Dayton May Be in Line for Proposed International Aviation Trade Show

Legislative language directing the U.S. Defense Department to spend up to $1 million to help study and start up an international aviation trade show is in the House version of the 2004 defense authorization bill. While the bill does not specifically mention Dayton, an accompanying report by the House Armed Services Committee says the Pentagon should select a community for the study that already has an air show, "such as Dayton, Ohio." The trade show is seen as a biennial event. A host community will be selected by March 1, 2004, and the results of the study are due by Sept. 30, 2004.

As you might expect, local development officials are quite enthused about the idea. Two questions come to mind on this proposal. Is the trade show sustainable in Dayton or other locations? Can the Dayton area build and maintain attendance at the show? Second, how much of an ongoing public subsidy will be required to keep the show viable? How much will local governments and the State of Ohio be asked to invest? Clearly, the Dayton area has some considerable aerospace and aviation-related development strengths. One of them, however, is not its own airport, which is a key resource in attracting trade show exhibitors and attendees. And yes, I know the drive time to the Greater Cincinnati airport. These are important questions for Dayton area leaders to consider as they formulate a strategy to pursue this opportunity.

Strategic development projects (SDPs), like major trade shows, ballparks, convention centers, museums and other developments, are not easy to do successfully. They are especially hard during the current economic climate. I don't fault any community for wanting to call attention to itself and advance its economic base through innovative developments. At the same time, we have to consider the economic realities of these activities. More than a few communities have succeeded in building new major public facilities, only to discover that after building it, not enough people come.

My advice: plan carefully and scrutinize the scale/scope of the trade show project. Look long and hard at the financial and economic numbers under different scenarios.

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