A change of events caused a change of decision.

Nothing more, nothing less. :=

Calling CASA!
 

I hate to have to say it, but.....

If CASA wants to do something to change the negative perceptions that surround it in the GA world, it has just been handed a golden opportunity....

Step in right now and become the major sponsor for Ozkosh and save the event.

Whatever it costs, it is a small part of your marketing communications budget and in terms of bang for buck you will never have a better opportunity to effectively change industry perceptions.

Spinex I locked the thread temporarily as I could see where it was heading and wasn't going to be available to mod for a few hours so I suggested people continue their discussion/look for info on facebook.

For the record I understand they are both good products but I am too much of a luddite to use either of them effectively so have no preference. If you want to accuse mods of vested interests go ahead but not on this BB.

The used to sponsor AusFly

Jaba, I trust that all the statements by the various parties are factual. And I think they don't contradict each other, but they are all talking about slightly different things. As I read the bare facts nothing OzRunways or RAAus has said contradicts or rebuts AvPlan's complaint:

1. For whatever reason past sponsors didn't seem prepared to support AirVenture 2017
2. Ozrunways stepped into the void and became prime sponsor.
3. AvPlan did not seek to take a sponsorship package - nor have I seen anything from them that complains about this.
4. The Avplan complaint is that they sought to take a commercial booth at AirVenture to represent their product in some way. This was rejected by AirVenture.
5. The agreement between OzRunways and Air Venture - which was leaked by one of the parties involved - precludes OzRunways competitors from taking a trade both at the show (as distinct from being a sponsor). One would assume that this prohibition would extend to include Jeppesen and AirServices Australia and possible Garmin - all of whom are OzRunways competitors in one way or another. I assume they have been smart enough that the contract not to single out AvPlan.

Personally, I find the prospect that you would exclude anyone from taking a trade booth or indeed giving them a speaking slot is extraordinary. I cant recall that I've ever attended an exhibition that has been like this. And you don't need to look any further than Airshows Downunder to see a whole patchwork of competitors with different levels of sponsorship, trade booths, speaking engagements, etc.

Australia is a small market and aviation is even a smaller community. OzRunways & AvPlan seem to have differentiated marketing that means (in my perception) they are not quire head to head. You need be able to abide with competitors.

I don't understand why you wouldn't let AvPlan have their trade booth. OzRunways has the upper hand with its major sponsorship. They could have made AvPlan look weak in comparison.

Instead everyone looks like petulant kids and the organisers look fractured.

Sorry for the full quote. But in the absence of a like or agree button I would like to say I like your post.

I sincerely hope that the event goes ahead despite all this.


Sunfish - I like your idea. Good PR, repair a few bridges perhaps. As long as they don't stuff it up by doing a gestapo ramp check effort like they do at Avalon.

I think OzRunways have just worked this out. Unfortunately it was a very public lesson.

Welcome to the power of social media, which can be extremely unforgiving when it comes to matters of a fair go.

I also struggle to believe all these references to OzRunways "generosity". It was a commercial decision to seek to block their competitor from exhibiting, and it was another commercial decision to pull out when the first decision turned out to be a poor one.

I have no skin in this game, but I have a pretty good bull**** detector.

Probably as well to ensure your version meshes with that of your colleague above, before reading things into what I wrote. I too have no strong preference, nor any affiliation with either - just an interested bystander infuriated by the powers that be, essentially opening their mouths to change feet, again.

Its a bit hypocritical to accuse one team of being evil, or malicious when they were offered a sponsor spot which they took. They were asked to cough up some more money which they did. Sounds like good business practice to me. The only reason they were allowed to 'win' on the day was because the other team forfeited their position. Cant complain about the reffing if you were not on the field in the first place.

All those having a go at Oz Runways perhaps should take a moment to reflect and consider directing their angst at their 'team' EFB for not supporting them in their industry by putting money forward for sponsorship.

I think there is a clear winner of who was willing to put money into this industry and who wasn't. If you are arguing semantics about whether Ozrunways got a pound of flesh for their deal, who cares... they were putting money into it when others weren't.

Dog

This has surfaced with 9 weeks to run to the event? Sounds like AvPlan got caught out being late to the party and are a little peeved.

