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Annual Conference


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March 12-15, 2024

Event Information | Registration Coming December 2023

Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. with Livestream Options for Online Participants

Experience the maintenance community’s premier event. Join ARSA members and invited guests from around the world to engage governments, network with peers and improve the state of the aviation world.

Event Information

Unless otherwise noted, all Annual Conference activities take place at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. Stay tuned for agenda updates as the event gets closer.

Executive to Executive Briefings: Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Participation by industry executives with senior executive branch officials is limited to annual conference sponsors. Agency participation has included the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, Labor, State, and Transportation. Panel discussions will also include insight from the International Air Transport Association and the Virginia Manufacturers association.

Legislative Day: Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The day dedicated to education about and education of industry legislators—from learning what ARSA does and what you can do to visits with targeted Capitol Hill legislators and staff.
7:30 a.m. | Registration & Breakfast
8:00 a.m. | Welcome & Introductions
8:15 a.m. | It's All About Your Industry and Your Company

Find out what’s at stake in Washington for your company and your industry, where things stand, and what you can do to impact the process.


9:00 a.m. | Morning Panels Begin

Content includes insights from industry colleagues who regularly engage lawmakers, reports about the agendas of other aviation interest groups, and discussion with congressional staffers about legislative priorities.


12:00 p.m. | Lunch & Release & Global Fleet & MRO Market Report by Oliver Wyman
1:00 p.m. | Congressional Meetings Begin

Participants head to Capitol Hill for scheduled meetings with members of Congress and staffers covering subject matter or geographic jurisdictions impacting participant home/facility locations. NOTE: participants schedule their meetings directly with the relevant offices; instructions are provided in advance of the event.


TBD | Presentation of ARSA Legislative Leadership Award (Special Invitation Only)
4:00 p.m. | Symposium Registration Open (for non-Legislative Day attendees)
5:30 p.m. | Ice Breaker Reception
7:00 p.m. | Special Invitation Dinner

Annual Repair Symposium: Thursday, March 14, 2024

The centerpiece of Conference week, ARSA convenes a full day of substantive panel discussions covering key regulatory compliance and business issues.
7:30 a.m. | Registration & Breakfast
8:00 a.m. | Welcome & Introductory Remarks

ARSA is the voice of the global aviation maintenance industry. How the association advocates your interests with legislators, regulators, and the media sets the stage for corporate growth. Information on how advancement of the industry’s collective interests enables individual companies to shine more brightly.


8:30 a.m. | Session 1: Keynote Address
9:00 a.m. | Break
9:15 a.m. | Session 2: Opening Salvo – Conversations with the Regulators

International aviation safety agencies will provide updates on the regulations, policies, and procedures of importance to the global aerospace sector. 


12:30 p.m. | Lunch with Special Guest
2:00 p.m. | Session 3: Defining the Career

Using known pathways and the current regulations, panelists lay out recruitment templates for international maintenance technician recruitment, training, and retention.


3:00 p.m. | ARSA Quiz Show
3:30 p.m. | Break
4:00 p.m. | Session 4: Training First

Based on recommendations from SOCAC’s Workforce Development and Training (WDAT) Working Group, panelists will explain how industry can push the government to accept standards for competency and skill development.


5:00 p.m. | The Club Lounge Happy Hour

Member Day: Friday, March 15, 2024

ARSA's leadership briefs members on the state of the association as well as goals and priorities for the coming year. Participants then close out the event by choosing from one of several concurrent breakout sessions.
8:00 a.m. | Annual Membership Meeting & Breakfast
9:30 a.m. | Break
10:00 a.m. | Breakout Sessions

The following subjects are considered for use in afternoon Symposium sessions (3 & 4) or Breakouts. The subjects currently listed for Thursday afternoon may be replaced or moved to a breakout.


Manual Transmission – Using ARSA’s updated RSQM compilation as a baseline, how can a repair station build documents that support its people without getting in their way? This challenge includes building complementary systems for meeting international requirements.


Creating Commentary – Discussion of recent rulemaking activities, including those related to international drug & alcohol testing, Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification (MOSAIC), “Powered Lift”, and even ARSA comments on petitions for exemption. How must industry monitor and direct its government(s) to push for reasonable oversight?


More Pragmatic SMS – A year after the FAA’s rulemaking expanded the scope of Safety Management System requirements and eight months into ARSA’s partnership with the Aircraft Electronics Association for member access to SMS tools, discussion of the foundational principles related to repair station management.


European Enlightenment? – As the FAA and EASA try to hammer out resolution for their years-long sparring over parts documentation, review the histories and realities of regulatory collaboration with the old continent.


12:00 p.m. | Conference Ends

In-Person

All substantive and social activities were hosted at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. Legislative Day participants will head to Capitol Hill for meetings with congressional offices as appropriate.

Livestream

The majority of conference events will be available to livestream viewers via a Vimeo web-player embedded into a page on ARSA.org. Access to the livestream in 2024 will be available only to "Conference Ambassadors." These "Ambassadors" are contacts identified by in-person participants to bring the event back to their home facilities.

For information about committing your organization to the Annual Conference, contact ARSA Vice President of Operations Brett Levanto.

