note to myself; bring warm clothes next time :ok:

All in all, happy with my week :cool:

Fly safe, always!

PANews

5th Mar 2016, 11:25

I can see HAI keeping the numbers quiet unless they can find a formula that truthfully gives a positive result!!!!

That issue of footfall does not really matter with these events - although all organisers will naturally trumpet them to the fore.

What matters is whether the individual exhibitors got value for their money out of the event. If they chose the product and venue well and they got customers as a result they will be happy. The presence of 10,000 tyre kickers and photographers means nothing if the [aviation specific] customers are absent - although such as the food vendors might have a different opinion on that.

The significant absence of many English language European media representatives will have an effect on the smaller traders getting some stories out there but the cascade of stories pumped out by the larger organisations will no doubt feed the pages of the newshounds for weeks to come.

As previously mentioned the overall winners at this event are likely to be the waste papers pulp merchants.:ugh:

Never Fretter

5th Mar 2016, 16:12

Didn't go but have seen these
Heli-Expo 2016 Photo Report/ (http://aerossurance.com/news/heliexpo-2016-photo-report/) and this 2016 Heli-Expo - Archive| Vertical Magazine - The Pulse of the Helicopter Industry (http://www.verticalmag.com/news/heliexpo_2016_archive)

snotcicles

5th Mar 2016, 19:20

Some observations from someone who has been attending these for too long :}
2) With the TRUMP circus in town, :ugh: screwed up availability of taxis on Tuesday night. Waiting for 90 minutes for a cab after dinner was the low point of this trip.
Fly safe, always!

The cabs there were pretty bad in both condition and service. A few guys I was with used the Uber app instead of cabs and we had a WAY better experience. Its no surprise why the guys that developed that are successful--its a way better option.

chopper2004

7th Mar 2016, 11:30

Couple of things

Hotels - not as many choices on the HAI approved list - all taken up pretty much by Oct last year. Also too spread out with events and parties from the different OEMS spread out. I know quite a few peeps and friends ended up renting houses.

One cab driver told me that he and his buddies did not like the convention shuttle buses as they took away their business.

Nontheless a trip downtown be between $20 and $30 , a few of my contacts and mates suggested the Uber....

Atmosphere was ok quite laid back alas the show did not have that many attendees as previous years. Maybe because the hall was more spread out, the booths themselves spread out such as the Airbus one. Interesting enough hardly any crowds around the Airbus Helicopter booth, more folks around Bell for those three days...

Saw Trump's 757 on the ramp as leaving the convention center :)

Friendly enough peeps but the city IMHO seemed a tad depressing, maybe it was the weather. Though admittedly when arrived at the weekend, it was quite warm, blue skies and sunny.

Myself like many others here went to the Meet and Greet brekkie where the Governor of the State and the Mayor were present on the podium. I wondered in spite of them paying for us / donating the convention center for free - how much was the actual cost at the end for those exhibiting.

cheers

krypton_john

8th Mar 2016, 18:36

Some observations from someone who has been attending these for too long :}
...
2) With the TRUMP circus in town, :ugh: screwed up availability of taxis on Tuesday night. Waiting for 90 minutes for a cab after dinner was the low point of this trip.
...

Did you try UBER?

Encyclo

10th Mar 2016, 11:31

Did try Uber and it showed up a few minutes after the regular cab, although the wait on it was about 15 minutes. Should have called them earlier.

PANews

12th Mar 2016, 10:47

I am not so sure that the HAI list hotels were as critical as suggested.

I booked one of the HAI list [Crowne Plaza Airport] via my local travel agent [it was marginally cheaper] late last year. It was from the Saturday. I assumed the hotel was then booked up as it was by far the closest hotel to the convention center.

But I was wrong.

In the meantime I booked an extra night [Friday] for one in my party as he was getting earlier than planned.

As I was sitting at Heathrow waiting to fly to Chicago I got a message from him that the original booking was missing. I had visions of being out of town or in some grotty alternative hotel.

A quick scrabble through the papers explained all. The top copy said Louisville KY but the back papers said St Louis MO. That's one hell of a commute. As it was Saturday I was able to call my travel agent and within the hour they confirmed a 'new' booking same hotel [2 rooms] same period. On arrival I just took up my room but the money bit took some days to sort.

So even though it was the closest hotel it was not full and the disaster booking was repaired all too easily. I doubt that would happen in any other HAI Heli-Expo location in recent history.:\

Ian Corrigible

14th Mar 2016, 13:55

I can see HAI keeping the numbers quiet unless they can find a formula that truthfully gives a positive result
HAI now says that "some 14,000 (https://www.rotor.org/Publications/ROTORDAILY/tabid/843/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9693/categoryId/21/HAI-HELI-EXPO-2016-in-Louisville-a-Wrap.aspx)" attended the 2016 show, down from a pre-show forecast of "about 20,000 attendees (http://www.verticalmag.com/news/article/Take-a-video-tour-through-HAI-Heli-Expo-2016)."

For comparison:
Heli-Expo 2015 (Orlando) = 18,272 (https://www.rotor.org/magazine/rotor%20spring%202015/FLASH/data/26.html)
Heli-Expo 2014 (Anaheim) = 19,038 (http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/helicopters/heli-expo-2014-shows-strong-helicopter-market)
Heli-Expo 2013 (Vegas) = 20,393 (https://www.rotor.org/Publications/ROTORDAILY/tabid/843/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2086/HELI-EXPO-2013-Breaks-all-Records.aspx)
Heli-Expo 2012 (Dallas) = 19,023 (http://aviationweek.com/awin/hai-heli-expo-2012)
Heli-Expo 2011 (Orlando) = 16,019 (https://www.rotor.org/Publications/ROTORDAILY/tabid/843/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/6808/HAI-HELI-EXPO-2015-Resounding-Success-in-Sunshine-State.aspx)
Heli-Expo 2010 (Houston) = 15,243 (https://www.rotor.org/magazine/2010%20spring%20Rotor/index.html)
Heli-Expo 2009 (Anaheim) = 17,995 (http://www.verticalmag.com/news/article/heli-expo-2009-a-resounding-success-.html)
Heli-Expo 2008 (Houston) = 17,373 (http://www.verticalmag.com/news/article/heli-expo-2009-a-resounding-success-.html)
Heli-Expo 2007 (Orlando) = 14,806 (http://www.avionews.com/index.php?corpo=see_news_home.php&news_id=1071360&pagina_chiamante=index.php)
Heli-Expo 2006 (Dallas) = 16,628 (http://www.ihst.org/Portals/54/Partners/India/M.%20ZUCCARO%20IHST%20INDIA%20CONFERENCE%206-12-06%20FINAL.ppt)

(Prior year figures here (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/356404-hai-heli-expo-2009-a.html#post4632482))

I/C