Old Akro, your post is factual except for one thing, AvPlan have continued to claim they were never formally approached by Air Ventures for Sponsorship and in doing so make it out like they were shut out without being given the opportunity to participate.

OzRunways and now the SAAAs version sounds like they were given the opportunity and declined and then AvPlan decided to make themselves out to be the victims of some sort of backstabbing, this is the part that gets me agitated and is the part that has caused all the problems essentially.

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.

Could well be the case indeed, but then it makes me wonder if the initial phone call/email/smoke signals were along the lines of "Are you interested in sponsoring AVA?", "Nope", "Ok, thanks anyway" and that's the end of it so far as the AVA organisers are concerned.

If that is how it went down, I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised, but in saying that, AvPlan can't really complain they were never 'formally' asked to sponsor it if they knocked back an initial informal request to do so. Why then, would the organisers waste time sending paperwork to a company that may have already said no?

And, with everything now coming out, why have AvPlan not put their side of the story forward, instead sticking only with their "We were never formally asked" commentary? It is this silence, in conjunction with this statement that makes me wonder. I note they have since removed said comment from their FB feed, too....

Old Akro, all fair points and I bow to your experience and wisdom in such matters and to be perfectly honest, with your background, I suspect you know some of the players in this and perhaps a bit more about what are the possible going ons behind the scenes.

From a lay persons point of view this seems more like an Event than some sort of Trade Show or some such and I am curious as to why there would be any legal reasons as to why an event holder is unable to legally have an exclusive right to the show in return for their sponsorship? Is there an easy way to explain it? Someone brought up the analogy of say AFL Matches, sponsors such as Coca Cola or Four n Twenty having exclusive rights, I would have thought this would be similar to that?

Go to Oshkosh and try and buy a Coke... Pepsi yes and the opposition don't (or didn't) get a Guernsey!:ugh:

I am not involved, but having been the guy who ran it for years, and knowing all the players this is my take on it.

Both were formally and face to face offered. Avplan declined.

OzRunways stepped up and were not excluding but wanting to "moderate any competitive exhibitor" or something like that so they did not get hijacked. Think OSH or V8SC. I don't know what contracts were in place but this is the generalised I guess.

I do know leaking of a contract to non exhibitor and non organising groups happened and that is where the **** hit the fan. The leaker is the bad guy and not so much Avplan and OzRunways. The Avplan folk were not smart how they did this I might add and Bevan is a friend along with a couple of OzR guys. So no taking sides from me.

Everyone needs to direct there anger at the moron who did what he shouldn't have. No names but I am 100% sure who it was.....leopards don't change there spots and my guess is bankable for at least the value of a chocky frog. It will no doubt come out in the wash and if my hunch is correct I will be able to provide insight into it. They guy has form. Sadly.

Don't know if it's still the case, but EAA negotiated with the service providers and agreed on the price that customers would be charged, whether it be food, drink etc. It was Coke who had the concession in my day, and price was one third of what you would pay at a football game. The EAA emphasis was on the family and affordability, not price gouging, and EAA ensured providers did not use it as a grand profit making exercise.

Megan, you obviously are not very familiar with Oshkosh and it's operations and never been 'behind the scenes' as an exhibitor ?

Folks,
All very sad, and more than anything, a reflection of the parlous state of light aviation in Australia today.

Even more so, if we reflect on the "good old days" when NATFLY at Narromine over an Easter would attract over a 1000 aircraft, more than a third of them "conventional" GA aircraft, despite NATFLY being the annual gathering of RAOz (nee AUF).

Indeed, on one occasion, on the Saturday afternoon, I personally counted just under 600 aircraft on the ground at one time, almost 200 being GA aircraft. With swarms of aircraft in the air.

There is plenty of blame to share around, that such a gathering now seems impossible in Australia. This current debacle is just the current manifestation.

Short sighted local councils, various "alphabet soup" organisations lacking effective imagination and ambition, financially debilitated industry players due to to the decline of the sector, and, of course, our friends CASA spreading "Joy thru' Enforcement", scaring flying visitors away (just like recent Avalons) with rampant ramp checks.

Tootle pip!!