Platinum – $10,000

Notation in all publicity, marketing and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, conference attendee contact list, specific email alerts to association contacts), recognition in event materials and from the podium, specific thank you in ARSA periodicals, sponsorship rights and 10 registrations to an ARSA training session, complimentary registrations for three (3) participants in the Executive to Executive Briefings as well as three (3) in Legislative Day, and free livestream access for personnel unable to attend in person. At the Platinum Level, sponsors may select one of the following to specifically support (may not reflect current availability for 2024):
  • Online Conference Experience
  • Executive to Executive Briefings
  • Legislative Day – All Day
  • Annual Repair Symposium – Ice Breaker Reception
  • Annual Repair Symposium – Club Lounge Happy Hour
  • Congressional Directories/Resources

2023 Platinum Sponsors

       
         
         

Gold – $7,500

Notation in all publicity, marketing and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, conference attendee contact list, specific email alerts to association contacts), recognition in event materials and from the podium, specific thank you in ARSA periodicals, 5 registrations to an ARSA training session, complimentary registrations for two (2) participants in the Executive to Executive Briefings as well as two (2) in Legislative Day, and free livestream access for personnel unable to attend in person. At the Gold Level, sponsors may select one of the following to specifically support (may not reflect current availability for 2023):
  • Legislative Priorities Brochures/Resources
  • Digital Companion/Electronic Materials
  • Legislative Day – Continental Breakfast
  • Legislative Day – Congressional Briefing and Luncheon
  • Annual Repair Symposium – Continental Breakfast
  • Annual Repair Symposium – Luncheon with Special Guest

2023 Gold Sponsors

         

Silver – $3,500

Notation in all publicity, marketing, and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, conference attendee contact list, specific email alerts to association contacts), recognition in event materials and from the podium, complimentary registrations for one (1) participant in the Executive to Executive Briefings as well as one (1) in Legislative Day. At the Silver Level, sponsors may select one of the following to specifically support (may not reflect current availability for 2023):
  • Nametag Lanyards
  • Hotel Room Keys
  • Annual Repair Symposium – Coffee Break (5)

2023 Silver Sponsors

       

Supporter – $2,500

Notation in all publicity, marketing, and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch, ARSA team email signatures, specific email alerts to association contacts), and recognition in event materials and from the podium.

2023 Supporter

           

Contributor – $500 to $2,499 (or equivalent support)

Notation in some publicity, marketing, and periodicals (e.g., the hotline, Dispatch), and recognition in event materials and from the podium.

2023 Contributors

   

ARSA reserves a block of rooms for Conference participants at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia. The hotel hosts most of the activities related to the ARSA Conference and is convenient to the Metro as well as Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). Stay tuned for registration information, which will be made available when registration opens.

 
The Leo Weston Award for Excellence in Government Service
First bestowed on Leo Weston himself in 2005, the Weston award honors an instrumental figure in ARSA's birth by recognizing individuals who embody his commitment to the industry's safety and success. The symposium provides a venue for association members and invited guests from around the world to network and discuss issues that matter to the aviation maintenance industry. It is the perfect time to respect the history of the repair station community and honor the good works of those who support it.

Weston and his wife Bernadette in 2017.

“His dedication was matched with exceptional insight,” ARSA Executive Director Sarah MacLeod said after Weston's death in 2020, remembering the incentive he provided in the formation of the association. “Not only did he set the foundation for the eventual international recognition of repair stations by spawning the ‘joint airworthiness regulations,’ but he also actively encouraged ARSA to become the repository of knowledge on the history, intent and plain language of aviation safety requirements. While Leo always had an opinion, it never outweighed an applicant, certificate holder, or female lawyer’s approach to showing compliance. He was as willing to learn as he was to educate; he embodied the ‘critical thinking’ sought, but so rarely found in government or industry.”
Click here to learn more about the award.
For information about the 2022 Weston Award honoree David Latimer, click here.
The ARSA team encourages all Annual Conference in-person participants to take measures appropriate to their personal comfort, medical risk, and other needs related to personal health. The following resources are available for attendee reference:

The Ritz-Carlton

The site of all substantive and social gatherings related to the ARSA Conference. The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City follows the Marriott International "Commitment to Clean." The guidance includes protocols and elevated practices and can be found at whattoexpect.marriott.com/waspc.

Virginia

With the exception of any Legislative Day meetings held on Capitol Hill (scheduled individually by participants), the entirety of the Annual Conference takes place in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Guidance related coronavirus protocols can be found at www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/protect-yourself.

Washington, D.C.

No Annual Conference activities open to general participation take place in Washington, D.C. Conference attendees going into the city for business or personal reasons should consult coronavirus.dc.gov for policy and guidance related to the pandemic.

U.S. CDC

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both Arlington County (the location of the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City) and Washington, D.C. are classified as "medium" for community transmission. See county-by-county assessments and guidance at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Going Livestream

If any in-person registrant wishes to opt out of participation because of personal health concerns (including illness) they may switch to livestream access at any time. Access to the livestream is available to all participants via the Digital Companion, a password-protected webpage for participants to access the agenda, speaker information and presentation resources.

ARSA has created a Google Photos Album with selected images from the event. The album is open; the association invites participants to share their own shots from the Annual Conference (if you'd like to deliver images directly to an ARSA team member, contact Brett Levanto). Sharing event photos constitutes consenting to their use/distribution in association with Conference-related publicity for this or future events, at ARSA's discretion.

Click here to go to the album.

Materials and Recordings

The Digital Companion (the much discussed online resource for event materials and resources, to which access information has been sent to attendees via email and was provided from the lectern on each day) has been updated with PDFs of all presentations as well as links to additional resources discussed during the event. It also includes an attendee directory (in the “General Resources” area) and information about accessing raw livestream recordings (hint: they are in the same place the livestream was).

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