It has been announced that the inaugural Aerotropolis Europe, Middle East and Africa Conference and Exhibition (AEMEA) will take place in Manchester, U.K., from July 8-10, 2014. Manchester will be hosting Aerotropolis EMEA 2014 in partnership with Airport City Manchester as part of the International Festival for Business 2014. The announcement was made during the first ever Aerotropolis Americas Conference and Exhibition (AACE), which took place Oct. 29-31 in Dallas at the Hyatt Regency DFW hosted by Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
“Manchester and Airport City Manchester are delighted to be hosting Aerotropolis 2014 as part of the International Festival for Business,” said Andrew Stokes, chief executive, Marketing Manchester. “This three-day Aerotropolis event provides the perfect platform to showcase the opportunity that Airport City will provide for the U.K.”
Airports are undergoing a metamorphosis as they increasingly take on the functions of the metropolitan Central Business District (CBD) and are now being recognized as corporate entities in their own right. As an airport city develops outwards from the fence line the boundaries between airport and its surrounding urban center or city become blurred, it becomes an integral business and residential district in its own right, termed the “Aerotropolis.”
AEMEA is the annual regional event that provides a learning platform for real estate developers and professionals, planners who are active in airport development, economic development agencies, suppliers and solution providers, cargo and logistics operators and freight-forwarders, airport executives and managers, and others interested in development in and around airports.
The Aerotropolis events are borne out of the well-regarded Airport Cities Conference & Exhibition, which was established more than 14 years ago and has been the world leader in driving the airport city concept of airports establishing a commercial footprint in addition to their aeronautical revenues from airlines. The event recognizes that all parties are key to the establishment and growth of a true Aerotropolis, and the event provides an opportunity for these partners to meet, negotiate, learn the latest techniques and case studies, and hear from the leaders in their field.
“We are delighted to announce Manchester as our first host of Aerotropolis EMEA,” said Adrian Newton, Group Director, UBM Live. “This event will help the city to raise their profile as a globally connected business destination and showcase what will be the UK’s first Airport City. UBM is excited to be the driver for this concept through our Aerotropolis and Airport Cities events. We look forward to working with the teams at Manchester and the International Festival for Business to ensure this is a successful and productive event for all involved.”
It is fitting that Manchester should host the first ever AEMEA event as the U.K.’s first Airport City will be located at Manchester Airport, which is the UK’s third busiest airport. Outline planning permission for Airport City was secured at the start of 2013, and once the Airport City project is complete, it will provide a mix of offices, hotels, advanced manufacturing, logistics and warehousing as well as potentially creating an additional 16,000 jobs in the Northwest of England as international businesses are attracted to the area.
The Aerotropolis event will bring together all the key players who can help airports and cities to drive economic growth and commercial development to their regions.
