Around 575 delegates passed through the doors of the GHI Conference at the spectacular Rosen Shingle Creek hotel on 3-5 June, with more than 2,300 One-to-One meetings held across the three day event.
The GHI team thanked all their sponsors for supporting the event including their Platinum Sponsors: AGI and Wilcox GSE, Gold Sponsors: AvroGSE, dnata and Samsic Assistance and WFS, Silver Sponsors: ASAK and TLD as well as a number of their special sponsors such as Abomis and Mercury GSE.
All in all there were 62 exhibitors, the conference's highest number of companies to date.
Speaking after the event, Max Gosney, GHI Portfolio Director & Conference Chairman, said: “Thank you to all of our friends in the Americas who got behind the GHI Conference in a big way. We’re delighted to have achieved a new attendance record and also hit a new benchmark for the number of attending airlines, exhibitors and on-site meetings. This wasn’t just about the numbers, the quality of the networking and discussion on site were also exceptional according to attendee feedback and that is what GHI strives for. It’s both exciting and hugely satisfying to see the growth in this Americas Conference and we’re confident that there’s more to come. Thanks everyone and see you in Panama next year."
David Dick, President of Wilcox GSE, said: "The GHI Americas Conference continues to be the most valuable event we attend as a company. It brings together the right people—buyers, suppliers, and decision-makers—and creates an environment that’s efficient, focused, and productive. In Orlando, we had over 30 productive meetings, and the feedback on Wilcox GSE products was outstanding. We’re already seeing strong momentum from those conversations. It’s a great opportunity to share what we’re working on, introduce new products, and build relationships across the industry. We were proud to sponsor both the golf tournament and the conference as a Platinum Sponsor, and we’re looking forward to supporting future events, including Panama in 2026."
Picture caption: Airport College International team Pertti Mero and Ari Ketola with the delegation of Nassau Flight Services (from left to right: Plato Thompson, Jevon Butler, S. Obie Roberts, Roskieno Neely and Ricardo Rolle).
Pertti Mero, CEO of Airport College International, said: "The GHI Americas Conference 2025 in Orlando highlighted a major change in the mindset of our industry: training is no longer just a necessary obligation; it is now at the heart of strategy. In our discussions with aviation professionals, it became clear that training is about more than just meeting compliance requirements. It’s about building a competitive advantage, enhancing operational safety, and supporting long-term sustainability goals.
"At Airport College International, we believe that world-class training is the foundation of excellence in ground handling. The companies we connected with are asking deeper questions about training speed, quality, scalability, and measurable impact. This reflects a new era in which where training agility is directly linked to business performance.
"We are committed to helping the industry thrive in this environment by offering smart, scalable digital training solutions that are deeply human. It was inspiring to see so many like-minded partners and professionals at the conference."
John Boult, Managing Director of Damarel, said: "Sincere thanks to the team at GHI Americas for another excellent event! Our participation was highly valuable, and we would certainly recommend it to other suppliers looking to engage with the ground handling industry in the Americas region.
"Face-to-face interaction is invaluable for strengthening relationships and the conference was an exceptional opportunity for us to connect with our existing clients in a single location, significantly reducing the need for extensive travel to individual locations.
"It was also a highly effective opportunity for engaging with current prospects, particularly the decision-makers. The focused environment allowed us to have in-depth conversations and progress critical business leads. Furthermore, the exhibition delivered ample opportunities to showcase our solutions, unearth new opportunities and expand our network within the industry.
"GHI Americas played a key role in increasing our profile within the ground handling community. The attendance of so many ground handlers from across the region truly created a concentrated audience.
"Finally, and as importantly, the informal networking opportunities were fantastic, allowing us to build and reinforce connections with both existing and potential clients in a relaxed setting.
"GHI Americas consistently delivers on its promise to bring together key players in the ground handling sector, making it an indispensable event for our business development and relationship building. We look forward to future editions!"
"GHI Americas was another great week of re- establishing communications with our existing partners and business associates as well as finding new potential opportunities to work with in the future," added David O'Connell, CEO of dBD Communications.
The Americas GHI Conference will be held in Panama at the Panama Convention Centre next year from 2-4 June.
