Air Carriers Purchasing Conference

What Air Carriers Purchasing Conference does

Air Carriers Purchasing Conference (ACPC) is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1956 that operates the longest-running dedicated aviation procurement networking conference in the industry. Headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee with a small staff of 1-10 employees, ACPC runs a single annual four-day conference that convenes 60+ airlines and 600-700+ aerospace suppliers for structured buyer-seller meetings, professional development, and peer networking. The conference's core product is the Airline Roundtable Session format — ten-minute one-on-one meetings between suppliers and airline purchasing professionals — supplemented by the Aviation Networking Forum (a one-day exhibit venue), informal Meet & Greet sessions, Professional Development breakout sessions, and recently added Business Development Power Hub coaching and Peer-to-Peer Chat Circles.

ACPC generates revenue primarily through supplier-side fees: a $1,295 Company Commitment fee per supplier (which includes one complimentary registration), $1,295 for each additional supplier attendee, $850 per ANF booth, $600 corporate sponsorships, and $500 guest registrations. Airlines attend complimentary in exchange for participation requirements including hosting roundtable tables. The organization supplements its program with a mobile app, web badges for social media promotion, email newsletters, and a LinkedIn group. Marketing is conducted through its website, email, social media, and industry networking. Distribution is exclusively through direct participation in the annual in-person conference held at rotating US hotel venues, with the 69th edition scheduled for August 29 – September 1, 2026 at Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL.

ACPC operates as a member-driven, volunteer-supported organization governed by a Board of Directors (President Karen Cantor; 2026 Chairman Rachel Niederer of FirstKem/SourceCo) with no parent company, no private equity or venture capital backing, and no subsidiaries. Operating geographies span registered airlines from the USA, France, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Iceland, and Saudi Arabia, but the conference itself remains a single annual US-hosted event. Strategic governance shifted in 2025 with the creation of a multi-airline Airline Advisory Council replacing the previous single-airline chair model, signaling institutional maturation rather than expansion.

Name

Air Carriers Purchasing Conference

Legal name

Air Carriers Purchasing Conference, Inc.

Website

https://acpc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Air Carriers Purchasing Conference (ACPC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1956 that runs an annual four-day aviation procurement conference convening 60+ airlines and 600-700+ aerospace suppliers for structured roundtables, exhibits, and networking across global aviation supply chains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Industry Conferences

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Meeting & Conference Planning (Internal/External) (THAHACAB), Corporate Conferences & Sales Kickoffs (MPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Aviation industry conference
• Airline procurement networking
• Aerospace supplier engagement
• Aviation business development
• Airline roundtable sessions

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Supplier Company Commitment Fees: Suppliers pay a Company Commitment fee of $1,295, which includes one complimentary individual registration with discount code applied. Additional supplier registrations are $1,295 each.
2. Aviation Networking Forum (ANF) Booth Sales: Suppliers can purchase booth spaces at the Aviation Networking Forum for $850 each, providing networking opportunities with airlines and other suppliers.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships are available for $600, which includes logo display around the hotel and featured in rotating loop throughout the conference.
4. Guest Registrations: Guest registrations are available for $500 per guest, permitting attendance at social functions only (not permitted in ANF, Roundtables, Professional Development Sessions, or Business Lunches).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACPC organizes an annual aviation industry conference that brings together commercial airline purchasing/procurement professionals (buyers) and approved aerospace suppliers (sellers) for structured networking and education. The conference centers on Airline Roundtable Sessions, an Aviation Networking Forum (ANF), Meet & Greet opportunities, and Professional Development programming, supported by an event mobile app and online registration for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors.

