You have to like the Australians! Accordingly, when we interviewed the digEcor team we walked away with a lot of information about the products, the people, and the purpose. Consequently, we thought our readers might like a bit of “down under” in IFExpress this week!

According to digEcor’s CEO, David Withers: “Yesterday (APEX opening day) was the best opening day for us at an APEX show… with a good, solid flow of airlines visiting our booth.” He also noted that the airline visitors must have found some interesting new products as they asked a lot of questions. And, after all, that is what trade shows are about. This also says a lot for the new, full offering from digEcor. One of their goals has been to offer a complete ‘Integrated Flight Experience’, a favorite term of David’s for as long as we have known him. Partially, this is why they have developed LED cabin lighting, in-seat power, portable entertainment devices, GLIDE their embedded seat centric system, content services, and ENGAGE their crew management software (air and ground). The booth display said it all… the complete Integrated Flight Experience. Let’s look at each one, and we note that each item is summarized on their website. Furthermore, the subtitle is ‘The Integrated Flight experience’ which says a lot more that the words themselves – digEcor is looking at ‘big picture’ integration and their products prove that.

GLIDE: Without a doubt, digEcor’s signature embedded inflight entertainment solution is GLIDE. It is functional, easy-to-maintain and low-cost. Supporting 1TB of content and USB power and as standard, 110V in-seat power, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 21″ screens in 16:9 format. Glide offers a reliable full feature solution and is available today. As Mr. Withers noted: “The most flexible and lowest cost embedded IFE system available. It is now FAA certified and flying.”

GLIDE Features: 1) Seat Back, Arm Mount or Monument Mount Screens available in 8, 10, 12, 15 and 21″ in 16:9 format 2) 2.1A USB Power standard 3) Seat box powers 6 screens and provides 4 x 110V outlets or the new lighter weight and smaller seat box powers 4 screens 4) Single LRU Cabin Management Terminal provides a 10″ touch screen crew interface and contains all the required A429, PA, RS485 and discrete inputs and outputs and replaces the entire VCC 5) Typical installations are – Modular design, scalable by features and fit

PORTABLES: Portables Features: 1) 8″, 10″ and 12″ screen sizes 2) PCAP (Capacitive Touch) 3) Optional Camera 4) Gig Ethernet for content uploading (In station) 5) 5V USB input for inflight charging 6) Configurable storage (8GB to 1TB) 7) SD card optional for fast content load (1GB to 128GB) 8) Quad core 1.1GHZ processor 9) Configurable 1GB-8GB DDR RAM 10) Light sensor for back light dimming 11) 12hr / 18hr batteries available 13) Smart battery with status. (image)

IN-SEAT POWER: In-seat power is available as 5V USB at a full 2.1amps for iPad charging and 110V for laptops (inseat power display image).

USB: 1) 5 Volt, 10W (2.1A) full charging outlet at each seat 2) Typical weight per passenger 0.4kg (0.7lb) 3) Typical additional seat weight per triple 0.7kg (1.5lb)  4) Optional Passenger Service System (PSS-Reading Light and Call Bell) functionality for wide-body aircraft 5) Each outlet switchable OFF, Low Power (200ma) and Full Power (2.1A) to enable ancillary revenue opportunities

LAPTOP: 1) 110V 60Hz laptop power 2) 70W per outlet 3) 4 Outlets per GLIDE seat box

CABIN LIGHTING: digEcor’s new LED cabin lighting solution is an easy, economical way for airlines to create a memorable flight experience. The solution is controlled by cabin crew, is easily installed and reduces power consumption. Passengers can access more than 4 billion colors through the GLIDE embedded IFE system and easily manipulate the color and intensity to create a restful space or enhance their brand association.

