EUROPEAN ROTORS - The VTOL Show and Safety Conference - is looking ahead to its second iteration, to be held from 8 to 10 November, 2022 in Cologne, Germany. The premier event in 2021 was an encouraging success, with very strong support shown by the rotorcraft industry at a time when travel restrictions were still affecting many countries.
The unique “365 digital event platform” was also established, primarily aimed at potential visitors who remained in their home countries, and its success will be continued to allow additional attendees to participate and interact with exhibitors and other aspects of the event.
The organisers of EUROPEAN ROTORS are pleased to report that bookings are already well ahead of its 2021 achievements, with over 115 companies and organisations already signed up as exhibitors. These range from market heavyweights such as Airbus Helicopters, Bell, Leonardo Helicopters, Safran Helicopter Engines, Boeing Global Services, and Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., right through to specialist suppliers such as Air Covers, Rebtech and Spider Tracks. The current list of exhibitors is published on the event website with regular updates, and the organisers continue to be in talks with many more organisations across the industry to add to the breadth and depth of the final presentation in November.
The exhibition floor will feature a static display of helicopters, a drone pavilion as well as an area dedicated to smaller and emerging companies in the rotorcraft market. The trade show covers all aspects of VTOL operations including HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services), firefighting, public safety, offshore, logging, corporate transport, while also keeping in mind the next generation of vertical flight with displays of eVTOLs and other unmanned solutions.
EUROPEAN ROTORS is jointly organised by the European Helicopter Association (EHA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and with the full support of major OEMs from the industry. Joining the commercial and regulatory sectors in this way is not only a pillar in further promoting safety, but is also central to ensuring a long-lasting recovery to our rotorcraft industry as we move forward from the pandemic.
As announced during the 2021 show, EHA and EUROPEAN ROTORS also entered into a collaborative partnership with Helicopter Association International (HAI) to produce the 2022 and future shows. Through this agreement, HAI provides marketing, scheduling, and logistics support for EUROPEAN ROTORS. HAI produces the world’s largest helicopter-specific trade show – HAI HELI-EXPO – every year in the United States. EHA expects that leveraging HAI’s knowledge, experience, and connections will provide guidance and support in planning, marketing, and coordination to EUROPEAN ROTORS.
Alongside the trade show, EUROPEAN ROTORS also offers conferences, training and workshops. The timing of the event has been fixed around the successful EASA Rotorcraft and VTOL Symposium, held by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The symposium is now in its 15th iteration, and is the primary platform for the European helicopter industry to jointly discuss current and future challenges with the European regulator. The integration into EUROPEAN ROTORS allows EASA to expand its audience by co-locating the largest rotary wing industry exhibition outside the USA.
David Solar, Head of the General Aviation and VTOL Department at EASA, says: "EUROPEAN ROTORS 2021 gave us as regulators a glimpse of the benefits of bringing together our established Rotorcraft and VTOL Safety Symposium with a trade exhibition. The collaboration between the European Helicopter Association (EHA) and EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) showed how a wider group of visitors can benefit both organisations and present a very attractive single-site concept for the rotorcraft community in Europe. We look forward to building on this foundation and expanding in November 2022, while remaining open to yet more opportunities for the future."
EUROPEAN ROTORS will combine the best of a live show and its networking opportunities with additional content over its own online event platform. The organisers already very successfully had launched last year a so-called “Digital Series” featuring online interviews, panel discussions and live webinars concerning latest developments in the VTOL arena. This series will continue and directly lead into the digital “EUROPEAN ROTORS show platform” and the launch of “EUROPEAN ROTORS 365”.
Dr. Frank Liemandt, Show Director of EUROPEAN ROTORS, explains: “As we look ahead to welcoming everybody to EUROPEAN ROTORS 2022 in Cologne from the 8th to 10th November, we are very encouraged by the excellent progress to date. Due to the success of 2021 we are even expanding the show by having our own training day on Monday, 7th. Very soon we will publish our first agenda for this years edition and open attendee registration. We are confident that EUROPEAN ROTORS will become the most important event for the VTOL community in Europe.”. The digital event platform will host online exhibitors with their latest news, inform about the educational programme during the show, including webinars and will broadcast sessions live directly from the event.
EUROPEAN ROTORS has formed an international network with other rotorcraft events including Heli Conference Dubai, and has partnered with the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), which will host several high-ranking educational and technical sessions on a range of subjects shaping the exciting future of vertical flight.