The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) held its 94th Annual Conference and Exposition from June 5 to June 8 at the Seattle Convention Center. This year’s conference was hosted by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA-TAC), a recent client of APTech.

This conference is not as technical as many that APTech attends but is nonetheless important to help us stay active with the ever-evolving airport industry. Many of our airport clients and teaming partners attend this event and it provides a great way to network with these colleagues, as well as many other friends in the aviation industry. This is why David Peshkin, a co-founder of APTech, made sure to attend.

David is a prominent expert in the fields of pavement management, evaluation, design, maintenance, and rehabilitation. With over 35 years of experience, he is a leader both nationwide and internationally in pavement research, analysis, forensics, and technology transfer challenges. As Chief Engineer with APTech, he has also played a major role in countless airport projects over the course of his career.

After attending this year’s conference, David was more than happy to share his experience.

AAAE is an event that APTech attends every year, what is something you look forward to when you go?

I always enjoy getting to speak with the people there. Many of our teaming partners and vendors attend this conference, as well as airport representatives throughout the United States. I enjoy hearing what they have been up to over the past year and what they’re looking forward to. It’s also a great opportunity to catch up with AAAE staff.

What event did you enjoy sitting in on the most?

I found the Corporate Committee meeting on Sunday afternoon quite interesting. Chad Nixon of McFarland Johnson currently chairs this Committee and led a fast-paced review of issues relevant to consultants and others.

What in particular caught your attention?

The highlight for me was the panel on recruitment and retention that included David Haring, the Executive Director from Lincoln, Nebraska; Katie Gerard, the Senior Director of Human Resources from SEA-TAC; and Maria Bremis, Senior Vice President of Compliance, Diversity, and Human Resources at AAAE. Recruitment and retention are issues affecting everyone (airports, industry, organizations) in some very different and interesting ways.

How was the attendance at the event? AAAE’s socials showed it was the highest attended event since 2019.

You could definitely tell the numbers were up. It felt as if there were a lot more vendors with booths than there have been in recent years. I definitely noticed a wider range of companies and organizations that are now active with AAAE, which was great to see.

Were there any types of vendors or organizations that you were surprised to see at this event such as drone operators or advanced AI tech companies?

The use of sUAS at airports is a hot topic and we’re involved with a project with Iowa State University that is looking into the use of drones for pavement inspections. Exhibitors included both drone operators and firms that are helping to protect airports against drone incursions.

On Monday, there was a social event that was sponsored by SEA-TAC that was at the Seattle Aquarium; how was it?

It was a fantastic time. The venue was great and had live music to go along with the food and drink served. And let’s not forget that it being at the aquarium led to some very interesting exhibits.

Next year’s conference takes place in Denver, think you’ll be attending again?

I’m looking forward to it!

Learn more about the AAAE Conference or APTech’s services.