Cabin Lighting: 1) Replacement modules for most existing light assemblies 2) 4 LED matrix to maximize color depth and intensity 3) Full control of color and intensity via GLIDE CM 4) Fully programmable transitions between colors 5) Independent ceiling and sidewall control 6) Weight saving 7) Up to 30% reduction in power 8) Long life – 5 year warranty on all digEcor hardware

It is also worth noting a new feature of this solution… digEcor now offers the capability to take their custom light color and intensity meter, which measures light in 2 axis, forward and above, giving the ability to record sunsets or sunrises or any transition and reproduce it in the cabin by displaying the horizontal axis on the side walls and the vertical axis on the ceiling. Thus giving the ability to replicate sunsets and sunrises that are relevant to the sector passengers are flying on the airline’s network. For example, a night flight from London UK to Brisbane Australia will start with a transition to the UK sunset and wake passengers up with a sunny Australian sunrise. “And what a great place to wake up in the morning, noted Mr. Withers!”

ENGAGE SOFTWARE: This solution provides value to the customer, inflight crew and ground staff. It captures, reports, synchronizes and efficiently sends data in real-time across the entire customer journey. This empowers every member of airline front-line staff to deliver remarkable customer experiences every day. With three easy to use modules, ‘Cabin’, ‘Forms’ and ‘Ground’ it engages the staff in a quick, easy and manageable way. ENGAGE offers vast benefits to airline business including improved communication, proactive customer recovery, operational efficiency and streamlined reporting.

CONTENT SERVICES: From selection, licensing, encoding, encryption, integration, quality control and delivery. Whether or not airlines purchase their handheld or embedded solutions, digEcor wants to help deliver the most memorable entertainment experience. They can customize any needs around content for airlines with a full service turnkey solution or a de-bundled approach across the global network.

By way of history, David and his team has been “…getting hardware and software certified and flying,” so he told IFExpress. Their branding experiences have taught them; “The experience is about the journey – and passengers want a seamless experience,” he noted. For example, ENGAGE, rebranded as RED for Qantas is now used in their lounges as well as on the plane. “But the real key,” he said, “is applying technology correctly… and that is what helps facilitate the experience.”

It is no surprise that digEcor is aviation experience oriented. It’s CEO, started in the aviation business when he was 13 washing and fueling airplanes (. His career has been entirely aviation focused with David working at companies like Qantas, Smiths Group (now GE) and Boeing, mostly in senior leadership positions. We asked David about his aviation background and he told IFExpress; “I love our industry and have worked in it since I was 13 when I started washing planes at the local aeroclub. I have been lucky enough to spend my entire career in aviation and over that time have fixed, designed and flown aeroplanes of all shapes and sizes. I started the formal part of my career in an airline (Qantas) where I worked initially as a mechanic and later as a designated engineering representative once I’d completed my engineering degree part time in my evenings. It was at Qantas where I first got involved with IFE initially being responsible for duplicating the endless tape cassettes, which gives away my age! Over time I led the integration of the domestic and international entertainment products and established the first near live news service using satellite to distribute live news to all the Qantas domestic airports where we dubbed it to tape and manually loaded it on each aircraft twice a day. This was cutting edge technology in the mid 1990’s. I moved from Qantas to Smiths Aerospace, then Europe’s largest manufacturer of aircraft components and systems where I led building of their Asia Pacific business as its managing director. From there I moved to Boeing as president of its Australian operations with around 5,500 employees. As I said I’ve been very fortunate in my career.”

More to the point, he told IFExpress that, “Every one of our product offerings is either certified or in the process of FAA certification!” David Withers and his teams, both in Australia and Utah, have got the right stuff. In fact the boss put it better than we could: “It never occurs to us not to go and do something.” If this year’s booth and products are any indication, they will not stop surprising this industry!

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Perhaps one of the cleverest ideas to come out of Seattle last week at the Aircraft Interiors Conference was the floor layout… and it will probably be repeated. The AI folks placed the conference seminar stage and floor inside the exhibition hall and surrounded it with display booths . What really worked both days was the fact that your could tour the booths and if you saw a presentation that interested a floorwalker, it was easy to duck in. But beyond that, 3D printing was the big deal and there must have been 10 booths covering one phase of the process or another (here are some parts made by 3D printing). Further, the following technologies seemed to be in the forefront, seating related products, seats, thermoplastic products, cabin lighting, seating comfort products and technologies, plating (especially plastic), reflective technology, USB application technologies, precision machining, materials and mixing technologies, fabrics, NRC manufacturing, and a lot of technologies and products that IFExpress does not feature – mechanical engineers heaven. The newer gel honeycombed products are a real seat pleaser (pun intended) and we look forward to testing them on a flight – the secret? Simple, it’s silicone honeycomb with breathing holes in the cell walls. Great stuff! Another surprise were the 3D plastic printed products from Stratasys. They showed a line of ECS ducting that was 6” in diameter and promised a cheaper and better product than the older manufactured tubing. One company demonstrated their 3D printing capabilities by “printing” a ukulele body out of plastic, and it played and sounded quite well.

