Overview
Programme
Event PDF
Speakers
Exhibition
Venue
The Central Europe Private Aviation Association (CEPA) was founded in Prague on 2 November, 2009. The Association was formed to promote the interests of private aviation in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia and in due course, other markets to include Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
Private aviation is relatively new to Central Europe but as the economies of these countries expand, so too does the requirement for on demand, point to point air charter flights. Previously, high net worth individuals and business innovators seeking direct charter flights had to go shopping elsewhere in Europe, but with an increasing number of business jets being registered in Central Europe and disused airfields being opened up for General Aviation (GA) operations the private air charter customer is in a position to enjoy greater choice and more options in terms of where and when to fly.
CEPA is seeking to set the agenda for the industry and has joined with MIU Events to present the first dedicated event for the Central European Private Aviation market. The event will seek to bring together all those parties having a direct interest in the future of business and private aviation in Central Europe - Private air charter operators, Government and regulatory authorities, private equity interests, funding agencies, legal, insurance, leasing, entrepreneurs, support and service organisations, airport and regional planning authorities, FBO's, pilot organisations, brokers, training organisations, the OEM's, MRO and servicing facilities, innovators and consultants.
MIU Events, in co-operation with CEPA, builds on its worldwide experience and contacts in the aviation industry to bring together the major players and innovators in the business aviation and private aviation sectors to debate, analyse, structure, and thoughtfully consider the best way forward for private aviation in the strategic heartland of Europe.
The event will be staged in central Prague, in the cobbled streets of Mala Strana and the stunning surroundings of the Mandarin Oriental, a converted 14th century monastery. Thanks to our event sponsors we are able to offer CEPA members a delegate fee of Euros 250 and non members a delegate fee of Euros 390 which offers extraordinarily good value for a two day event and includes all documentation, lunches, coffee breaks, all networking sessions and the gala dinner at the end of Day 1.
Day 1 - Thursday 22nd April, 2010
Chairman: Matthjis de Haan
08:00 Exhibition Opens
Registration & Networking Coffee - sponsored by ARINC 
09:00 Welcome from the City of Prague
SESSION I: WELCOME FROM CEPA – A NEW VISION FOR EUROPE?
09:10 KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Business Aviation in Central Europe – A new vision for private aviation
- Growth of business aviation in Central Europe
- Why an association for Central Europe
- What’s different about CEPA?
- Strategy for the association
Dagmar Grossmann, Chairman, CEPA
09:30 Remit of the association
- Business aviation and its role in the future of Central Europe
- Proposition for the association
- Expectations
- Running the association
Jaroslav Malinsky, Member of the Board, CEPA
09:50 Introduction to the conference from the Organisers
Alan Perry, MIU Events
Opening Remarks from the Conference Chairman and introduction to first session
SESSION II: CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN BUSINESS AVIATION MARKET
10:00 Analysis of the market
- Anticipated growth of private aviation in Central Europe
- Key indices for corporates using private aviation
- Impact on economy
- CEPA Business aviation 2010 - 2020
10:20 Opportunities within the Central and Eastern European market
- Pre flight check
- The real cost of flying bizjets
- What do all European operators need to address to thrive?
- Speed over the ground
10:40 Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates
11:00 CEPA Press conference - members of the central European and trade press are invited to the CEPA inaugural press launch
11:30 Networking Coffee Break - sponsored by ARINC
12:00 Bizjet integration into Central Europe
- ATC issues involved with increased volumes
- Regulatory issues involved with fractional ownership
- Challenges in the sky and on the ground
- EASA requirements
George Ranga, Eurocontrol
12:20 The impact of new security rules on Private aviation
- Regulatory requirements coming into force on 29th April, 2010
- Impact on private and business aviation
- Costs to owners and operators
- Restriction on aircraft
Maciej Urbanski, Director, Civil Aviation Security and Facilitation Department, Civil Aviation Office of Poland
12:40 Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates
12:50 Networking Lunch
SESSION III: OPERATING BUSINESS AIRCRAFT
14:00 The NetJets model in Central Europe
- Accessibility of private aviation
- Providing a competitive advantage
- Fleet deployment and rotation issues
- Win win for customers and operators
Speaker from NetJets
14:20 Will air taxis work in Central Europe?
- Challenging scheduled carriers
- Marketing to the business traveller
- Making private aviation affordable
- Point to point travel and airfield access
Speaker is an air taxi operator
14:40 Operating business jets in Central Europe
- Providing choice
- Aircraft management models
- Operational issues
- Working with operators
Antonia Tomkova, CCO, Grossmann Jet Service
15:00 Networking Coffee Break - sponsored by ARINC
15:30 Examination of contrasting Operator Models in Central Europe
- Overview of different operator models
- Charter vs Managed
- Stand alone vs Alliances
- Simplicity vs Complexity
Jan Vana, CEO, Consultjan s.r.o.