Product overview

The Air Carriers Purchasing Conference (ACPC) is a single unified conference product—the 69th annual aviation industry event—not a software platform. The ACPC organizes and delivers an annual 4-day conference centered on aviation procurement networking. Core offerings include Airline Roundtable Sessions (10-minute one-on-one supplier-airline meetings), the Aviation Networking Forum (exhibit hall), and Meet & Greet Sessions. Supporting products include Professional Development Sessions with industry speakers, the Business Development Power Hub with coaching services, Peer-to-Peer Chat Circles, Corporate Sponsorships, and a Conference Mobile App for attendee management. The conference is held at host hotels with structured venues including a Hospitality Suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ACPC Annual Conference The flagship annual event for the Air Carriers Purchasing Conference, providing airline buyers and approved suppliers a multi-day venue for vendor meetings, sourcing conversations, and industry education. Targeted at commercial airline procurement organizations and approved aerospace parts, components, MRO, and services suppliers.
• Airline Roundtable Sessions Curated, structured meeting sessions that match airline purchasing/procurement executives one-to-one or in small groups with approved suppliers to accelerate sourcing, qualification, and renewal discussions.
• Aviation Networking Forum (ANF) A dedicated networking forum within the ACPC conference that allows airline purchasing professionals and approved aerospace suppliers to make connections beyond the structured roundtable sessions.
• Meet & Greet Sessions Informal networking sessions hosted as part of the ACPC conference to help airline buyers and suppliers build relationships outside formal roundtable meetings.
• Professional Development Programming Educational sessions and content offered within the ACPC conference, focused on professional development relevant to airline procurement and aerospace supplier professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Airlines can meet more than 700 supplier companies in four days than they would have time to see in their office in an entire year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dubai Airshow: Dubai Airshow is the Middle East's flagship aerospace event, increasingly competing with Paris and Farnborough for global aviation suppliers and airline buyers; it is a broader incumbent relative to ACPC and serves the same underlying airline purchasing audience.
• Paris Air Show (Le Bourget): The Paris Air Show is the largest aerospace trade event globally, alternating with Farnborough; it draws OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, airlines, and government buyers and is a broader incumbent in the aviation events space relative to ACPC's narrower procurement focus.
• Farnborough International Airshow: Farnborough is one of the world's largest aerospace and defense trade shows, featuring OEM displays, major supplier exhibits, and high-level networking; while much broader than ACPC, it competes for airline and supplier executive attention and sponsorship dollars on the global aviation events calendar.

Regional players

• HAI HELI-EXPO: HAI HELI-EXPO is the world's largest helicopter industry trade show and conference, run by Helicopter Association International; while vertically focused on rotorcraft rather than fixed-wing aviation, it shares ACPC's format of airline/operator-supplier B2B meetings and competes for a subset of ACPC's supplier audience.

Direct peers

• Routes (Routes Conference): Routes is the leading annual aviation networking event focused on route development and airline-airport-supplier meetings; it is structurally similar to ACPC in bringing airlines together with industry suppliers via scheduled one-on-one meetings and serves the same aviation procurement/development buyer persona.
• EBACE (European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition): EBACE is Europe's flagship business aviation event, combining an exhibition, static display, and education program with B2B meetings between operators and suppliers; it is a direct peer to ACPC in aviation B2B procurement event format, though focused on European operators.
• MRO Americas (Aviation Week Network): MRO Americas is the largest MRO procurement event in the Western Hemisphere, bringing together airlines, MROs, and aerospace suppliers for face-to-face meetings, exhibits, and conferences; it directly competes with ACPC for airline purchasing-decision-maker attention and supplier booth dollars.
• NBAA-BACE (Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition): NBAA-BACE is the premier business aviation trade show in the US, drawing thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors for face-to-face procurement and networking; it overlaps with ACPC in airline/operator purchasing audiences and supplier exhibit revenue.
• Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX): AIX is the global marketplace for airline cabin interiors, IFEC, and passenger-experience suppliers, featuring scheduled buyer-supplier meetings and an exhibit floor; it competes with ACPC for supplier exhibit budgets and airline interiors/purchasing attendee time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-carriers-purchasing-conference

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Carriers Purchasing Conference