NARA Plans 2013 Spring Membership Meeting

March 29, 2013 -- <span 1.6em;"="">The National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) will hold its annual spring meeting April 3-5 at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla. This year’s three-day spring meeting will feature industry-specific speakers and presentations, networking opportunities, an associate member forum and an auction to raise money for a planned NARA Business Aviation Scholarship to be awarded in 2014.

“Communicating information about the industry, the association and the economy is always a vital priority for NARA members,” said NARA Chairman Brad Harris. He says the association will meet those needs with two featured guest speakers--Ernie Edwards, President of Embraer Executive Jets, and Brian Beaulieu, an economist with the Institute for Trend Research. Edwards will discuss trends in the worldwide sales and support of Embraer’s fleet of business jets and will share his views of the industry, customer concerns and the future. Beaulieu will share ITR’s economic forecast to help members better plan for the effects business aviation will see from short- and long-term future economic trends and predictions. Members can use this information to help them develop proactive strategies for their businesses and their clients.

“Just as important as the formal information shared during the spring meeting is the opportunity for members to networking with each other and develop business and personal relationships,” Harris says. “NARA relationships provide members with information, contacts and answers to the questions they and their clients have. On the personal side, members enjoy meeting others within the industry, forging friendships while discussing aviation and other topics.”

Harris says this year’s spring meeting has several opportunities for networking and making those important business and personal connections. New this year is an opportunity for broker and dealer members to connect and learn more from the organization’s associate members. An hour time slot has been set aside and associate members will be given the opportunity to display products and services and educate the rest of the membership about what they do and how they can help clients in the process of buying or selling a pre-owned business aircraft.

Also new this year is a silent and live auction to be held in conjunction with the NARA Dinner Banquet. Harris says proceeds from the auction will be used to help fund the new NARA Business Aviation Scholarship, which was recently established to benefit university students planning to start a career within the corporate aircraft sales, marketing, finance, legal or insurance community. The scholarship will be offered by NARA for one student in 2014 with the amount dependent on the funds raised through NARA’s various outlets, including the auction and other private donations.

“I am personally looking forward to the spring meeting,” Harris says. “Getting together and learning more about how the association can help and be an even better value and resource for our 77 member companies is something I enjoy very much. I also enjoy spending time with the great people connected to NARA. I couldn’t ask to work with a better group of people who truly enjoy doing what they do and who represent themselves and the industry with the utmost integrity and professionalism.”

NARA is a professional trade association of businesses organized to promote the growth and public understanding of the aircraft resale industry. Its members abide by a 14-point Code of Ethics that provide standards of business conduct regarding aircraft transactions. For more information about NARA, its members and its code of ethics, visit the NARA website at www.nara-dealers.com or call Devri Pitts, Independent Association Director, at 866-284-4744.