From a power point of view, the folks from Astronics showed up with more of their tray table related products in view while a company called True Blue Power demonstrated a 28VDC power supply that delivered USB 2.1 Amps into a total of 10 USB outlets, also of their design. And what would a show that had lighting be without Olaf Schultz of Schott? He brought two lighting developments of interest – Heliojet White and Spectrum strips that contain a large number of white or color-capable LED’s, each LED with it’s own color/brightness sensor for balance… not to mention their star dotted ceiling panels the is comprised of a powerful LED light with what appeared to be over 50 individual fiber optic outlet “stars” in the ceiling panel. In the same booth, Christian Lierow demonstrated Lufthansa Technik’s reflective lighting solutions. From a color point of view, they easily showed 20 reflective colors and something we had never seen before – curved reflective floor markers.

All in all, the show and the speakers were very interesting and a lot of new technology was on display. We were a bit sorry that the expo wasn’t as big as the previous years, but there appeared to be plenty of traffic on the floor.

“I was very impressed with the technical know-how of the exhibitors at this years Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas event this week in Seattle. I was able to engage in in-depth discussions with attendees about product details that will definitely help us specify these products in future modification programs,” noted John Courtright. Here is a link to the Aircraft Interiors floor plan for the Seattle event and it should give you an idea about the layout.

Check out the floor layout, you will see this concept in the future – it works!

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Boeing’s famous aviation pioneer personality, Dick Taylor, passed away recently – here is a bit about the man and his remembrances.  (And yes, I worked for him too! TJW)

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Bill Baltra sent us this link to a YouTube video about a flying Gogo 2Ku System running 40 inflight devices – 2Ku Flight testing on N321GG with 40+ streaming video devices. ‬ There will be more on this one.

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Ron Chapman says: “KONNG will be king of the connectivity solutions,” but you be the judge at NBAA!

This week we continue to review the Portland Parade of IFEC that we introduced last time to cover some folks we didn’t mention previously. Over the next few weeks we will try to cover all we talked with and give our readers a brief review. If you had not heard, El Al won the Best Achievement in Passenger Experience Award at APEX this year for “Cockpit”, and high Tech innovation hub – a way for the airline to help fund and develop new technology products and services that will contribute eventually to revenues. It works like this: “Today reality in the aviation world challenged El Al to create additional sources of revenue apart from flight tickets – by developing new businesses on the existing platform from the realization that innovation is to the aviation world like breathing is to life.” By finding and supporting new innovations from the world of ideas and making them successful businesses is an interesting idea for airline revenue enhancement. Congratulations to Rinat Cohen and his team! And speaking of APEX, we got a bit confused about all the planned APEX events till we saw their Forthcoming Events display – It might help you as well!

AirFi
AirFi are the ‘portable’ Wi-Fi folks from the Netherlands and we talked with Martjin Moret and Job Heimrikx about their Wi-Fi product and they told us that their “little white server/router box” has been flying since January of this year, have 100 in service and 245 by the end of the year… all in more than 100 airplanes soon. The “portable’ white box streams to 50 passengers for 15 hours with 50 users. We understand is on a B787 delivering second screen entertainment. Also, expect a new version to be shown at AIX that will deliver stronger signals, faster data rates, and serve more people with more movies. We anticipate a new moving map display and customizable points of interest. Martijn told IFExpress that there is no STC involved so the units are usually stored in a bin and they have patents pending on the device.

