HARTFORD, Conn., Sept. 24, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Greater Hartford, Conn.'s convention, business and hospitality leaders have spent the past two years preparing for one of the biggest and most prestigious conventions in the region's history. Next week, Thursday, October 4 through Saturday, October 6, the world's largest aviation association -- the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) -- will meet at the 540,000 sq. ft. Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford for its 2007 Expo. The Expo is general aviation's premier trade show and convention, and the public is welcome to attend.
"AOPA's Expo is expecting 10,000 attendees, and is projected to generate up to $10 million in revenue that will enrich our local economy," reports H. Scott Phelps, President of the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The long-range planning for AOPA's Expo has been the most detailed and extensive convention preparation in our region's experience. Attendees will stay at the Hartford Marriott Downtown -- AOPA's headquarters hotel -- and at close to a dozen other hotels in Hartford and the surrounding suburbs."
"One reason AOPA selected Hartford is because there are 33,000 pilots within 100 miles of the Capital City," Phelps explains. "Bradley International Airport will designate one runway expressly for AOPA members' small aircrafts arrivals and departures, and those planes will park along that strip during the Expo. Members also will fly their planes into Hartford's Brainard Airport, less than two miles from Downtown. In addition, Brainard Airport will be the site of a public display of many types of aircrafts on all three days of the Expo."
"We have been looking forward to hosting AOPA's 2007 Expo and are prepared to exceed all of their expectations," says Mike Costelli, General Manager of the Connecticut Convention Center. "We recognize the importance of this convention and appreciate the value it brings to the community."
"We look forward to meeting members of the local community at our Expo," says AOPA President Phil Boyer. "This is the place to be for anyone interested in aviation, and we planned our visit to coincide with peak foliage season, which everyone will enjoy whether they fly or drive to the event."
Since 2005, The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau has been working with the Hartford Hospitality Task Force and with other partnerships of local convention, business and hospitality representatives on many major, strategic activities. These have included:
* Monthly conference calls between AOPA meeting planners in Frederick, Md. and Greater Hartford convention leaders, Connecticut Convention Center and hotel sales staff, and representatives from the Connecticut State Department of Transportation (DOT) and the City of Hartford; * Ongoing communications with Downtown restaurants so they know what to expect and at what times, and to assist AOPA in scheduling private off-site events; and * Support for special events, including a major function at the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks.
The GHCVB's planning for AOPA's arrival features a range of other "welcome" actions, including:
* Installation of welcome banners at Bradley International Airport, Brainard Airport, and the Connecticut Convention Center. All area hotels are being encouraged to create their own welcome signage and personalize food and drink menus tailored to the AOPA attendees; * Communications to local restaurants and attractions to arrange for discounting for Expo attendees; * Working with AOPA's transportation management company to coordinate buses between the airports, hotels, and Connecticut Convention Center; * Hosting of Hospitality Tents at both Bradley International Airport and Brainard Airport to provide warm welcomes and information about Hartford; * Educating Ambassador Volunteers stationed at Bradley International Airport, providing them with welcome materials; * Coordination with the Business Improvement District to ensure additional street signage to direct people to the Connecticut Convention Center; * Working with the Hartford Parking Authority to update the city's parking map, and with CT Transit to extend the hours of Hartford's free Star Shuttle throughout the Expo; * Providing a variety of Visitor Information and collateral material for AOPA's Registration Table, and for the Information Desk at the Connecticut Convention Center; * Coordinating catered concessions at Brainard Airport; * Coordination with the Knox Parks Foundation and community service volunteers to beautify the shuttle route between Brainard Airport and the Connecticut Convention Center. This includes weeding, sweeping, and more than 30 strategically placed large mum-filled planters; * Providing AOPA attendees with list of events happening in the Hartford area including: at The Hartford Stage's "Our Town", The International Jazz Festival, Real Art Ways' "In Search of Mozart", The Connecticut Forum's "The Tech Revolution", The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts' "Latin Kings of Comedy", and local sporting events; and * Arranging for "Welcome to Hartford" letters from local officials to be placed in all guests' hotel rooms.
Each day of AOPA's Expo will kick off with a general session at 9 a.m., featuring Boyer and top industry leaders discussing current general aviation issues. The exhibit hall will open immediately following each general session with more than 580 exhibits, including aircraft manufacturers, avionics, flight gear, navigation tools, flight training services, and advice from flight instructors.
At Brainard Airport, more than 70 airplanes will be on display for aviation enthusiasts of all ages to view up close. The exhibit will be open to be public on Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A free shuttle service will transport AOPA Expo attendees between the airfield and the Convention Center.
With less than two weeks to go, final preparations are being put into place. "We are ready to show AOPA what we can do and are eager to roll out the welcome mat for this important association and its membership," concludes Phelps.
This past summer was one of the busiest ever for Hartford's convention industry, says Phelps. In June, the United Church of Christ's General Synod gathered 10,000 members at the Hartford Civic Center. The national convention featured keynote speeches by many renowned Americans, including UCC member and presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and Emmy Award-winning journalist and lifetime Peabody Award winner Bill Moyers. Several weeks later, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Muslim American Society (MAS) held their 32nd annual Joint Convention at the Connecticut Convention Center, drawing approximately 10,000 individual and families together for discussion, entertainment, a youth conference, health fair, and cultural bazaar. In July, for the first time, the World Juggling Federation Convention met outside of Las Vegas, having chosen the Connecticut Convention Center for its 2007 international event which attracted juggling champions from Germany, Russia, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and the U.S. Other major conventions in Hartford this summer included the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Urban Superintendents Association of America.
The Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau works in partnership with Hartford's businesses, institutions, nonprofit organizations, and surrounding communities to market the entire region as a premier destination for national, regional and statewide conventions. Its membership includes close to 300 businesses and organizations. The Greater Hartford Sports Commission, a division of the GHCVB, focuses its efforts on attracting and serving international, national and regional sporting events. For information about the Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau, call 860-728-6789 or visit www.enjoyhartford.com.
For full information about the 2007 AOPA Expo and its schedule, and the association, visit www.aopa.org.