15:50 Linking Central and Eastern Europe to the rest of the world
- Working with established operators
- Opening up new routes
- Aircraft bases
- Operational costs
Michal Polakovic, Director of Ground Ops, Opera Jet s.r.o.
16:00 Helicopters in Business Aviation
- From airport to city
- VIP Ops
- Partnering with fixed wing operators
- Maintenance
16:20 Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates
16:40 Panel discussion – The future role of private aviation in Central Europe? –
Will eastern and central Europe provide a rich seam, for the private air charter operators, to mine or is it “Fools Gold”? A panel of operators, entrepreneurs and business leaders from around Europe discuss the potential for the market.
Panelists: Christian Fehr, Hans Grossmann, Petr Lunak; Jan Vana
17:30 - Concluding remarks from the chairman
End of Day
19:30 - 23.00 Gala Dinner – sponsored by Grossmann Jet Service
Day 2 - Friday 23 April 2010
08:30 - Exhibition opens and networking coffee - sponsored by ARINC
08:50 - Synopsis of Day 1 and opening remarks from the Chairman
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
09:00 The growth of the Central European economy
- A synopsis of the last 10 years
- Where we’re heading over the next 10 years
- Government approach to business aviation
- Providing support to business leaders
SESSION IV: FUNDING AND LEGAL
09:30 Aircraft Asset Management
- What have we learnt from the global downturn
- New rules affecting the asset manager
- Risk management
- Residual valuations
Dr Daniel Lutolf, Managing Partner, SAC Swiss Aviation Consultants LLC
09:50 Financing your business jet – the Investors approach
- The corporate argument for the aircraft
- Board/shareholder interests
- Funding options
- Declaring asset value
Peter Lunak, VP-Finance, KKCG
10:10 Paper to be confirmed
Aoife O'Sullivan, Partner, Gates and Partners
10:30 Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates
10:40 Networking Coffee Break - sponsored by ARINC
SESSION IV: REGIONAL AIRPORTS AND MRO SUPPORT
11:10 Regional airports and FBO operations
- Providing dedicated business jet services
- Separating business from commercial traffic
- Where the need is greatest
- Offering incentives to develop business aviation
Cdr Bud Slabbaert, Expert, Business Aviation development at Airports
11:30 Regional Airports
- Attracting operators and aircraft
- Accommodating aircraft
- Overcoming local objections
- Bringing prosperity to the region
Martin Kacur, General Director, Vodochody Airport
11:50 MRO
- Addressing the lack of maintenance facilities
- Establishing OEM facilities
- Engineer training
- Centres of excellence
Vladimir Jovanovic, Executive Director, Prince Aviation d.o.o.
12:10 Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates
12:20 Panel debate - Developing the infrastructure of regional airports: Meeting the demands of private air charter operators and passengers.The effect of jet fuel prices on the Central European market and the impact on operator services.
12:50 Networking Lunch
SESSION V: FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS AND INNOVATIONS
14:15 Question Time: In this final session there will be a panel comprising OEMs, Avionics and support and supply specialists. Instead of the usual setup where presentations are made to the audience, each manufacturer will be invited to make a brief statement and then the whole panel will answer prepared questions from the audience.
OEM Panellists: Renner Lima (Embraer); Stefano Sturlese (Spectrum)
15:15 Concluding Remarks from the Chairman and conference closes
16:00 - Static display of aircraft at the Jet Centre, Prague airport
Full Central Europe Private Aviation (CEPA) event brochure is available here - left-click to view, right-click to save (PDF, 1.09 MB)
Christian Fehr, Flight Operation Manager, Grossmann Jet Service
A professional pilot with worldwide experience in airline and business aviation. Currently Flight Operation Manager at Grossmann Jet Service. Christian is experienced captain and type rating examiner on Embraer Legacy and at Swiss Aviation Training with more than 8000 flying hours on various types of Airliners and Business Aircrafts.
Dagmar Grossmann, Chairman and Founder of CEPA
Dagmar Grossman is the Chairman and Founder of CEPA and CEO of Grossmann Jet Service. She has extensive experience in the aviation industry especially in the areas of consultation, aircraft management, recruitment, marketing, communication, operations management and sales within an international environment.
In 1991, in Vienna, Dagmar Grossmann started Grosmann Air Service - a start up private airline with 1 Beechcraft, and was involved with all duties and requirements concerning the growth of the company. She was responsible for negotiations with financing institutions, insurance, aircraft companies, regulatory authorities as well as all Human Resources fields, acquisition, marketing and sales. Twelve years later the company owned 3 aircraft and had a management contract for 7 other business jets.
2003 saw Dagmar Grossman starting her own consultation company in the field of worldwide aviation consulting, selling and purchasing aircraft as well as operational consulting.
