The North American air show community welcomes 10-12 million spectators to 225-250 air shows every year. From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Abbotsford, British Columbia, from Cold Lake, Alberta to El Paso, Texas, and everywhere in between, air shows provide outdoor aerial entertainment that is safe, affordable and family-oriented.

The first step in creating the consensus and support necessary to plan and conduct an air show often involves making the case to community leaders that your proposed air show will be a positive, popular and broadly beneficial event for your community. Here are a few considerations to share as you work to enlist the support of local airport, government and political officials.

Why Host an Air Show at Your Airport?

Every airport that hosts an air show does so for a unique combination of reasons. Many want to entertain and
inspire those that live in the surrounding area. Others want to showcase the airport and its value and importance to the community where it is located. Air shows can have a significant financial impact on the towns and cities where they are held, often attracting millions of dollars to the communities where they are held. Air shows are also an effective tool for promoting aviation and careers in the aerospace industry. In many cases, air shows are held to raise money for local philanthropies. Most often, though, air shows are planned and executed for a combination of these and other reasons.

Is Your Airport Suitable to Hold an Air Show?

Before proceeding with planning, it is best to study the area in which the air show is to be held to first confirm that it is a suitable venue. For example, is there sufficient parking available either within walking distance of the airport or via parking shuttles from a short distance away? Can a sterile area be mapped out at and near the airport to provide the necessary sterile space required to conduct aerobatics? Will the local roads support heavier traffic to and from the airport on air show weekend? Are there other, established air shows nearby on other weekends during the year that might compete for attendance? Are there other non-air show, festival-type events held nearby and/or during the same time of year?

Where Doe the Money Come From?

Often and understandably, one of the first big hurdles in organizing any new air show is money. Fortunately, the air show community has many different models for helping to make even new air shows financially self-
sufficient…or nearly so. Admission and parking fees are the most obvious sources of the funds needed to
organize and run an air show. But most shows also collect a portion of food concession sales to help finance the show. Corporate sponsorship fees from local or regional businesses eager to project their corporate message or support a local community event can also be an important source of air show funding. And because air shows can often have a significant and measurable economic impact on the communities in which they are held, government can often be a source of funding, either through actual payments or – more often – through in-kind contribution of local law enforcement and emergency response services or the use of government property or equipment necessary to hold the air show.

Where Does the Money Go?

It's often important to clarify and specify what happens to the money generated by the show. Typically, the
majority of that money goes to pay for the expenses related to holding the event. Some communities designate one or more local charities as the recipients of excess funds generated by the show. And most shows use local service organizations, veterans groups and youth sports leagues as a source of volunteers for the air show, making cash contributions to those organizations in return for volunteer labor.