Rockwell Collins
Rockwell showcased a portfolio of cabin solutions in Portland featuring in-flight entertainment, connectivity and content services – all aimed at demonstrating technologies that will engage, entertain and empower airline passengers. “We’re investing heavily in flexible IFEC solutions and applications that, when coupled with our Ka-band global connectivity offering, bring a very compelling value proposition to airlines,” noted Craig Elliott, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Air Transport Cabin Solutions for Rockwell Collins. “Airlines will be able to personalize the experience for their passengers, resulting in increased brand loyalty and additional revenue.” We noted Inflight Internet and satcom services using Global Xpress that featured crew connectivity, real-time credit card authorization and wireless IFE, On-Demand seat centric IFE using a cool and intuitive touchscreen seatback interface, Broadcast entertainment, and an Airshow App – very nice. Rockwell Paves On-Demand in-flight entertainment (IFE) system is now offered for the 737 MAX. The seat-centric IFE solution has been added to the 737 MAX catalog. With the PAVES On-demand seat-centric design, each in-seat system is independent, so if one unit has an issue, no other in-seat systems are affected. Additionally, PAVES On-demand is equipped with a quick-release mechanism to quickly remove and replace in-seat displays. Security-wise. Also we note that Rockwell Collins has been selected by Boeing to provide the Avionics Gateway secure server on new 777X airplanes. The Avionics Gateway will feature the newest generation of Rockwell Collins’ Secure Server Router (SSR) that enables the safe transfer of data between the flight-deck, cabin crew and airline operations on the ground. Next-generation aircraft will offer incredible on-board networking capabilities and aircraft makers like Boeing are investing in sophisticated, secure solutions to ensure the networks are protected from malicious threats. Stay Tuned, or should we say, Watch Out! 

KID-SYSTEME
KID rolled out their cabin and cargo surveillance system and you can check out the easy-to-understand presentation here.  The system comprises a myriad of aircraft applications including, Cockpit Door Surveillance, Cabin Video Monitoring and Cargo Surveillance in one common system. It is designed to be aircraft program / manufacturer independent to enable a fleet-wide deployment of a common video surveillance solution for airline customers. Click on the Video Surveillance link in the above website to get an excellent slide presentation of the system. We note that it is capable of monitoring some 20 cameras in the cabin and cargo areas and the system has a modular architecture that adds video recording, watermarking, connectivity and more (link). This system is one of the most flexible and least obtrusive in the cabin. Interestingly, the 5 megapixel cameras only consume 2.8 watts and look more like small access panels. Further, the watermarked live video streams enables video recording as evidence.

Latitude Aero
We had an unscheduled meeting with nice guy, Kelvin Boyette, President and CEO, from Latitude Aero, a newer entrant in the seat refurbishment business. In the Rockwell Collins booth, Latitude had an example of their work. Noted Mr. Boyette: “The overall goal was to provide a proof of concept of turning an older, mid-90’s first class seat into a newer slimline seat with in seat video as opposed to in-arm. The Sicma seats were manufactured in 1996 and modified again in 2001. Other than that they remained untouched until we acquired them in August. In addition, we were also able to introduce their new 12” monitor into the seats as well.” He also noted, “We were able to complete the seats in 22 days, also proving our R&D and conceptual abilities that will allow the IFE/ISPS providers and seat OEMs the ability to use us for their outsourced R&D prototyping. Typical proof of concept seats have taken as long as 7-8 weeks at other facilities to go from design to shipment. I have uploaded quite a few pics from the show onto our Facebook page.”  Check them out as they look very capable.

“Overall for the airline,” noted Kelvin, “getting a ‘new look’ seat with modern amenities and current generation IFE for around half the price of a new seat is quite a deal.” We agree.

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For AIX followers, for the tenth time now, the Crystal Cabin Award Association is calling for submissions their international prize in aircraft interiors. The search is on for the most innovative ideas and products related to traveling above the clouds. Entries will be accepted at www.crystal-cabin-award.com until 4 November, and the winners will be announced, as always, as part of the Aircraft Interiors Expo (5 – 7 April, 2016) in Hamburg. The talented few who manage to win the hearts and minds of the 24 members of the expert jury will join the elite ranks of an impressive gallery of winners. This year alone saw such big names as B/E Aerospace, ViaSat, Embraer, and Etihad Airways taking home the trophies. And to make the Award even more attractive in its jubilee year, an eighth category has been added: “Cabin Concepts”. Meanwhile, the “Cabin Systems”, “Electronic Systems”, “Passenger Comfort Hardware”, and “Visionary Concepts” categories have been refined to further sharpen the focus in these fields.

