COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
Office of the Governor - James S. Gilmore, III
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 18, 2000
Contact: Mark A. Miner
Phone: (804) 692-3110
Pager: (888) 646-5017
Internet: http://www.state.va.us/governor
RICHMOND – Governor Jim Gilmore today announced that Aviation World’s Fair 2003, an exhibition of a century of global aviation advancements commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first manned, powered and controlled flight, will take place in 2003 at the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport in the historic Tidewater Region of Virginia.
"Virginia will be the center of a vast international celebration of aviation technologies and historic accomplishments thanks to the selection of the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport by Aviation World's Fair, Inc." said Governor Gilmore.
Aviation World’s Fair 2003 in Virginia will mean several major direct economic benefits to the Commonwealth – the creation of thousands of jobs for residents before and during the fair, added awareness of the valuable tourism appeal and infrastructure capabilities of the historic region, and a recognition within the international aerospace industry that Virginia is a great place in which to invest and locate high technology development and manufacturing facilities.
"Aviation World’s Fair 2003 recognizes the Commonwealth as a leader in the Aerospace industry," said Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Barry E. DuVal. "We look forward to this international celebration of flight."
"The Commonwealth of Virginia is looking forward to welcoming the world’s aviation community, and we will do everything we can to ensure their complete success at Aviation World's Fair 2003," said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shirley J. Ybarra.
Aviation World’s Fair 2003 will take place between April 7 and April 27, 2003. For the first week it will be open on a business-to-business basis to worldwide aerospace industry leaders, marketing executives, and national economic strategists from countries around the globe. The event will then open to the public for 14 days.
Aerospace manufacturers will showcase their technological products, equipment and services in a setting of displays that expound on the history, present and future of aviation.
Aviation World's Fair 2003 will present the complete picture of aviation, including commercial, military, general and vertical aviation and space flight. The event will incorporate thematic halls, national pavilions, specialized displays, flying demonstrations of historic and modern aircraft and static aircraft parks.
Tidewater Virginia is a historic hub, conveniently close to Kitty Hawk at Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where the Wright Brothers accomplished man’s first powered flights, and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.,– an important center of American aviation today, including the location of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum.
Aviation World's Fair, Inc. has noted that the Newport News-Williamsburg area is centrally located on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard of the United States within a day’s drive of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Cincinnati, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte and other major population centers. Some 90 million people live in that area.
Aviation World's Fair, Inc. was formed in 1996 by Kallman Worldwide, Inc. Kallman Worldwide is recognized as one of the world’s largest, oldest and most respected firms specializing in the marketing and management of exhibitions. Kallman Worldwide facilities include headquarters in Waldwick, New Jersey, and affiliated offices in Virginia, as well as London, Paris, and Vancouver.