Follow the leaders

The Aero Engineering Show is almost upon us. Opening its doors this November to showcase the latest UK aerospace manufacturing innovations, the event claims its wealth of ‘engineering-centric’ attractions will act as pivotal points for business development within the supply chain, together with an array of partners and suppliers supporting the sector. Forming part of the umbrella of Advanced Engineering UK events, the event intends to galvanise the UK’s aerospace sector via its business seminars, briefings and open forums from leading players supporting the industry. Alongside Aero Engineering are the show’s co-located advanced composites, automotive, auto electronics and printable electronics sector components. Detractors may grumble that the event’s aspirations are aiming high, yet shooting low by setting its sights at some ambitious goals, yet firing at lower, more easily achievable targets. As any event organiser will tell you, overcoming the apathy, lethargy and busy business diaries can prove to be major hurdles in acquiring the interest and ‘buy-in’ from leading aerospace protagonists. Contributions from the likes of GKN, ADS, AMRC with Boeing and Messier-Bugatti-Dowty among others, are proof of the show’s success, no doubt about it. Visitor opportunities also abound with the event’s seminar programme – one of which will highlight opportunities in the aerospace sector as evinced by The Motorsport Industry Association’s ‘Motorsport to Aerospace’ seminar that will focus on opportunities for the motorsport industry to feed into aerospace sector. Whilst there are those who take the glass half empty approach and set themselves up for failure no matter what targets they set, this show’s organisers are leading by example. Indeed, they can be typified by one slogan doing the rounds at present: it’s your attitude not your aptitude that determines your altitude. Mike Richardson, editor