Since 2004 she has been working in Prague, Czech Republic, as CEO of Grosmann Jet Service. Having identified a market opportunity in the business aviation field, she started a business start–up, setting up and leading sales, marketing, dispatch team and crew. The company today ranks among the leading Central European business jet operators. Grossmann Jet Service opened a Business Jet Set Up Centre which provides consultancy in the area of operations and management of private aircraft.
Dr. Matthijs de Haan, Managing Director, Aviation Result
After graduation in Business Economics at Groningen University in the Netherlands, Matthijs worked for Unilver and Akzo Nobel in various Commercial and Business Development roles for 10 years.
In 2002, after his MBA graduation from the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), he started working on several entrepreneurial projects and ventures within aviation. He was involved in a direct ticket sales project for a Dutch charter airline DutchBird and responsible for the start-up of Denim Airways in Germany. His aviation experience became stronger with the attempt to re-start the Fokker 70 & 100 Aircraft manufacturing within Rekkof Aircraft.
From 2005 until 2009, Matthijs worked as Managing Director of ETIRC Aviation involved in the development of Air Taxi businesses within Europe, and the sales of the Eclipse 500 in the former Eastern European countries.
Besides his professional career within aviation, he holds a Commercial Pilot License, is a designated pilot instructor and examiner. In his spare time he is a demo-pilot with his 1932 DeHavilland Tiger Moth.
Renner Lima, Sales Engineer, Embraer
Petr Lunak, VP Finance, KKCG
After finishing University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic, Petr Lunak started his career as Assistant to CFO at Zenner and as a Project Manager at European Privatization and Investment Corporation. His experience grew as he worked as Custody Services Manager at ING Bank, where Mr Lunak's responsiblities were marketing and the entire relationship with Custody clients in the bank which has been recognised to be one of the most reputable service providers in the Czech Republic. Later he joined ABN AMRO Bank as Senior Relationship Manager where his assignments included building and maintenance of relationship with clients and offering banking services. Before coming to KKCG Group in 2005, Petr Lunak worked as Senior Project Manger at "Atlantik" and was involved in number of proprietary and advisory deals on senior level. In the current position of VP Finance, Mr Lunak is responsible for maintaing relationship with banks, organizing tenders for bank financing projects in KKCG Group including working capital financing, fixed assets and acquisition financing. The assignment includes risk monitoring and implementing hedging strategies.
Dr. Daniel Lütolf, Managing Partner, SAC Swiss Aviation Consultants LLC
After graduation from University of St.Gallen, Switzerland (MBA, Ph.D. in international management) Daniel Lütolf was working as a management consultant in international consulting firms for strategic management and mergers & acquisitions. Daniel joined the aviation industry as Director Corporate Development of Zimex Aviation, Zurich. He then became a member of their management committee and member of the supervisory board at a later stage. In 1993 Daniel was tasked to develop a concept for fractional business aircraft ownership in Europe. After finalising the planning and finding the partners Daniel was starting up the NetJets European fractional ownership operation in 1996 and acted as NetJets’ European head until 2001. In 2003 Daniel came back to the aviation industry starting off with a Switzerland based human resources group. In 2005 he started up SAC Swiss Aviation Consultants. Swiss Aviation Consultants specializes in providing aviation related services mainly in three areas: Aircraft Asset Management for financial institutions, Aviation Executive Recruitment, Advisory and CAMO+ Services.
Jaroslav Malinsky, Member of the Board, CEPA
Jaroslav Malinsky studied at the Military University in Brno. He started his career as a professional pilot in the Czech army, after which he worked as a manager at London’s Heathrow airport and with the team at the Bombardier Skyjet company. Though he currently maintains a managerial position, he remains an active pilot.
Aoife O'Sullivan, Partner, Gates and Partners
Aoife has extensive experience in corporate, asset finance and commercial law. She spent four years in the corporate finance department at Clifford Chance LLP in London where she advised both nationally and internationally on financings, securitisations, takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, listings, commercial contracts, and joint ventures. She then joined a leading offshore firm in the Cayman Islands where she advised on structuring and implementing local and international securitisations, asset financings, mutual fund and unit trust schemes, establishing complex corporate structures with worldwide tax effective outcomes.
Aoife advises clients on aircraft finance, commercial aviation and regulatory issues including aircraft and fleet acquisitions and disposals, financings, airline start-ups, licensing applications and ancillary issues. She has a particular focus on the specialized private and corporate jet market.
Aoife sits on Business Aviation industry committees in the UK and is a regular contributor to trade and industry publications, conferences and seminars.
Antonia Tomkova, Managing Director, CEPA
The Managing Director of CEPA studied at the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia, and earned an MBA at Pittsburgh University with a focus on Leadership, Finance and Global Perspective on Markets.
