How to Make NBAA-BACE Worth Your Time

A little strategy can create year-long opportunities.

Cayla McLeod

Monday, October 05, 2026 at 10:09 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: Travis Tingle

[Credit: Vertical Flight Society]

Key Takeaways:

NBAA-BACE offers significant value in networking and building relationships within the aviation industry, which is often more impactful than simply viewing exhibits.
Attendees should plan their visit intentionally, prioritizing specific companies, aircraft, or individuals to engage with, to avoid being overwhelmed and maximize meaningful interactions.
Focus on quality conversations by asking insightful questions, learning about others' work, and fostering genuine relationships, rather than just pitching or collecting many business cards.
The lasting value of attending NBAA-BACE comes from diligent follow-up on connections made, extending the event's impact beyond the convention center itself.

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There are aviation events you attend to look at airplanes, and there are aviation events you attend to meet people.

The NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) is definitely both. But if you’re headed to the show this year at the Las Vegas Convention Center (October 20-22), I’d argue the people are where the real value lies.

A convention of this size can be overwhelming. There are hundreds of exhibitors, aircraft to see, seminars to attend, products to learn about, and seemingly endless people to meet. It’s easy to spend an entire day wandering the floor, collecting brochures and shaking hands, only to realize afterward that you never actually talked to the people you came to see.

So, go in with a plan.

If you’re attending simply because you love aviation, make a short list of the companies, aircraft, products, or people you genuinely want to see. Leave room to wander—some of the best discoveries at aviation shows happen accidentally. But having a few priorities keeps the event from becoming one very long walk through an exhibit hall.

Ask questions, too. NBAA-BACE gives you access to people you might otherwise never get to talk with directly. Instead of simply looking at a new airplane or piece of avionics, ask the people behind it why they built it, who it’s for, and what problem they were trying to solve.

If you’re attending for business, the strategy should be even more intentional.

Reach out to people before the show. Schedule coffee, lunches, dinners, or even 15-minute meetings at their booths. Know who you want to meet and, more importantly, why you want to meet them. A meaningful conversation with five people is probably worth more than handing your business card to 50.

And don’t make every conversation a sales pitch.

Aviation remains a remarkably small industry, and relationships matter. Learn what someone else is working on. Ask what challenges their company is facing. Introduce people who might benefit from knowing one another. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do at an event like NBAA-BACE is simply become someone people are glad they met.

Finally, follow up.

The stack of business cards sitting on your desk two weeks after the show isn’t worth much. Send the email. Connect on LinkedIn. Follow through on the introduction you promised.

Because the real value of NBAA-BACE isn’t necessarily what happens inside the convention center. It’s what happens because of it.