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The folks at BAE Systems just published a bit about their in-seat power system development.

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CIT Aerospace notes that the top four US airlines account for 83% of US traffic; in Europe, it takes 40 airlines to account for 83% there – just thought you wanted to know.

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Rumor has it that the new ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) had two recent successful flight tests. Check it out here.

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And lastly, Ron Chapman is back… and he told IFExpress that we “might go Ape” over his new connectivity solution.

• Ethiopian Airlines, Koreans Airlines, Norwegian and Virgin America Also Honored at Airline Industry’s Most Prestigious Award Ceremony

APEX EXPO, Portland, Oregon | September 28, 2015– Members of the Airline Passenger Experience
Association (APEX) gathered tonight in Portland, Ore., as part of APEX EXPO to honor the winners of the 2015 Passenger Choice and APEX Awards. The Awards recognize excellence in ground experience, cabin comfort, entertainment options, connectivity, overall experience and more. Considered the airline industry’s most prestigious honors, the awards are based on one of the most impressive and comprehensive passenger surveys of their kind, with feedback from travelers from more than 200 countries.

The APEX Awards Ceremony – hosted by Rajan Datar of BBC World News – kicked off the annual APEX EXPO, attended by nearly 3,000 industry professionals representing all major airlines and the companies they partner with to drive continuous improvement in the passenger experience, including advances in entertainment and connectivity, comfort and ambiance, catering and other services.

Emirates, which has a fleet of more than 230 aircraft and flies to over 140 destinations in more than 80 countries around the world, was the big winner of the evening, taking home seven awards. Awards included Best in Region: Middle East, Best IFE & User Interface; Best Inflight Connectivity & Communications; Best Cabin Ambiance; Best Food & Beverage (in conjunction with International Flight Services Association); Best Ground Experience, and Best Overall Passenger Experience, presented by APEX CEO Joe Leader.

Norwegian and Virgin America were also winners of multiple awards. Norwegian won Best in Region: Europe and the John White Publication Award. Virgin America won Best in Region: Americas and Best Inflight Video. Other airlines that took home awards included Ethiopian Airlines, which won Best in Region: Africa and Korean Air, which won Best in Region: Asia and Australasia.

“Each year APEX provides passengers from around the world the opportunity to rate every aspect of their passenger experience,” said Dominic Green, APEX Events & EXPO chair. “Nothing is more important or impactful than direct customer feedback, which is why airlines see the awards as a valuable tool to improve the experience they offer passengers.”

Airline passengers rated their travel experience through an online survey at www.passengerchoiceawards.com. The Nielsen Company, a globally recognized consumer measurement and information leader, tabulates the results. In its sixth year, the Passenger Choice Awards are recognized as a leading way to recognize industry excellence and to garner independently curated, direct passenger feedback. The Passenger Choice Awards program does not accept advertising dollars, and is executed at no cost to airlines.

During the ceremony APEX CEO Joe Leader also presented the CEO of SriLankan Airlines, Rakhita Jayawardena, with an award for the airline’s commitment to, and superior achievement in, the passenger experience in their region. A previous recipient of the Passenger Choice Awards, SriLankan Airlines was a finalist this year in four different awards categories.

APEX also honored Rick Warren, founder of Post Modern Group, LLC, who received the APEX 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Mary Kirby, Runway Girl Network, and Steve Harvey, Global Eagle Entertainment, also were honored with APEX’s Outstanding Contribution Awards.

Two APEX member companies were recognized for innovation and contribution to the industry with the annual APEX Awards, formerly known as the Avion Awards. These awards were judged by industry peers and members of the media. El Al was awarded the APEX Award for Best Achievement in Passenger Experience for their “Cockpit” High-Tech Innovation Hub. Gogo was given the APEX Award for Best Achievement in Technology for 2KU Technology voted on by attendees at the APEX EXPO and recognizing outstanding on display on the APEX exhibition.

Lets face it, tradeshows (… or trade shows, if you prefer) are great for getting out the message but quite often attendees only have a minute or two to get the many passerby’s interested, thus both the overt and subliminal messages are important. Darren Dahl of OpenForum says: “You don’t have to be seeking venture financing to benefit from a well-honed pitch: Connect the business to something listeners already know, avoid jargon, and explain how you solve a problem.” Sounds too simple, and as you might guess, we had more questions. Since the APEX show starts up next week, we thought it would be interesting to talk to a display specialist about delivering messages and write a Hot topic around the “art and science” of generating a successful trade show display. By chance, we ran into an expert recently and we thought our readers might get some good insight about the tradeshow business and the resultant communication requirements from him. His name is Jim Bergman and you might remember him from his days at Teague. Jim has been in the tradeshow business for over 42 years now, so he must have a few things to offer!

1. IFExpress: Jim, many of our readers have known you for years, mostly when you worked at Teague. Tell our readers what you are doing in the exhibit world today and why you like delivering those solutions to companies and folks responsible for displays?

 J. Bergman: I worked for Teague for 24 years but before that I had my own exhibit business in Seattle, AIMEX for 18 years. While at Teague one of the accounts that I worked with was Aviation Partners, Inc. They designed, engineered and manufacture the fuel saving Winglets for the Gulfstream II, Falcon 50/900/2000 Series, Hawker800 Series and the Boeing 757-200,767-300, 7 737- 300/500.700.800.900 and the Boeing Business Jets (BBJ).

I currently do their trade shows the largest being NBAA, National Business Aircraft Association. I also do special projects and graphics design for Esterline Control and Communications Systems in Everett, WA. They do Flight Deck instrumentation and switches for the Commercial Aerospace and Business Jet industry as well as Military.

Working with leading companies keeps me abreast of developing technology and stay tuned with what is happening in the Aviation and Aerospace industry.

2. IFExpress: It sounds like you are the correct person to answer the next question. Tell our readers if and how the world of aviation exhibits have changed over the last few years.

J. Bergman: The cost of exhibiting including the design and fabrication phases and all of the supporting services are expensive. For many years most exhibits have been hard walls that have to be crated and shipped. With the new digital printing technology and tension fabrics and lightweight exhibit structures as well as the many display systems, exhibits can have a greater impact and are much more cost effective – ‘more bang for your buck.’  They also knock down in to a smaller package for shipping and storage.

Further, Tradeshow Marketing has been a major tool for introducing new or improved products to the market whether it be consumer products, fitness equipment or aerospace or whatever? Tradeshows allow a businesses to reach markets that they are thinking about expanding into before they make the financial commitment to establish the infrastructure to support or service that market. It also provides exposure to possible investors or other companies that they may align with in the future.

3. IFExpress: For the aviation folks that are new to the world of show exhibits, can you give a few suggestions for designing and building a good show display.

J. Bergman: Determine your budget and financial commitment before attending a trade show. Depending on the size of your booth you will have to consider:

Exhibiting Costs
• The cost of contracting for the exhibit space
• Select a booth size that will suit the products or services that you will be presenting, not too big or too small.
• Design and Fabrication, Crating and Shipping
• All Show Services, ie Electrical, Install and Dismantle Labor
• Travel, Food and Lodging for your staff
• Promotional Materials/Brochure, Handouts etc.

Marketing and Company Presentation
• What would best attract an attendee into your booth (pre-show publicity, direct mail, etc.)
• Present your company’s Brand and Product simply. Don’t over crowd the exhibit, feature a primary product or service that would tie into your primary objective.
• Don’t over staff your exhibit. Provide knowledgeable and a well presented staff.
• Be familiar with the Market that you are trying to reach.

Exhibiting and presenting your product or services at a tradeshow require a great deal of planning and research. Before a company makes a commitment to become involved in marketing their products at a tradeshow they should attend that show or other shows that are similar.

