USA/UK. The Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), a network of airlines, suppliers and related companies committed to improving the airline passenger experience, has agreed terms to acquire Future Travel Experience (FTE).
The move brings the UK-headquartered global events, media, and innovation hub company under APEX’s non-profit direction, with the two organisations set to become integrated over a four-year time frame.
Merging the work of the two organisations greatly expands APEX’s current global events portfolio. As well as its existing events, it will now also host FTE Global, FTE Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA), FTE Ancillary, FTE Asia EXPO, FTE Media, and the FTE Innovation & Startup Hub.
APEX will also serve the end-to-end passenger experience with partner organisation International Flight Services Association (IFSA). This, combined with the FTE acquisition, will allow it to hit new levels of airline engagement and supplier participation, APEX said.
APEX/IFSA CEO Dr Joe Leader said: “APEX with FTE will effectively double our size, scope, and ability to be a more powerful driving force for industry change and collaboration serving all of our global members.
“The idea for this approach came from the APEX board of directors strategic planning session early last year. Combining the power of APEX, IFSA and FTE together furthers our ability to inspire global air transport stakeholders to accelerate the advancement of the future travel experience and inflight service.”
The new, single APEX/IFSA organisation will maintain the existing price structure for members for existing APEX and IFSA events in addition to discounted member rates for attending FTE events around the globe.
The acquisition is expected to increase the association’s overall membership, as well as significantly increasing the overlap of attendance at regional events, by attracting new airlines, suppliers, and on-the-ground service providers to the organisation’s membership.
FTE Founder Daniel Coleman said: “We have already enjoyed incredibly strong working relations with four years of in-depth partnership with APEX. I think the association has a huge role to play in driving important industry change that we are very proud to now more directly support.
“By teaming up, we can strengthen and amplify our respective propositions greatly. There remains a tremendous, real opportunity now to consolidate and build mega-events together in the territories of Asia Pacific, EMEA, and the Americas to better serve our global industry.”
