Organization and Management of the Canadian Pavilion (Showcase Canada) and the Canada Business Centre at the 2015 Paris International Air Show

The 2015 International Paris Air Show (PAS) is a major trade event for the global aerospace industry.  The event will take place from June 15 to 21, 2015 at Le Bourget Exhibition Centre in France.  This event is a key opportunity to promote the Canadian aerospace industry.  At the 2013 PAS, there were 2,214 exhibitors from 44 countries and over 139,000 trade visitors in attendance.

Canada’s participation at the PAS is led by Industry Canada’s Aerospace, Defence and Marine Branch (ADMB).  ADMB coordinates Canada’s presence at PAS through an organizing committee that consists of members from national and provincial aerospace associations, federal departments and agencies, provincial and territorial governments and the Canadian aerospace industry.  Collaboratively, the team works to organize a Canadian Pavilion, the Showcase Canada portion of the Canadian Pavilion, a Canada Business Centre, a Ministerial program, a senior management program, business-to-business (B2B) meeting events, a speaker series and various targeted networking events for the benefit of Canadian aerospace firms.

The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) is a not-for-profit national industry association, representing 95% of Canadian aerospace companies.  The AIAC has the same objectives as the government with respect to promoting the Canadian aerospace industry at the PAS.  The AIAC is the long term lead organizer of the Canadian Pavilion for both the Paris and Farnborough air shows.

The AIAC will be required to reserve and pay for the raw floor space for the Canadian Pavilion (Showcase Canada and Pavilion meeting space) and the Canada Business Centre.  Moreover, the AIAC will be required to design, construct, transport, install, coordinate, dismantle and clean-up a Showcase Canada, Canadian Pavilion meeting space and a Canada Business Centre.  The association will also manage the recruitment of Canadian exhibitors and the staffing of these facilities during the PAS.  The AIAC may use subcontractor(s) for some of these tasks.  The subcontractor(s) would be selected through the AIAC’s International Exhibitions Committee which is comprised of Canadian industry, Provincial industry associations, Industry Canada and other government departments.

The Showcase Canada booth is an area located within the Canadian Pavilion that is used to promote Canada as a global leader in the aerospace industry and highlights Canadian capabilities.  It also provides a central meeting area for the Canadian delegation at the show, and acts as the main information booth.

Industry Canada and the Department Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) will also have use of two meeting rooms located in the Canadian Pavilion.  The meeting rooms will be used for the conduct of a comprehensive business-to-business meeting program for the benefit of the Canadian industry.  It will also be used by senior Departmental officials and Trade Commissioners for the conduct of international business development and investment attraction/retention meetings with representatives from the international aerospace industry.  

The Canada Business Centre is located among a group of many separate, individually enclosed, temporary buildings outside and adjacent to the trade show exhibit space.  The Canada Business Centre will be used by the Minister of Industry (Head of the Canadian Delegation, or another Federal Minister), Government of Canada officials and Canadian companies to conduct international business development and investment attraction/retention meetings with representatives from the international aerospace industry.  The Business Centre will also serve as a venue for B2B meeting events, various targeted networking events and industry briefing sessions for the benefit of Canadian aerospace firms.