Planning on being involved in a trade show begins with the overall objective of why you want to be at the show and how you would track and measure the results. There are many organizations that you can work with that would assist in setting up those goals and suggest ways to best achieve them.

4. IFExpress: Jim, in your opinion, what reasons make show viewers like one booth over another. In other words, do things like flow, type size, models, handouts, color, noise, and so on matter to show-goers?

J. Bergman: Any tradeshow booth needs to have a well presented Brand/Name and a simple and direct statement of who you are and what you are selling. People that are looking for what you are selling will stop and talk if you present yourself well. Pre-show publicity and marketing that targets some more favorable prospects inviting them to visit your booth or setting up appointments is always effective.

Good Quality branded handouts that are memorable and have a use, work well. Something that has value and that the attendee will take back their office and not give to his kids or grandchildren. Exhibit halls have a definite traffic pattern. This depends on the type of show. Locating your booth on a major aisle next to a prominent company will draw the attendees to your area.

Large impact graphics or projected images depending on show regulations, have a large impact. Motion always draws more attention than static graphics.

5. IFExpress: Do you have a favorite story about shows that you would share with our readers?

J. Bergman: No real favorites, however, having traveled all over the world doing tradeshows it is interesting how the different counties approach tradeshows. What I have enjoyed is meeting the many people involved. I think the most exciting part in doing a tradeshow is working with a company on a new product and having the opportunity of working with their marketing team to provide the best way to introduce the product to the market. Exhibiting the product and seeing the attendee’s reaction is always exciting.

6. IFExpress: After all these years, do you have one you remember as a favorite, and why?

J. Bergman: When I had my company, AIMEX back in the early 80’s (not sure of the exact year) I had the opportunity to work with companies that were of the ‘dot com’ era and startups. One of those being Microsoft. We were requested to present a concept for their first tradeshow exhibit. I presented it to their marketing manager when there were only a very few people in the company. It was an exciting to be involved with them during that period.

Readers might want to take some of Jim’s suggestions to APEX and see if their booths have the ‘right stuff’. You can reach Jim at his company, NewSolutionsDesign if you have more questions or inquiries: 360.387.8008, or cell/425.442.5855.

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PORTLAND PREVIEW

1. Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems (AES) – the leading provider of intelligent aircraft cabin power solutions – will showcase its latest innovative offerings at APEX 2015.  Visit Stand 1009 to view a SmartTray™ demonstration and learn how Astronics is revolutionizing the passenger experience by integrating PED power and an ergonomic tray table to provide airline passengers the power and convenience they desire.

In addition to the revolutionary powered tray table, Astronics AES is showcasing their latest generation of PED power solutions.  The newest in-seat power solution provides 110VAC 60Hz combined with high power USB to up to three passengers simultaneously, making it possible charge their PED devices while in use!  This is accomplished in the smallest and lightest form factor ever introduced to the market by increasing the power efficiency of the product.
Finally, Astronics AES will be showing its progress on USB 3.1 and Wireless Charging solutions for the aircraft cabin market.  These game changing technologies are sweeping across the consumer electronics industry and will soon be available on aircraft; all from the makers of the industry leading EmPower® in-seat power systems. Call today (+1 425 702 4943) to schedule an appointment.

2. Rockwell Collins is investing in a powerful portfolio of solutions to help airlines engage, entertain and empower passengers. With flexible IFEC solutions and applications, paired with the latest in Ka-band connectivity, Rockwell Collins delivers the ultimate flight experience for passengers, and it is backed by worldwide service and support that delivers flexibility and state-of-the-art engineering. Experience Rockwell Collins’ newly redesigned, more hands-on exhibit at APEX 2015  to learn how the full breadth of its cabin solutions make passengers’ journeys even more comfortable and enjoyable, no matter where they travel.
Visit Rockwell Collins’ booth #1000 to see:
●      Cabin Connect suite of connectivity services, featuring Inmarsat’s GX Aviation for the most extensive coverage of airline routes and the fastest broadband in the skies, as well as applications for crew connectivity, real-time credit card authorization and wireless in-flight entertainment.
●      PAVES Wireless, bringing Wi-Fi accessible content aboard the flight
●      PAVES On-demand, delivering seat-centric IFE through an intuitive touchscreen HD seatback interface, as well as overhead broadcast
●      PAVES Broadcast, featuring a wider array of content options for passengers than previous systems
●      PAVES PSS is a lightweight, low-cost reading light and cabin crew call system with optional USB charging port. It is a direct replacement for existing systems that are less compatible with modern in-flight entertainment (IFE) system upgrades. Rockwell Collins will be onsite Tuesday, Sept. 29, through Thursday, Oct. 1, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We welcome the chance to schedule a time for a demonstration or to just talk about your needs and requirements. Email CabinSystemsEvents@rockwellcollins.com to arrange a personal meeting and product demonstration. When requesting your meeting, please let Colleen know which products you would like to discuss.