Over the years of working in business aviation, Antonia has built a valuable relationship with brokers and business jet operators all over the world. She is also focused on brand management and marketing & PR activities. Before entering the aviation industry, Antonia worked in finance, specializing in financial planning and forecasting, profit analysis, creating business strategies for key clients and pricing policy.
Also Antonia's experience include developing sales strategies as well as creating and building marketing and PR strategy on domestic as well as international market.
Cdr Bud Slabbaert, Expert, Business Aviation development at Airports
Bud is a specialist in business aviation development in the Airport and FBO scene. Some of his contentions are that “Nothing flies without an airport” and “Every passenger arriving on a business jet is a potential investor in the region”. Bud is a leader of thought. On his quest for new ways, progress, and competitive advantages he will question the answers, the traditional patterns and the existing templates. His panoramic view on issues and the extensive network that he has carefully built, support his abilities to bring people together and be a project pioneer. He is the typical agent who is assigned to special missions.
Bud consults to several airports, writes a weekly article for the BlueSky Newsletter, and is the initiator/chairman of the BA-Meetup, a conference for business aviation professionals with a new concept.
He is a lateral entry specialist who first studied Business Administration (emphasis marketing communication) and later International and Intercultural Communication. He is fluent in four languages. He has held several management positions. Throughout his professional activities, contract and conditions negotiations, and strategic communication are his specialties and he has proven to be very successful in international or multi-cultural settings.
Exhibition Space
The CEPA conference is held immediately adjacent to the exhibition area. The CEPA exhibition will consist of 6 stands only and will be an opportunity for those involved with, or planning to enter, the central European private aviation market to showcase their business aviation activities. This is a fully international event and participating organizations will include:
Private Air Charter Operators; Aircraft Leasing Companies; Government and State Authorities; Aircraft Manufacturers/OEMs; Industry Associations; Brokers; Aircraft Parts Suppliers; Legal and Insurance Companies; Funding agencies and private equity groups; Airport Operators/FBO Management Companies; Investment Authorities/Banks; Aviators/Pilots; IT/Office In The Sky Specialists; Avionics Specialists; Land/Real Estate Developers; Clothing/Uniform Suppliers; MRO Providers; Computer and Software Suppliers; Pilot/Staff Training Companies; E-Commerce Solutions Specialists; Resource Providers; Environmental Interests; Simulator Providers; Consultants and the Media
Prepared Exhibition Space
Exhibition space can be purchased to include a basic shell scheme. Minimum space available is 3mx3m (i.e.9 sq m). Shell schemes include nameplate, wall panels, 2 chairs, table counter, waste bin, 2 spotlights and plug socket. Additional stand items can be ordered separately.
The cost for a 9sq m stand is Euros 2925 or Euros 325/sq m. Larger stand packages are available but will have to be adapted around the columns in the exhibition area
Additional stand packages are available by negotiation and full size aircraft models or mock ups can be facilitated depending on the weight bearing floor area at the venue.
Contact & Sponsorship
Various sponsorship packages are available and can be tailored to meet your needs and to provide maximum impact for the attendees. For more information please contact:
MIU Events - 20 Layton Place- Kew - Richmond - TW9 3PP - United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 208 332 2211 Email: jw@miuevents.com
The venue for the first Central Europe Private Aviation (CEPA) conference is the Mandarin Oriental Prague hotel. This stunning hotel is situated in the heart of one of the most beautiful cties in the world and is a short walk from the famous Charles bridge and the riverside restaurant which will be the venue for the CEPA dinner at the end of Day 1 of the conference.
No matter how many other destinations you have flown through on your travels, when you enter the Mandarin Oriental, Prague you will know you are in the Golden City.
Situated in the centre of the embassy district and near the high-end business addresses, this is a convenient and supremely elegant location. The hotel restaurant and bar are sought-after meeting points and highly suitable for business meetings. The business centre provides all the necessary support for delegates and the opportunity to relax in the Spa, a former Renaissance church, which has been fitted out as a serene spiritual retreat.
Reflecting the buildings historic origins as a monastery, the meeting space combines pure minimalism with impressive vaulted ceilings and, we feel, provides an ideal location for this first CEPA meeting. The venue offers delegates a central location and an oasis of calm where everyone can make the most of the facilities
The venue offers a rare retreat in the quiet cobbled streets of Mala Strana. Built on the site of a former 14th century monastery, with high contemporary design blending seamlessly with period architectural features, Mandarin Oriental, Prague is a luxury hotel and a beautifully preserved piece of history.
MIU has negotiated special delegate rates for attendees at Eur 170 / night to include breakfast.
The reduced rate, a considerable saving on the rack rate, will be valid, three days prior and three days after, the event dates.
To book your room please insert MIU in the group code box by going to the link below:
