Events - Future Events View

This workshop, tailored to new airport professionals and incoming public officials, aims to enhance attendees‘ understanding of the aviation story, airport management issues, current challenges industry leaders face, and strategies for implementing sensible strategic plans or goals. It is designed to present new airport board members or commissioners, senior and mid-level airport executives, and entry-level staff with a substantive and thoughtful review of the airport industry. The workshop also provides a capstone summary of the airport management environment from A-Z. The workshop is free to attend, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided. Please let us know how we can ensure that this workshop is inclusive to you. What accommodations or access needs can we help facilitate? Contact Natalie Niskanen at niskanen@umn.edu when you register to help us provide you with the best access. Note: This event is being held in conjunction with the 2024 Minnesota Airports Conference. Separate registration is required for the conference.

Attendee registration, exhibitor check-in, and booth setup.

Annual MCOA conference.

Back by popular demand, the Attendee Welcome is a great way to kick off your conference experience. If you’re a first-time attendee or new to your airport role, take advantage of the opportunity to get to know your peers and start your conference experience with connections. Meet airport representatives, ask questions, and talk about ways to get help with your airport projects.

Best-selling author of nearly 50 books, Ross Bernstein is an award-winning Peak Performance Hall of Fame business speaker who’s keynoted conferences across the globe and been featured in numerous national news media outlets. His program is all about the DNA of what makes champions in sports so unique and how that relates to business. Based on his research, Ross believes that the same metrics and characteristics common among champions in sports are also common among peak performers in business. In an engaging, provocative, and visually entertaining style, Ross will share poignant stories from the world of sports, fascinating case studies of companies he has worked with, and ideas on ways to increase sales, overcome disruption, harness creativity, generate momentum, and ultimately build stronger relationships.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and learn about innovative services and products from our exhibitors. This year‘s exhibit hall will also feature a poster showcase of projects nominated for MCOA awards. We hope you‘ll take some time to browse posters of the nominated projects and speak with the affiliated consultants and sponsors.

Join us as FAA leaders introduce new staff, provide organizational updates, highlight new initiatives, and share their perspectives on the future direction of aviation in Minnesota.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and learn about innovative services and products.

Hear from MnDOT’s Office of Aeronautics leaders as they discuss funding, policy, staffing, and other news relevant to Minnesota’s aviation community.

Enjoy hearty food, drinks, and networking with exhibitors and colleagues in the exhibit hall.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and learn about innovative services and products.

Annual MCOA conference.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and learn about innovative services and products.

This session will bring together MnDOT and FAA staff to discuss a variety of topics related to funding challenges and successes.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and learn about innovative services and products.

Does your airport have more than one runway? Don’t assume your crosswind runway is eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding, even if it was built with AIP funds. Learn what it takes to get an eligibility determination from the FAA for your second runway and how other airports are wrestling with this emerging capital funding issue.

Have a question about the lights at your airfield? This is the place to be! A panel of airfield electricians will take your questions and share some insights on what they have seen this past year. Don’t have a question? That’s OK—come listen and familiarize yourself with the challenges other airports are facing!

Join us as we recognize scholarship recipients and those receiving awards for excellence in aviation.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and learn about innovative services and products.

MnDOT staff will discuss five to seven areas of emphasis and detail the current expectations for those areas, including how airports can succeed.

This session will facilitate a discussion for pilots, city personnel, airport personnel, and managers who are concerned with issues in commercial and general aviation safety, airport security, and emergency response management. No incident or concern is too small to discuss. Airport managers will also share their experiences or security issues they plan for.

Join the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) executive director/CEO as he shares what’s happening at the MAC and in Minnesota’s aviation scene in this engaging session.

Enjoy networking with other attendees and the chance to win fabulous prizes from our exhibitors.

Hear about the upcoming priority projects coming from MnDOT as a result of the recently completed Minnesota State Aviation System Plan (MnSASP). Topics will include the development of an automated data collection portal for MnSASP data, an overview of the state-owned NAVAID modernization initiative, and the status of MnDOT’s new CIP and grant management platform.

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) can be broadly defined to encapsulate novel and emerging aircraft designs including zero-emission propulsion systems and increasingly automated piloting systems. This session will explore the current AAM industry, key players, expected entry-into-service dates, and how Minnesota airports can start to prepare.

Enjoy a dinner buffet, drinks, and networking with exhibitors and colleagues in the Lakeside Ballroom.

Come dressed in “island attire“ and join other conference attendees for a fun night of laid-back socializing—and a chance to show off your knowledge! A cash bar and snacks will be available.

Former State Representative and county board member Mike Beard and former State Senator Ann Johnson will lead a discussion on how to best connect with your state legislatures. The legislative session will be in full swing during the conference, and Mike and Ann will give an update on what’s been accomplished to date, along with advice on how you can have input into how decisions are made.

Annual MCOA conference.

Learn how revenues are collected for the SAF, including through aircraft fuel tax, aircraft registration, aircraft sales, and aircraft commercial operations licensing. Additionally, this session will dive deeper into SAF revenues collected through the aircraft registration system and the benefit to airports, and how improved partnerships help keep the SAF healthy.

Join us at this workshop to learn about wildlife control strategies with Alan Schumacher of US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and John Ostrom of the Metropolitan Airports Commission/Minneapolis–St. Paul International. This workshop is open to all airport staff interested in hearing best practices and sharing ideas. It will include a classroom session, field training, and hands-on demonstrations.