3. PXCom will unveil new destination content at Booth #928. PXCom helps companies in the public transport sector, IFE manufacturers, by transforming their existing passenger entertainment systems into interactive media, and connect them with local tourism advertisers.

4. Lumexis
The Lumexis booth (#413) will feature the following:
FTTS: Fiber-To-The-Screen® technology provides a truly superior performance IFE system for passengers with unmatched capability, exceptional customization flexibility and greatest capacity with highest reliability.

iPax: Revolutionary ultra-low cost, ultra-light weight in-seat revenue generation and entertainment platform for single aisle aircraft.

FTTS Second Screen: Enables passengers to use their own tablets and smartphones simultaneously at their seat without interrupting the entertainment running on the FTTS HD monitors.
For more information on our products and services please visit our website.

5. And lastly, for you APEX show-goers, here a few links of  the Portland Central Eastside neighborhood that you need to take along.

• Oregon Convention center – Parking and directions | Oregon Convention Center
• Map of Portland Rail Service
• Portland Map with Zoom Capability

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OTHER NEWS

1. OK, this is a reach but first you have to read this news release: (Inmarsat has joined forces with Deutsche Telekom to provide in-flight broadband services for European airlines and passengers, with Lufthansa set to become the first airline to trial the LTE/satellite-based service in 2017.) The new European satellite and LTE cell capability can be summed up thusly “…this will be the first aviation connectivity network in Europe powered by both LTE and satellite combined,” Here’s the link. This is the key: “The London-based mobile satellite communications service provider is collaborating with the German operator to develop the European Aviation Network, which aims to combine satellite connectivity from a new Inmarsat S-band satellite with a new LTE-based ground network run by Deutsche Telekom in the same frequency.” The satellite company (Inmarsat) said the new GX network will be able to provide downlink broadband speeds of up to 50 Mbps and uplink speeds of up to 5 Mbps. The services will be primarily targeted at customers on the move on land, at sea and in the air. We note that Leo Mondale proposed this Inmarsat/LTE effort back in September, 2014 and here is his presentation (a good read). ‎ While we won’t speculate on a solution like this for the US, we wonder if airlines with their desire for more profits today will eventually offer no-increased-seat-prices-for-planes-with-pax-voice-connectivity?

2. The recent US Department of Transportation backing of the use of mobile phones during flights, stating “if safe and secure,” the department could let airlines make their own decision on mobile phone use inflight. Here is a Quote provided by ​Kevin Rogers, CEO, AeroMobile:

“It’s promising to hear the recommendation from the Transport Department’s Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protection that airlines should be allowed to decide whether to allow voice calls inflight in the US. Across the rest of the world, airlines decide whether to allow mobile phone use, including voice calls, inflight and we believe this should also be the case in the US.

We are hopeful the FCC will rule it is safe and secure to use mobile phones inflight and lift the current ban.

We look forward to the outcome of this debate. We hope US airlines will be able to benefit from the same levels of onboard connectivity as their foreign counterparts in future.”

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Lastly, if you wish to contact the IFExpress team during APEX here is our information:

Patricia Wiseman: cell  +1.206.229.7899 or email plwiseman@gmail.com

Terry Wiseman: cell: +1 206.229.7890 or email terry.wiseman@gmail.com